Recurrence of port-wine stains after treatment with the flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser

OBJECTIVES: To assess the importance of the patient's age at the start of treatment of a port-wine stain (PWS) with the flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser (FPDL). BACKGROUND: FDPL treatment is safe and effective for PWSs, with a low risk of scarring and pigmentary changes. The degree of clearing of the lesion is, however, unpredictable, and the ideal time to start treatment has not yet been agreed. Patients/methods By means of a questionnaire, we investigated the frequency of recurrence in PWS in 147 patients after completion of treatment with the FPDL. RESULTS: In 24 patients (16.3%), partial redarkening of their PWS was observed. The patients who had a recurrence were not different from the group who did not regarding the colour of the PWS, the response to previous treatment or the frequency of side-effects. Children under 10 years of age did not show any PWS recurrence, at least in our group of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The age at the beginning of treatment may have an influence on the recurrence rate.