Port Wine Stain

Port Wine Stain?

Port-wine stains are a type of birthmark made up from a collection of blood vessels. Children are born with port-wine stains. They can be pink, red, or dark maroon in color. Port-wine stains tend to darken in color over time as a child grows into adulthood. You can’t prevent port-wine stains from occurring. Thankfully, laser treatments are available to help lighten their appearance.

Port-wine stains can occur anywhere on the body, but are more common on the face, neck, arms, or legs. In the majority of cases port-wine stains are nothing more than a birthmark. However, sometimes port-wine stains can be a sign of other disorders like Sturge-Weber Syndrome or Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome. These disorders are oftentimes diagnosed during childhood.

Port-wine stains can be cosmetically disfiguring, but do not typically cause pain. They can become irritated, dry, and bleed easily if scratched. If an injury does occur it's important to keep it clean, and hold firm pressure over the bleeding area until the bleeding completely stops. Call your physician if you cannot get the bleeding to stop.