Port-wine stains appear as red spots on the skin
Port-wine stains are a congenital malformation of the blood vessels in the top layers of the skin and appear as red spots on it. About 80% of the port-wine stains are localized in the face, but they can also show on the body. They do not form back in the course of life but instead rather become darker with time and sometimes even nodular.
Hemangiomas should be treated timely
One must distinguish port-wine stains from the so-called hemangiomas. These show up shortly after birth and can then undergo a strong growth in thickness and size within only a short time period;
sometimes within days or few weeks.
In their initial stage, that is, when a red spot appears, hemangiomas can look similar to port-wine stains. However, as soon as a lateral growth is being determined, a timely handling of the
diagnosis hemangioma should follow in order to prevent further growth.
Both can be treated by IPL (Intense pulsed light)
Additional information on port-wine stains, hemangiomas and their treatment options can be found on the side of the German Dermatological Laser Society (Detusche Dermatologische Lasergesellschaft, DDL): http://www.ddl.de/faq_feuermale.php?u=7&n=3 and on http://www.vaskulaere-tumore.de