Birthmark Removal
See More: Facial Surgery
Question: I have a portwine birthmark on my cheek. Is there a new procedure that has shown good success with removing dark portwines? Over the years, I've had treatment with several different types of lasers as each one was newly released, but none of the procedures available as of 2001 were successful in removing or lightening mine.
Answer:
Complete removal of a portwine birthmark may be an unrealistic goal as some are deeper than others. Most, however, will respond very well to the yellow and/or green light lasers. As the lasers have evolved over the years, more refinements have occurred but none have achieved the ability to penetrate as deeply as needed to eliminate deeper vessels (deeper than about 2 mm). We can say that with a treatment every 3-5 years, we can keep most portwine birthmarks under good control. If there are deeper components (large vessels down in the fat & muscle) more complex techniques such as embolization (done by specially trained radiologists) would be needed. I hope this is of some help to you. Should you wish to arrange a personal consultation please call my secretary at (912) 351-5050 ext. 102. Thanks for your question! Lawrence E. Ruf, M.D.
