The pulsed dye laser is the preferred laser for treating port wine stains. It is relatively effective with a low incidence of side effects. However, although considerable lightening of a port wine stain is likely to occur with treatment, complete clearance is achieved in the minority. There has been a number of therapeutic advances over the last few years in the laser treatment of port wine stains. These have come from modification of the original pulsed dye laser, use of other lasers and light sources and a greater understanding of laser - port wine interactions. All of these developments will be discussed in this review.
Despite the widespread use of lasers for hair removal there is little data published on the incidence of side effects from this treatment. We aimed to generate data on a large number of patients receiving laser hair removal to obtain an accurate assessment of the incidence and type of side effects resulting from treatment. A multicentre prospective study of patients attending for laser hair removal was conducted to determine incidence of side effects in relation to skin type and laser(s) used. Laser hair removal is associated with a low incidence of side effects which are self-limiting in the majority of cases. Highest incidence of side effects was seen in darker skinned patients treated with the long pulsed ruby laser. Laser hair removal is inherently safe. For darker Fitzpatrick skin types the long pulsed Nd:YAG laser is preferred to the ruby laser.
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