Vascular lesions, port-wine stains and birthmarks are often treated by plastic surgeons. Treatment may vary according to the lesion color, but can typically be done in children as young as 6-months old. Dark red port-wine birthmarks are typically treated with a series of laser treatments.
Other birthmarks such as brown patches or red spots, also referred to as hemangiomas, may also be treated with a laser or surgically. Brown patches are sometimes treated with tissue expansion, whereby a silicone balloon expander is inserted under an area of the normal skin and then gradually filled with salt water, causing the skin to stretch and grow. Once the skin has stretched enough to cover the affected area, it is repositioned in place of the brown patch.
