brthmark

[Rubytues]

My dd is 1.5. She has a large port wine stain covering most of her right leg. We have been seen by a consultant who recommended she receive laser treatment which we are currently waiting on. However I don't know anyone who has been through this and would love to hear from anyone who has any experience of this treatment.

[Rubytues]

My dh and I have discussed leaving dd's birthmark with no treatment but we were told that as she grows it will probably become darker and raised and as I was very self conscious as a teenager I can't bare for my dd to have extra concerns when she reaches that age. So it is reassuring to hear your views, kitstwins that you are glad you did it. We have also been told that laser treatment to the limbs is often not as successful as treatment to the face. It would be great to hear from anyone with experience of laser treatment on the legs?.

[kitstwins]

I had a small portwine stain on the side of my nose and over my eyelid. At birth, the only option open to me (thirty-odd years ago) was a skin graft, which my parents vetoed on the grounds that the birthmark was by my eye. Laser treatment didn't become available until the early 90s.

I had laser pulse dye treatment in 1990 when laser treatment first started. It faded it by around 50% so it still required make up to cover it. However, in the last four or five years I have had four more sessions and it is now almost completely gone. Without pain relief it can be very uncomfortable. My consultant described it as an elastic band snapping against the skin, but I think because it was on the area around my eye and nose, where the skin is thin and sensitive I found it much sharper than that. However, I didn't use local anaesthetic and I have heard this helps hugely. They apply a topical anaesthetic cream to numb the area and it does dull the sensation. I never bothered as I was always in a bit of a rush (in my lunchhour, on my way home) when I had the treatment and didn't want to sit for half an hour waiting for the cream to work. Plus, as an adult I could rationalise the pain. It's also a blink-and-it's-gone pain - it lasts literally as long as the laser pulse (so a pulse, a second). The laser treatment causes deep black bruising which fades over the course of a week, revealing the lighter area underneath, and you can get a bit of swelling, although that does depend on the area. I got a slightly swollen eye, but I think becuase the eye area is so sensitive.

However, if I were a child or had a child with a port wine stain I'd use the cream. It would reduce it to a mild discomfort and certainly not something they would cry over. YOu could also offer some calpol beforehand as this might take the edge of things also.

Laser treatment has fantastic results. Mine really is almost gone - one more session and it will have vanished, which feels strange as it has been part of me for so long. It never bothered me as a child as it just seemed normal but I did get teased when I was older - actually by adults, who should have known better and often said unkind things (incredible really). Children were occasionally curious ("What's that mark on your face?) but were satisfied with the answer. It was only the unkindness of adults that actually made me very sensitive about it and want to have it removed. It's personal choice but I'm glad I did.

K

[mamas12]

The pain WAS managable once we knew how to manage it. For us we did voltarol before and then calpol afterwards depending on amount that was done then copius amounts of Aloe Vera. The laserd 'dots' then turn to bruises going absolutely all the colours a bruise will go (watch peoples faces when they see him!!) and then ready for the next treatment. Don't want to put you off because it was worth it for my ds as it was on his face.
The only other thing was we had to keep him out of the sun as the melotonin layer that tanned covered the portwine stain and if that happened the laser wouldn't go through so the poor little lad had to wear a thick layer of factor 60 sunscreen (which I had on prescription) and a hat and a sun tent and a windbreaker - do you I think I was a bit OTT?
(wink)
As for number o treatments every case is different and each one responds differently so no-one can say how long it will take sorry. He was 8 months when we started and neary 4 when we ended it. That is not to say every two months because other things like colds holidays hospital cancelling sometimes interrupted regular treatment which I think is normal for one so young.
He was fine during all of this really because babies are so resilient, I was the emotional one especially as my xh was unsupportive and I was stupidly doing it alone. Always take someone else with you to drive and support you to support your lo. okay.

[Rubytues]

Thanks so much for your messages. Mamas12, was your ds in much pain after the treatments and if so how long for? 9 treatments seems a lot. It must have been very waring for you but did the hospital tell you how many treatments they thought he should have?

[mamas12]

Also (sorry keep remembering things) Use Aloe Vera on the laser burns to sooth and cool, I found it worked really well

[mamas12]

My ds is very happy at the way he looks now and he does know that if it changes - as portwine stains darken with age - he can go and have it done again under local this time as he would be the right age for that. He sometimes gets comments to the effect that a girl has left some lipstick kiss mark on his cheek but he's ok with that too he just tells them it's a birthmark.
Good luck look after yourself so you are able to cope with looking after your dc.

[mamas12]

Hello yes my ds was born with portwine stain on right side of face and neck (his father also had the same) He started the pulsed dye laser treatment at about 10 months old every two to three months depending on whether or not he had a cold because it is done under a general anaesthetic. It has worked very well although he could probably have done with a couple more treatments to be honest with you. After the ninth time of going to the hospital on my own to cope with seeing my pfb go under general I just couldn't do it anymore.
My advice is go for it. But make sure you are supported it can be v.hard especially the first time when you see the results of the purple dots.

And also make sure that the medical staff give your dc pain relief before they start to give it time to kick in when she wakes up

[ninah]

My sister has a port wine stain on her face, quite large. She is now in her thirties and laser treatment has improved so much over the years. It is over her cheek and round her eye. She had to wait until she was a teenager for the first laser treatments, which faded it somewhat, but she still required faily thick makeup. About a year ago she had another course of treatmetn which faded it really well. Bascially the laser is aimed at the area and creates a series of dots, where the blood vessels are cautersied I think? anyway the dots are darker and then fade, fading the birthmark area as they do so. Intensity of treatment will vary as needed. Is done over a course of several appointments. Sometimes she has come home in some discomfort with swelling but this tended to be associated with really delicate areas eg around her eye. Do you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to ask her? and btw if you met her you'd never realise she had a birth mark, what with the laser and normal makeup, she is really pretty and the most confident one of the family! so please don't be unduly concerned for the future