Birthmark Treatment in Minneapolis
A common condition that impacts a large majority of the population is birthmarks. They come in many shapes and sizes and can be pink, red, brown, or tan in color. Even though many pigmented birthmarks are easily ignored, some people want their birthmarks removed for cosmetic reasons. Whether you have facial birthmarks or a birthmark on your neck, you might feel as though they lower your self-esteem.
Our team at Metropolitan Skin Clinic offers laser treatment and laser therapy for birthmarks for safe and effective removal in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area.
What Is a Birthmark?
Most birthmarks are generally harmless and they are caused by an overgrowth of blood vessels. Many pigmented birthmarks are either flat or raised and can appear with irregular or regular borders. As their name suggests, these birthmarks occur during or shortly after birth. The two main types of birthmarks are vascular birthmarks and pigmented birthmarks. Vascular birthmarks are also called port wine stains and appear when blood vessels clump together. Pigmented birthmarks are called café au lait spots and often appear as darker skin.
Other names associated include strawberry marks, stork bites, salmon patches, or Mongolian spots.
What Causes a Birthmark?
Even though the majority of birthmarks appear on the skin’s surface during or shortly after birth, this isn’t the case for all of them. Some may develop hours, days, weeks, or even years later, resulting in the desire to treat birthmarks. The type of birthmark that you have indicates how it was formed. Here are some possible causes behind a child’s birthmark:
- Abnormal concentrations of melanin in the surrounding skin result in congenital moles;
- Increased or widening blood vessels;
- Abnormal cell growth.
Types of Birthmarks on the Face
From a vascular birthmark to cafe au lait spots, there are nearly endless ways to describe the birthmarks that could appear. We’ve outlined some descriptions and causes of various types of birthmarks that could appear on the face:
- Port wine stain: These are pigmented birthmarks that don’t typically fade. They are usually deep red or purple and flat, composed of dilated blood capillaries that often appear on the face. Getting this type of birthmark removed requires specific port wine stain treatment.
- Mongolian spots: Also known as blue birthmarks, these are flat and often appear blue-gray in color.
- Hemangioma: Bright red areas and marks on the skin that grow quickly before fading. These can be painful or uncomfortable.
- Strawberry marks: These are small and closely packed blood vessels that can appear anywhere on the body. These don’t often require treatment as they disappear with age.
- Cafe au lait spots: More common in African American babies and they appear as light or dark brown patches of pigment cells that could change size or shape over time.
Birthmark Treatments We Provide
You might not be able to remove your birthmark completely, but there are various methods and treatment options that our team can use such as laser therapy to shrink blood vessels and prevent birthmarks from causing insecurities.
BBL Birthmark Laser Treatment
One way how to get rid of birthmarks is through BBL treatments. BBL, or broadband light, is an effective laser treatment to help reduce the appearance of redness in the skin. If you have superficial red birthmarks that you want to treat for cosmetic purposes, BBL could be a safe, gentle, and effective option for you. This is an ideal treatment for those who don’t want to experience any downtime and it’s suitable for all skin types. Keep in mind that it might take several treatments to reduce the appearance of your birthmark with BBL lasers.
HERO Birthmark Laser Treatment
Facial birthmark removal can also be accomplished with HERO. This is an FDA-approved treatment that uses broadband laser light to improve the tone and texture of your skin, and it’s suitable for all skin types. It is a step up from the standard intense pulsed light therapy as it also offers a cooling effect. You might need multiple treatment sessions to achieve your desired results.
Birthmark Symptoms
Even though most birthmarks appear at a young age, some might develop later in life. Birthmarks occur when:
- Blood vessels grow abnormally;
- You’re born with a genetic disorder;
- There’s low blood flow to a particular area.
They can appear as moles or as pigmented birthmarks such as red, brown, white, or tan spots. Other signs might include skin lumps, textured or raised skin, hair growth from pigmented skin, or a skin lesion (an area that’s different from the surrounding skin).
Birthmark Removal Treatment in Minneapolis Area
Removing birthmarks in Minneapolis and St. Paul is a simple and straightforward process for our team at Metropolitan Skin Clinic. If you have a birthmark that’s always bothered you, reach out to our experienced team to see how we can help.
Phone
Hours
M: 9 am-6 pm
T-Th: 9 am-7 pm
Fri: 9 am-6 pm
Sat: 8 am-3 pm
Sun: Closed
Frequently Asked Questions About Laser Treatment for Birthmark
How many laser treatments for Birthmarks will I need?
The number of sessions that you’ll need to remove the birthmark depends on the type of birthmark that it is and how your body reacts to treatment. We are happy to provide you with a more accurate answer once we have additional information.
Is laser Birthmark removal safe?
Yes! Using laser treatment to remove birthmarks is a safe and effective procedure that doesn’t require local anesthesia. We recommend treatment if you’ve always wanted to remove a particular birthmark but you weren’t sure where to start. Our team is here to help!
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