title: When not to treat cutaneous vascular lesions with the pulsed dye laser.
abstract: The availability of effective laser treatment for cutaneous vascular lesions has risen dramatically in recent years. At the same time, there has been a proliferation of laser providers with varying amounts of training-both medical and nonmedical. We report a series of four cases where patients presented for cosmetic evaluation of vascular lesions and were discovered to have more significant pathologic disease. In presenting these cases, we hope to illuminate a basic differential diagnosis that exists for cutaneous vascular lesions and remind healthcare providers that not all "cosmetic" concerns are benign in origin. There is a differential diagnosis that exists for cutaneous vascular lesions that is worth reviewing, and it should be considered in all patients presenting for laser treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Shofner
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lipworth
authors.forename: Zeina
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tannous
authors.forename: Mathew M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Avram
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D054025:Lasers, Dye; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017445:Skin Diseases, Vascular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*