What is port wine stain
Port wine stain is a capillary vascular malformation that is characterized by a pink or red stain on some part on the skin. This type of birthmark is commonly seen on the face, arms or legs but can also affect other parts of the body. Although not fatal, the psychological impact of having a port wine stain can leave a person shying away from the crowd because of their unique appearance.
Port wine stains usually develop on new born children and can either improve or vanish as they grow older. This birthmarks are caused by blood vessels that are not getting enough nerve fibers. When this happens, enough blood tends to flow at certain parts of the body causing it to get inflamed and produce a stain mark of pinkish red to dark purple.
Diagnosis of port wine stains can be done by just merely looking at the skin and its appearance. An ordinary port wine stain consists of flat discolored part of the skin however, a developing and severe symptom can cause a bumpy texture on the skin. When the lesion is located somewhere around the eyes make sure to have this checked by your doctor to prevent it from affecting the eyes and the nerves surrounding it.
Severe and unusual type of port wine stain may need a skin biopsy to assess and properly diagnose the skin discoloration.
Treatment of port wine stain:
Port wine stain cannot be prevented but it can be treated. The most popular and effective way to do it is through laser treatment. Pulsed – dye laser enables to lighten the birthmark dramatically without undergoing any major surgery. The success of a treatment vary depending on the age it started and location of the birthmark. During laser treatment, the patient is given topical or either local or general anesthesia to lessen discomfort.
After a laser treatment which requires you to undergo several sessions, you must observe any recurrence. At the first sign of recurrence, ask advice from your doctor whether to take another set of treatment which is commonly done. Children who goes through laser treatment at its early stage may get better results than those that started late. Developed port wine stain are sometimes darker than usual and on severe cases it shows a very nasty dark purple color.
Port wine stains cannot be prevented. It is also not caused by drinking wine during pregnancy or anything traumatic that happened during pregnancy. It is developed on infants with no clear reasons why.
Along with having a port wine stain is your child’s inability to become more active around their circle of friends because of their unusual physical appearance. As a parent, your responsibility is to help your child overcome his or her issues and be more open on discussions and questions your child may ask about his birthmark.
Over the years, older people become more and more acceptable of what they have rather than hating it, this is not the same for a child. A child can be very sensitive, make sure to let them know that having port wine stain doesn’t make them any different from other children.
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