Laser treatment of cutaneous vascular anomalies.
BACKGROUND
Lasers and light-based therapy have been used to treat port-wine stains and hemangiomas for the past two decades.


RESULTS
Laser treatment produces dramatic clearing of port-wine stains with minimal scarring or epidermal damage, minimizes hypertrophy of lesions, decreases the risk of bleeding from pyogenic granlomas, and reduces the associated psychosocial morbidity. Lasers are used to halt the proliferation of the superficial component of hemangiomas, reduce the mass of the lesions, and to treat the vascular ectasia as well as the atrophic scarring that develops following involution.


CONCLUSIONS
Laser therapy provides a safe and effective modality with low morbidity for cutaneous vascular anomalies.
Kauvar
Arielle N B
AN
Department of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA. drkauvar@hotmail.com
Wang
Raziya S
RS
D001128:Argon; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D019339:Port-Wine Stain / Q000628:therapy*
D001128:Argon