Port wine stains are birthmarks that are caused by dilated capillaries in either superficial or deep layers of the skin. They appear red to purple in colour, which is why they are called port wine stains.
Port wine stains (PWS) are more common than you may realise, and there are even some celebrity figures who have them. Notable examples include Billy Corgan from the Smashing Pumpkins, who has PWS on his left hand and arm, and Tina Turner, whose upper arm skin is affected by PWS.
Whilst some people simply accept their PWS, people who have them on more visible areas such as the face, for example, often find them more difficult to live with. However, until recently there has not been an effective treatment available to get rid of port wine stains.
Laser treatment for port wine stains removal has proven to be the most effective and it is now more widely available, especially in some of the more renowned laser treatment clinics London has to offer.
Using an Advanced Intense Pulsed Light system, a filtered light is passed over the skin to target chromophores (the part of a molecule responsible for its colour) in the tissue. This causes unwanted port wine stains or lesions to be heated and effectively disintegrated.
