Birthmarks
Birthmarks are skin problems that present at birth. They can be classified as pigmented birthmarks, haemangiomas and congenital skin tumour.
Pigmented Birthmarks
Pigmented birthmarks are dark or brown skin marks. Aside from colour, the skin surface of the birthmarks is the same as normal skin. Common pigmented birthmarks such as Naevi of Ota and Café au lait spots can be removed by Q-switched Nd:YAG or Alexandrite laser.
Haemangiomas
Haemangiomas include port-wine stains and strawberry haemangiomas.
Port-wine stains are reddish birthmarks on the face or neck. They can be removed by pulsed dye laser treatment.
The clinical symptoms of strawberry haemangiomas differ from that of port-wine stains. A strawberry haemangioma starts as a small red mark soon after birth, but grows quickly in size for the first three to nine months and then gradually regress and fade away when the child reaches two to three years of age. In most cases, there is no need for specific treatment. Medication and laser treatment should be considered if the strawberry haemangiomas are very large and impair vision, breathing or feeding. If the condition does not improve with medication or laser, surgical removal of the strawberry haemangiomas should be considered.
Congenital Skin Tumour
Congenital skin tumours refer to inborn moles, sebaceous naevi, etc. Since there is potential for malignant transformation, patients can consider one-time or staged surgical excisions to remove the tumours if their sizes are small. Although CO2 laser and pulsed Q-switched Nd:YAG laser treatments can improve cosmetic appearance, they cannot completely remove all tissues of tumours. Close monitoring is required after laser treatments for any sign of malignant transformation.