Vascular Birthmarks

Click here to view Before and After photographs of Vascular Birthmarks treatments

The two most common vascular birthmarks include port wine stains and hemangiomas. Both of these vascular birthmarks can occur in infancy and while they are very different in their natural history, both can be very successfully treated with the pulse dye laser. Small spider veins, angiomas, port wine stains, and hemangiomas can be treated in an office setting, while large areas of involvement may require a general anesthetic to treat the entire region. In many cases the deformity can be successfully eliminated with one treatment while other patients with a more significant deformity may require more than one or two treatments.

Hemangiomas and Vascular Birthmarks affect both children and adults. It is said that there are about 400,000 children born every year with these diagnoses, however not all require the intervention of a specialist. Only about 1 out of every 100 affected require specialized care.

Dr. Edwin Williams' special interest in vascular birthmarks began in the early 1990's with the advent of the pulsed dye laser, making it possible to effectively treat hemangiomas, vascular birthmarks, port wine stains and other various vascular malformations. He was one of the original directors of the Albany Medical Center Vascular Birthmark Clinic and in 1995 was one of the original members of the Board of Directors and Co-Founder of the National Vascular Birthmark Foundation.

Since 1995, the National Vascular Birthmark Foundation has been responsible for facilitating the opening of numerous vascular birthmark clinics throughout the country and for networking over 20,000 children and adults into treatment. Dr. Williams has spoken at national and international meetings on this topic, was Chairman of the American Academy of Facial and Reconstructive Surgery's Vascular Birthmark Committee for several years and has published extensively, including numerous articles and monographs and as an invited contributor to several books on the topic. He has been featured on The Maury Povich Show and The Learning Channel (commonly known as TLC) for his work and humanitarian efforts toward children with disfiguring, facial vascular birthmarks. Additionally, in 2002, he was honored, recognized and named Physician of The Year by The Vascular Birthmarks Foundation for his work. He continues to hold a special interest and passion for treating children and individuals with disfiguring vascular birthmarks including, but not limited to, hemangiomas, port wine stains and other various arterial and venous malformations. His unique focus centers on an aesthetically focused approach to individuals afflicted with disfiguring facial vascular birthmarks. He treats patients at an AAAHC accredited ambulatory surgery center conveniently located within a few miles of the Albany International Airport and in close proximity to many hotels with a variety of accommodations.

Click for more information about the Pulse Dye Laser from Candella Corp.

	An Aesthetic Approach to Facial Hemangioma			Management of an Arteriovenous Malformation

Services

   Hemangioma
   Portwine Stains