Treating port-wine stains

To view the Flash gallery, please ensure the following:

• You have the Adobe Flash plugin installed. Get the latest version here.
• Your browser supports cascading style sheets (CSS).
• Any ad-blocking software you are using is disabled.

Image List:

• Image 1: Eight-month-old Alyssa Chhe arrives at the Beckman Laser Institute's vascular birthmark center with her mother, Sophea Tim, for monthly treatment of a port-wine stain.
• Image 2: As child life specialist Nicole Hadley (left) looks on, Alyssa is prepared for the 15-minute procedure. She had her first treatment at 8 weeks old.
• Image 3: With a pulsed dye laser, Dr. Kristen Kelly zaps port-wine stain blood vessels on the anesthetized child's face and arm. "It's a very targeted therapy," she says. "We use the laser to remove those vessels, and when you do that, you can remove the reddish color from the skin."
• Image 4: The surgical team readies the laser imaging equipment used to monitor how many blood vessels are fully destroyed during the treatment. One complicating factor is that the vessels can grow back later on.
• Image 5: Child life specialist Nicole Hadley reads a book to Alyssa - in the arms of her father, Sothy Chhe - as Dr. Kristen Kelly watches. The girl has had six laser treatments so far, and her mother says the port-wine stain is visibly lighter.