Treatments for Birthmarks

Contact us and let our dermatologists in London have a thorough examination of your baby’s birthmark; this will help you know what type of birthmark your baby has and whether it needs treatment or not.

How we diagnose a Birthmark

The expert dermatologist in London will use an equipment called Wood’s lamp to examine the birthmark on your baby. This device will help our dermatologist to see the parts of the skin that the naked eye cannot see. This method is safe and won’t hurt your baby; it is a special light.

Our dermatologist Harley Street London will recommend further testing if your baby has many birthmarks because this can be a sign that something is going on inside your baby’s body.

For instance, if your baby has many café-au-lait spots, it could be a sign of neurofibromatosis, a disease that causes tumours on the nerves. Your baby might go through a CT scan or X-ray to rule out this disease.

Most of the time, our dermatologist in London will have a close look at the birthmark, and from the examination, he can tell you the type of birthmark your baby has, the precautions to take if there are any, and the treatment that suits that particular birthmark.

How We Treat Birthmarks

It is important to see our dermatologist to certify the birthmark safe and rule out any serious problem even though most birthmarks are safe and harmless. Some birthmarks can cause problems later in life, but when this is detected, it can be avoided with early treatment.

Birthmarks That Need Treatment

The dermatologist London will recommend treatment if your child has any of these:

• Visible or large birthmark: The dermatologist might recommend treatment for your baby if the birthmark can affect the self-esteem of the child or mare the appearance of your baby.
• Port-wine stain: Early treatment will be recommended for this birthmark because it does not fade with time – instead – it grows and becomes thick.
• Strawberry hemangioma: This birthmark grows rapidly before fading away. If it forms close to your child’s nose, mouth, or eye, we can start early treatment to prevent it from covering that part of the skin.

If it appears in the groin, early treatment will prevent pain later in life.

Types of Treatment

The treatment that is safe and effective depends on the type of birthmark. The treatment we may recommend are:

• Observe the Birthmark: This is not a treatment method, but it is very important. You will watch the birthmark carefully, and our dermatologist London will tell you the signs to look at for.

This will help us work closely with you to determine if the birthmark needs treatment or not. This is highly recommended in the case of strawberry hemangioma, which grows rapidly.

• Laser therapy: This is used to treat the port-wine stain and other birthmarks that don’t fade with time.
• Propranolol: This drug prevents hemangioma from growing by shrinking it. Special formulation can be made to treat large cases of hemangioma in children.
• Timolol: This drug also stops a hemangioma from growing; it can be applied to your child’s birthmark directly because it comes in liquid form. It is also used to treat glaucoma in children.

Dermatologists in London prescribe a lower dose of this drug, lower than what is used to treat glaucoma.

• Corticosteroid: This drug shrinks hemangioma. Our expert dermatologist will inject your child with this drug or prescribe pills.
• Interferon: This is used to treat life-threatening birthmarks. Your child will take daily shots; we can teach you how to do this at home.

You will also have to monitor your child carefully for side effect.

• Surgery: Surgery can be used to remove birthmarks by cutting it off. This is used for birthmarks that can turn into skin cancers, an example is the mole, and this is done when your child reaches puberty.

Surgery can also treat a large raised birthmark that does not fade and affects the appearance of your child.

• Mark: This is used for an older child or adult to cover discoloured skin and blemishes. We can recommend good makeup products that can help you.