pulsed dye laser treatment

[MaleficentFan]

I posted this on the family board but haven't heard from anyone whose child had this type of treatment so I thought I'd give the CB a try. DD was born with a port wine stain on her face. It has faded over time but we have discussed the possibility of having laser treatment in the future. I've done some research about pulsed dye laser treatment but was interested in hearing from parents who personal experience with this and their children. How old was your child when he/she had the treatment? How painful was the treatment? Were there any side effects? How effective was the treatment? Thanks for any and all info!

 

[DisneyTeacher]

I found this site a couple of years ago. http://www.birthmark.org/board/search.php?searchid=80128

My son has a hemangioma and had PDL treatments when he was an infant. I don't know how similar the treatments are since they are two different types of birthmarks. My son was awake each time he had a treatment and was fine minutes later when he was returned to me. They used a cream to numb the area but that's it.

Good luck with the treatments.

 

[MaleficentFan]

bump

 

[Rora]

I'm going to give this a shot:

First off, I don't know much about pulsed dye laser treatment. But I can share a personal story that I hope will help.

I was born with a huge, seriously, huge red birthmark on my upper lip. According to my parents, the doctor that oversaw my birth wanted to use some form of laser technique (possibly the one you are considering) to get rid of it right then and there. My parents consulted my pediatrician and he said not to do it. According to him, the majority of birthmarks fade over time. And at the time, this laser technology was not the best. Up until I was about 6 or so my birthmark was very obvious. Then it started to fade. I am now 22 and you can't see the birth mark at all unless you look really really closely.

However, this mark was on my lip and I am assuming that if it were anywhere else it would still probably be a little red and noticable.

My best advice: consult another doctor. See what they think. Also, really consider this birthmark. Do you think your DD would get made fun of or could it turn into a pretty beauty mark?

Regardless of your decision I hope everything works out.

 

[mickeyboat]

Well, this is not the same experience, but I thought I would share, anyway.

DD developed a spider hemangioma on the tip of her nose when she was about 9 months old. I took her to the dermatologist every year to have him check it, and it appeared to be growing with her, so he was not concerned except for cosmetic reasons. We decided to wait until she wanted it removed to plan on what to do.

Two summers ago (between 1st and 2nd) we went to the dermatologist and she told him she was ready to have it removed. We discussed pules dye, but he decided to try to cauterize it. They numbed it - which was the only part that really hurt, cauterized it, and she looks great, now. She has a tiny scar, but you wouldn't see it unless you knew it was there.

The dermatologist said there was a chance that the mark would fade over time, but it didn't.

Good luck!

Denae

 

[MaleficentFan]

I'm going to give this a shot:

First off, I don't know much about pulsed dye laser treatment. But I can share a personal story that I hope will help.

I was born with a huge, seriously, huge red birthmark on my upper lip. According to my parents, the doctor that oversaw my birth wanted to use some form of laser technique (possibly the one you are considering) to get rid of it right then and there. My parents consulted my pediatrician and he said not to do it. According to him, the majority of birthmarks fade over time. And at the time, this laser technology was not the best. Up until I was about 6 or so my birthmark was very obvious. Then it started to fade. I am now 22 and you can't see the birth mark at all unless you look really really closely.

However, this mark was on my lip and I am assuming that if it were anywhere else it would still probably be a little red and noticable.

My best advice: consult another doctor. See what they think. Also, really consider this birthmark. Do you think your DD would get made fun of or could it turn into a pretty beauty mark?

Regardless of your decision I hope everything works out.

DD's birthmark is on the left side of her face. It starts in the inner corner of her eye (on the upper eyelid) and runs down the bridge of her nose and ends on her left upper lip. There is a portion that extends out under her left eye on her upper cheek. I wouldn't necessarily quality it as huge... but it's definitely visible and big enough that people have remarked on it. We're not thinking of doing anything about it until she's older... probably will wait until she's at least three. The pediatrician agrees with our wait and see approach. It has lightened significantly since her birth... but it is still noticable at this stage. If it continues to lighten we may do nothing. Our concern is just that with port wine stains there is a chance that it will grow or darken as she ages... and the best time to have the laser treatment is when she is young... it is most effective then because the vascular "damage" is not very deep. Being the anal retentive individual I am I have been researching this laser treatment since the doctor first mentioned it... I'm getting ahead of myself I know. I had just been reading up on it recently and thought I'd post to see if anyone had a personal experience with it.

 

[NotUrsula]

I have a skin condition (not port wine) that needs to be treated with it, and one thing I can tell you is that I've been campaigning for 7 years to get my insurance company to pick up part of the cost. No go so far. They say that it is cosmetic, though in my case it isn't. (Long story, but what I have actually bleeds when it gets really cold, and hurts much of the rest of the time. It is 90% covered by my clothes, so no one but DH can see it.)

I need an area of about 1.2 sq. feet done, and the estimate I got is that it will cost $18K out of pocket.

 

[MaleficentFan]

I need an area of about 1.2 sq. feet done, and the estimate I got is that it will cost $18K out of pocket.

OOF! That blows! Luckily for us DH's insurance covers PDL treatment for port wine stains on the face and neck. His insurance is primary for dd. We'd be up a creek without that.