What unique challenges do port wine stains pose for treatment, particularly in the pediatric population?
There are a number of potential challenges in treating PWS, according to Dr. Ross, such as the difficulty of achieving complete clearance. “My experience has been that treatment should be carried out as early as two months of age and treatments ultimately should be carried out approximately every six to 12 weeks until the lesion is reasonably clear,” notes Dr. Ross. “Our clearance rates typically are up to 60 percent to 80 percent after six to eight treatments,” he continues. However, he further observes that treatment success depends on a number of factors, such as the patient’s overall skin pigment and location of the port-wine stain. “Various articles have pointed out, for example, that central facial lesions or central facial portions, particularly along the nose and central face, are more resistant to treatment,” Dr. Ross says. “There is also great variability in responses to treatment. Darker-skinned patients present a problem because of the epidermis being an absorptive of light
