Specialised centres can help most patients, particularly if the mark is on the face. This treatment makes the stain very much less obvious and possibly unnoticeable to the casual observer.

Pulsed dye lasers are used to lessen the stain. Young children will need to have this treatment under general anaesthetic but in older children a local anaesthetic, usually an anaesthetic cream, might be adequate. If the area to be treated is around the eye or very extensive, the laser treatment will usually be administered under general anaesthetic.

A course of treatments is required

Up to 10 treatments, at about 8-week intervals, are usually considered necessary. The earlier in the child’s life that the treatment begins the more it is likely to be successful as the Port Wine Stain will not yet have started to thicken. Treatment on the face is likely to be more successful than that given to other areas of the body.

Numerous forms of camouflaging creams are available to help conceal Port Wine Stains if these continue to cause embarrassment and this matter should be discussed with a doctor

Congenital moles

About one percent of babies are born with Congenital Moles. Many are very, very small and almost all are less than an inch in width. Larger ones, more than 8 inches in width are extremely rare, occurring only once in 10,000 births. The darker the baby’s skin, the darker the mole will be.

Generally speaking moles are harmless, excessive growths of the cells which govern the colour of the skin.

There is, however, some possibility that congenital moles might have accumulated on the brain before birth which could cause hindrance in the proper functioning of the brain. This is very rare indeed

Plastic surgery removal

If moles become unsightly during childhood or later life or if they grow very large, they can be removed by plastic surgery. In some cases they might become malignant causing the skin condition known as melanoma. Should a mole change in appearance, or bleed it should be investigated immediately. Moles and freckles are the most common form of birthmarks.