Fire Mark And Stork Bite

2023 Author: Wallace Forman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 11:04

Fire mark

A fire mark (nevus flammeus) is a benign, mostly congenital or early childhood malformation of the fine blood vessels of the skin (capillaries), which show up as light to blue-red spots. Fire marks are among the rare malformations of the skin and occur in around two out of 100 newborns, with girls being affected somewhat more frequently. They are not painful and do not enlarge. Fire marks only expand as the body grows…

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There are two forms of fire painting:

Naevus flammeus simplex: Typically, the nevus flammeus simplex lies in the area of the midline of the body (symmetrical nevus flammeus). One example of this is the so-called stork bite. It is characterized by a pale pink to salmon-colored, sharply delimited erythema, usually in the area of the neck or face

Note A stork bite resolves itself over time. Usually this happens in the first few years of life. The cause lies in a delay in maturation of the nerve supply to the vessels.

Naevus flammeus: Usually a nevus flammeus occurs to the side of the midline of the body - one speaks of an asymmetrical distribution pattern. These stains can appear all over the body and will last a lifetime without therapy. It is still unknown why a nevus flammeus develops. If this occurs as a single phenomenon without further malformations, it cannot be traced back to heredity. Such a fire mark is considered a "freak of nature"

Note In rare cases, a nevus flammeus occurs together with other malformations as part of a clinical picture (e.g. Sturge-Weber syndrome, Klippel-Trénaunay-Weber syndrome). In these cases there is a genetic link between other malformations of various types and the fire mark.

diagnosis

The doctor can diagnose a fire mark on the basis of the typical changes in the skin and how it has progressed in the first few months of life. Tissue removal from the affected areas of the skin is seldom necessary, as the increased content of red blood cells typical of the fire mark and the enlarged diameter of the vessels only become apparent with increasing age.

However, children with unclear reddish discoloration of the skin should be examined regularly to distinguish a fire mark from a blood sponge (hemangioma). A hemangioma is a benign ulcer (embryonic tumor) that appears like a fire mark as a reddish spot in the first few weeks, but quickly changes and becomes darker, more knotty and raised.

Since fire marks can also occur in connection with various diseases that are associated with other malformations (e.g. Sturge-Weber syndrome, Klippel-Trénaunay syndrome), affected children should be examined carefully. Especially if there is a fire mark on the face, both brain waves and eye pressure should be measured regularly, as it can also lead to glaucoma (glaucoma).

Laser therapy & camouflage

Fire marks are always benign and therefore do not necessarily require therapy. Whether treatment is necessary depends primarily on the affected area. If a fire mark is a cosmetic or psychological problem, this can often be very stressful for those affected - this is especially true for an appearance on the face. There are two options for therapy:

• Laser therapy
• camouflage

Laser therapy

A pulsed dye laser can be used to brighten fire marks. However, the fire mark does not go away completely. The success of laser therapy depends on the affected body region and the depth of the changed blood vessels. Since laser therapy is somewhat painful, infants and young children are given general anesthesia.

Note Even after a good initial response to laser therapy, stains can darken again at a later point in time. In these cases the laser therapy can be repeated.

What happens with laser therapy?

In laser therapy, the area of the fire stain is treated with several laser beam pulses. It is removed by photothermolysis. The reddish color structures are deliberately destroyed by the heating and the red blood cells and capillaries burst. The laser's built-in cooling system ensures that the surface of the skin is cooled and that other skin structures remain intact. The laser treatment initially produces a dark red to blue discoloration on the affected area, which is most clearly visible in the first two to three days and completely fades within approx. Ten days. Temporary swelling is also possible. Very rarely blisters or crusts form. Scarring is also rare.

As a rule, about four to six treatments at intervals of six to eight weeks are necessary to achieve a lightening. If there are large areas of fire stains, more than six treatments may be required. An untreated fire mark can sometimes form small benign vascular nodules (granuloma pyogenica) that bleed easily over time. These can be treated with icing (kyrotherapy) or surgically removed.

Note Complete regression in small children is given in the literature with up to 75 percent, very good clearing in children under 18 years of age with 60 percent and moderate clearing in over 18 year olds with 48 percent. Treatment in adulthood is less effective.

What should you watch out for after laser therapy?

After the laser treatment, the affected skin area should be cared for with hyaluronic acid or a cream containing silicone. Sufficient sun protection must be ensured even before and after laser therapy, as tanned skin causes the laser effect to be weakened. Laser applications on exposed areas should be avoided in summer.

Camouflage: alternative to laser therapy

As an alternative to laser treatment, fire marks can be concealed using camouflage. This is a special make-up on a wax-oil base that is extremely opaque and resistant. However, covering the nevus flammeus is usually very time-consuming and often only provides a limited visual improvement.

Whom can I ask?

You can contact the following doctors to diagnose a fire mark:

• Specialist in dermatology
• General practitioner
• Specialist in paediatrics and adolescent medicine

You can contact the following doctors or doctors for laser treatment:

• Specialist in dermatology
• specialized pediatric centers
• Plastic surgery specialist

For camouflage you can contact the following offices:

• Make-up artists
• Camouflagists

How are the costs going to be covered?

Fire stains generally have a cosmetic dimension and are therefore not usually the responsibility of social health insurance unless there is a suspicion of cancer. For more information on cost coverage, please contact your health insurance provider.