Birthmarks, Freckles, and Port Stains Overview

Picosure laser used to remove birthmark from around the eye by Dr. Wu. After 3 treatments, mark is virtually undectable.

Have you been living with a mark or pigmentation that has always made you feel embarrassed or self-conscious? Freckles, birthmarks, and port wine stains are harmless pigmentations that typically occur at birth, but depending on the shape, size, and location, these marks can detract from one’s appearance or draw unwanted attention.

Birthmarks are not always present from birth; occasionally they will show up after. Some birthmarks will fade away on their own, while others linger into adulthood. Especially prominent birthmarks can cause self-consciousness and embarrassment for both children and adults, but most can be treated safely and effectively through a variety of treatment options in our dermatology office in San Diego.

Birthmarks can be of two types: pigmented or vascular. Pigmented birthmarks are the result of large concentrations of melanin in one spot, and are most often brown in color. Types of pigmented birthmarks include cafe au lait spots, moles, and Mongolian spots.

Vascular birthmarks (blood vessel), on the other hand, marks develop when blood vessels near the surface of the skin do not form correctly, creating an overgrowth of cells. The most common type of vascular pigmentations include:

  • Macular Stains – Faint red marks that are also known as salmon patches, stork bites, or angel kisses. These appear more frequently on the eyelids, forehead, neck, nose, back of the head or upper lip.
  • Hemangiomas – Superficial or deep pigmentation that may appear as a red mark (strawberry mark) or a bluish mark if the blood vessels are located deeper in the skin tissue.
  • Port Wine Stains – Reddish or brown discolorations that look like wine has been spilled on the skin. These marks most often appear on the face, neck, arms, and legs.
  • Pigmented Marks – Formed by an overproduction of pigmentation in the skin at birth or due to hormonal fluctuations, such as pregnancy. These marks are often tan, brown, or black.
  • Café au Lait Spots – Light tan colored pigmentations on the surface of the skin that looks as though coffee with milk has been spilled on the skin.
  • Moles – Also known as nevi or nevus, moles are a general term for a tan, brown, or black discoloration on the skin that may be present at birth or develop later in life. It is important to monitor moles for any changes in size, color, texture, and sensation to determine whether or not they have become cancerous.

Depending on your form of vascular pigmentation and specific skin type, your best treatments may vary. However, the insight of a skilled dermatologist in San Diego will help you better understand how to treat these conditions for the best looking and longest lasting results possible.

Treatment Options

Dr. Wu is showing us the Picoway laser treatment, San Diego, CA.

At Cosmetic Laser Dermatology, our board-certified dermatologists in San Diego offer a number of treatment options to successfully get rid of dermal and epidermal pigmentations. If you have a birthmark (or birthmarks) that you’d like to eliminate, our skin specialists must first determine which treatment option works best for you.

With treatments available like PicoSure, Picoway, Q-Switched Ruby and Q-switched and Long Pulsed Alexandrite, Pulse Dye lasers such as Vbeam and Cynergy and Intense Pulsed Light,  these marks can be drastically improved to provide a clear and blemish-free look.

We offer the following treatment options for birthmark removal.

IPL

IPL, or intense pulsed light, is a good option for treating superficial red and brown birthmarks, along with other conditions that cause redness, such as rosacea, sun damage, and spider veins. An IPL treatment is gentle and effective, with no recovery time required. IPL can be used safely on the face, arms, chest, back, legs, and hands!

Pulsed Dye Laser

PDL, or pulsed dye laser, is another good option for reducing red birthmarks. The light of a PDL treatment is absorbed by the hemoglobin in the red cells of the affected blood vessels, thus eliminating unwanted red capillaries. PDL is a safe and effective choice for reduction of red birthmarks, with no downtime necessary.

Lumenis ResurFX

The Lumenis ResurFX is a laser which can be used for pigmentation problems, including brown birthmarks. It is a non-ablative laser which gently reduces pigmentation, leading to a smoother and more even skin tone. The ResurFX requires only one pass for full results, reducing the amount of time a session takes and protecting the patient’s skin. This laser is very gentle and effective and requires no downtime.

Other treatments offered at our center in San Diego include the following:

Photos

Erbium Laser for Birthmark by Dr. Jameson Loyal. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Erbium Laser by Dr. Jameson Loyal
Pulse dye laser to treat port wine stain on neck by Dr. Goldman. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Pulse dye laser to treat port wine stain on neck by Dr. Goldman
Pulse dye laser to treat port wine stain on neck by Dr. Goldman. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Pulse dye laser to treat port wine stain on neck by Dr. Goldman
Actual unretouched patient before and 2 months after laser resurfacing to treat sun damage by Dr. Groff. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Before and after laser resurfacing for sun damage by Dr. Groff
Erbium Laser for Birthmark by Dr. Jameson Loyal. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Erbium Laser by Dr. Jameson Loyal
PicoSure for Birthmark by Dr. Douglas Wu. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. PicoSure for Birthmark by Dr. Douglas Wu
Vbeam for Port Wine Stain by Dr. William Groff. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Vbeam for Port Wine Stain by Dr. William Groff
Vbeam for Port Wine Stain by Dr. William Groff. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Vbeam for Port Wine Stain by Dr. William Groff
PicoSure for Facial Birthmark by Dr. Jameson Loyal. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. PicoSure for Facial Birthmark by Dr. Jameson Loyal
Cynergy to treat venous lake by Dr. Loyal. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Cynergy to treat venous lake by Dr. Loyal
Vbeam and Fraxel Restore to treat port wine stain by Dr. Butterwick. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Vbeam and Fraxel Restore to treat port wine stain by Dr. Butterwick
Vbeam and Fraxel Restore to treat port wine stain by Dr. Butterwick. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Vbeam and Fraxel Restore to treat port wine stain by Dr. Butterwick
PicoSure to treat Nevus of Ota by Dr. Goldman. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. PicoSure to treat Nevus of Ota by Dr. Goldman
PicoSure to treat Nevus of Ota by Dr. Goldman. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. PicoSure to treat Nevus of Ota by Dr. Goldman
PicoSure laser to treat birthmark around the eye by Dr. Wu. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. PicoSure laser to remove birthmark from around the eye by Dr. Wu
PicoSure laser to treat birthmark around the eye by Dr. Wu. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. PicoSure laser to remove birthmark from around the eye by Dr. Wu
Cynergy laser to treat port wine stain on neck by Dr. Goldman. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Cynergy laser to treat port wine stain on neck by Dr. Goldman
PicoWay and PicoPlus lasers to treat Nevus of Ota on the face of a female patient by Dr. Boen. PicoWay and PicoPlus lasers to treat Nevus of Ota on the face of a female patient by Dr. Boen
PicoWay and PicoPlus lasers to treat Nevus of Ota on the face of a female patient by Dr. Boen. PicoWay and PicoPlus lasers to treat Nevus of Ota on the face of a female patient by Dr. Boen
Picoway laser used to remove cafe au lait macule by Dr. Wu. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Picoway laser to treat cafe au lait macule by Dr. Wu
Picoway laser used to remove cafe au lait macule by Dr. Wu. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Picoway laser to treat cafe au lait macule by Dr. Wu
Picoway laser used to remove cafe au lait macule by Dr. Wu. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Picoway laser to treat cafe au lait macule by Dr. Wu
Vbeam laser to remove port wine stain on forehead by Dr. Goldman. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Vbeam laser to treat port wine stain on forehead by Dr. Goldman
Vbeam laser to remove birthmark from cheek by Dr. Groff. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Vbeam laser to remove birthmark from cheek by Dr. Groff
Vbeam to treat port wine stain by Dr. Boen. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Vbeam to treat port wine stain by Dr. Boen
Vbeam to treat port wine stain by Dr. Boen. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Vbeam to treat port wine stain by Dr. Boen
PicoWay and Clear & Brilliant lasers for treatment of hyperpigmentation by Dr. Wu. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. PicoWay with Clear + Brilliant lasers for treatment of brown spots by Dr. Wu
PicoWay with Clear & Brilliant for treatment of hyperpigmentation by Dr. Wu. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. PicoWay with Clear + Brilliant laser to treat brown spots by Dr. Wu
PicoWay and Clear & Brilliant lasers for treatment of hyperpigmentation by Dr. Wu. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. PicoWay with Clear + Brilliant laser treatment for hyperpigmentation by Dr. Wu
Actual unretouched patient before and 4 months after using the Alexandrite laser to treat sun damage by Dr. Groff. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Before and after Alexandrite laser for sun damage by Dr. Groff
Actual unretouched patient before and 4 months after Alexandrite laser treatment by Dr. Groff. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Before and After Alexandrite Laser by Dr. Groff
Actual unretouched patient before and after Fraxel Dual and Alexandrite laser for chest rejuvenation by Dr. Groff. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Before and after Fraxel Dual and Alexandrite laser for chest rejuvenation by Dr. Groff
Actual un-retouched patient before and 2 months after laser skin resurfacing around the eyes by Dr. Groff. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Before and after laser resurfacing around the eyes by Dr. Groff
Actual unretouched patient before and 2 months after laser resurfacing to treat sun damage by Dr. Groff. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Before and after laser resurfacing for sun damage by Dr. Groff
Actual unretouched patient before and 2 months after laser resurfacing to treat sun damage by Dr. Groff. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Before and After laser resurfacing for sun damage by Dr. Groff
Actual unretouched patient before and 2 months after laser resurfacing around the eyes by Dr. Groff. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Before and after laser resurfacing around the eyes by Dr. Groff
Actual unretouched patient before and after 4 sessions of Vbeam for port wine stain removal by Dr. Groff. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Before and after Vbeam treatments for birthmark removal by Dr. Groff
Unretouched photos of patient before and after Cynergy and Picoway laser treatments for pigmentation by Dr. Goldman. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Before and after Cynergy and Picoway laser treatment for pigmentation by Dr. Goldman
Unretouched photos of patient before and after Cynergy and Picoway laser treatments for pigmentation by Dr. Goldman. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Before and after Cynergy and Picoway laser treatment for pigmentation by Dr. Goldman
Unretouched photos of patient before and after Cynergy and Picoway laser treatments for pigmentation by Dr. Goldman. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Before and after Cynergy and Picoway laser treatments for hyperpigmentation by Dr. Goldman
Actual un-retouched patient before and after of VBeam laser treatment with Dr. Groff. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Before and after VBeam Laser to the treat chin discoloration by Dr. Groff
Actual un-retouched patient before and after VBeam laser treatment to the chin by Dr. Groff. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Before and after VBeam laser to treat chin discoloration by Dr. Groff
Actual un-retouched patient before and after of IPL for sun damage on the chest by Dr. Groff. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Before and after IPL photofacial to treat sun damage on the chest by Dr. Groff
Actual un-retouched patient before and after Fraxel treatment for brown spots by Dr. Groff. Disclaimer: Results are not guaranteed. Before and after Fraxel treatment to address hyperpigmentation by Dr. Groff
Actual un-retouched patient before and after ResurFX laser to treat sun damage and rejuvenate the skin by Dr. Fabi. Disclaimer: Results may vary from patient to patient. Results are not guaranteed. Before and after ResurFX laser to treat sun damage and rejuvenate the skin by Dr. Fabi

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Dr. Groff Discusses Dark Birthmarks and More (4:24)

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