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When not to treat cutaneous vascular lesions with the pulsed dye laser
Author(s) -
Shofner Joshua D.,
Lipworth Adam,
Tannous Zeina,
Avram Mathew M.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
lasers in surgery and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1096-9101
pISSN - 0196-8092
DOI - 10.1002/lsm.21119
Subject(s) - medicine , differential diagnosis , laser treatment , dermatology , skin lesion , laser , vascular disease , surgery , pathology , physics , optics
The availability of effective laser treatment for cutaneous vascular lesions has risen dramatically in recent years. At the same time, there has been a proliferation of laser providers with varying amounts of training—both medical and nonmedical. We report a series of four cases where patients presented for cosmetic evaluation of vascular lesions and were discovered to have more significant pathologic disease. In presenting these cases, we hope to illuminate a basic differential diagnosis that exists for cutaneous vascular lesions and remind healthcare providers that not all “cosmetic” concerns are benign in origin. There is a differential diagnosis that exists for cutaneous vascular lesions that is worth reviewing, and it should be considered in all patients presenting for laser treatment. Lasers Surg. Med. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.