Port Wine Stains

Definition

A port wine stain can range from pale pink to dark purple in color. In the past these lesions were erroneously called "capillary hemangiomas." These can occur equally among males and females.

A port wine stain on the face of a new born child is symptomatic of Sturge - weber syndrome, a condition involving the vascular and central nervous system.

Symptoms of Port Wine Stains

These are flat, dark red patches, most commonly found on the face or limbs. They tend not to cross the midline. Usually they are not associated with other symptoms. However, port wine stains around the eye suggest that glaucoma may develop in that eye. Also, port wine stains on the eyelid or forehead sometimes signal a similar stain in the brain. Other syndromes may be associated with port wine stains, but they are usually suggested by other symptoms that are obvious.

• Older child with a slightly more reddish to purplish lesion, flat to slightly raised.
• Adult with darkly red to purplish lesion.
• Lesion is usually present at birth.
• Newborn infant with a flat pink to purplish lesion on skin.
• Most commonly seen on face and neck.

Causes of Port Wine Stains

A port wine stain on the face can be a part of Sturge-Weber syndrome. This syndrome also involves problems with blood vessels in the eyes and brain. However, a port wine stain does not usually mean that Sturge-Weber syndrome is present.

1. Port-Wine Stains are not contagious and you can not catch it from anyone.
2. Port-wine stains are present at birth.
3. A port wine stain is a localized blood vessel problem. Tiny blood vessels can normally narrow or widen depending on circumstances. This allows different amounts of blood to the skin surface. The more blood in vessels, redder is the skin. Normal skin goes pale when we are cold i.e. blood vessels constrict and goes bright red when we blush i.e. blood vessels dilate.

Treatment of Port Wine Stains

• Skin camouflage: This is a common way of covering port wine stains. Special colored cover creams can be put on port wine stains to improve the skin's appearance. The aim is to find a color to match the normal skin.
• The flash lamp pumped dye laser, a yellow light laser, has been the most successful at destroying stains in infants and young children. Two other yellow light lasers the copper vapor and krypton laser have been used successfully in adults.
• Usually no treatment is needed as these are harmless, painless and itch less. But if they grow quickly and cause itching and pain or show some extraordinary symptoms then treatment is needed. Some people want treatment for cosmetic reasons.
• Cryotherapy: In this treatment the physician applies liquid nitrogen on the infected area and freezes it.  And after this it is removed itself.
• Laser treatment: A special fine laser can destroy the tiny widened blood vessels. Treatment may not clear the port wine stain completely. However, in over 6 in 10 cases there are good or excellent results from modern laser treatment.