Dont let them fool you(laser vs medical tattoo)

i have a PWS on my left leg a huge and rare stain
i tryed laser years ago and lost hope(very slow end expesive process)also the resolt was not so good.
about a year i went beck to try the newest laser(Candela v-beam)nothing changed.
7 month ago i went to a tattoo parlor in Germany with a friend of mine who wanted 2 get a tattoo,as we were
waiting the tattoo artist was doing whats called "medical
tattoo" on this guy whom i dont know 2 camouflage a
scar on his fourhead(done with a flesh colour pigmnt)
i asked the tattooist if that would work on my PWS,he said he couldnt see why not and told me 2 come the following day 2 match the pigment and give it a try.
2 make it shorter ill just say it took 3 month and changed my life you wont be able 2 tell the difrence.
you can only see slight difrence when its really cold
people with PWS must know what i mean.
i am 29 years old and no doctor has ever told me about that option. so thets why i tell you if you didnt know
"Medical tattoo"sometimes called "micropigmentation"

Hi Zach,
The reason doctors will not recommend this to you is b/c it is not a viable solution for pws. It might cover the color for a little while, but the lesion will eventually progress causing the area to look strange. I have heard others who tried tattooing out of desparation say the color eventually came back and their pws thickened under and around the tattooing. A PWS is a progressive lesion made of extra abnormal blood vessels that lack nerve supply. That means the walls of the blood vessels stay dialated all the time causing the blood to pool. When the walls weaken over time with age, this can cause the hypertrophy(thickening) along with the nodules and blebs to form. Therefore, you are not improving the pws or keeping it from progressing. That is what a laser does. Many docs believe that even though you may not see a lot of fading, the laser does help slow down the progression by taking out the more superficial vessels.

It is unfortunate that you say you have not responded well to the vbeam. I don't know what doctor you use, but the experience of the doctor and how aggressive they treat makes a huge difference when it comes to lasering pws with successful results. You might wish to use a different doctor. That has made the difference for many folks I have spoken to.

There is a doctor in NYC who has a special one of a kind vbeam laser that has the ability to use higher energy with a larger spot to reach deeper.

Our experience with laser is that the pws(facial) has faded 98% . I know that does not happen in all cases, but laser cannot be written off for all.

I truly wish you the best with your tatooing and hope your pws will not progress and give you the continued freedom you are feeling!

Where do you go to get a medical tattoo? I can't find anywhere that does it. I have had 11 laser treatments and there is really no change. I am DESPERATE for something to cover it up or at least make it look less gross. Can anyone help me find a place that does this? I live in Minnesota... thank!

Lindsey...

Don't waste time looking for tattoos, unless you want a cool non-medical one!


I have several female friends with PWS...
(my wife for one!)
They are all expert at coverage makeup. Here you can see at this link (no I'm not selling nuthin'!)

http://www.geocities.com/calico1966/

Just click the LA lunchers link in the menu.

Joie, one of the coolest ladies around, just wrote an amazing book called "Marked For Life" about the very thing you are speaking of... not wanting to look 'gross'!

look online or at a bookshop or library. It's worth it! It really makes you think. Plus she writes a makeup section over at the sister site birthmarks.com That's the Steffano site. Lot of us over there dealing with the same stuff.

I hope you find some answers.

I can cut to the chase although you won't believe me...
You're just fine as you are!

See I told you you wouldn't believe me! It took me years to see past my PWS. Still have trouble some days.

Smile!
--Charlie ;D

[william buettner jr]

i have a port wine stain that covers half of my face and i have had 4 or 5 laser surgerys in my life and its gotton lighter but i dont think its going away.i was thinking of getting it tattooed as close to my skin as possable and after reading your post i was wandering if you could send pics of yours before and after if you dont mind. it would really help me get a better understainding of the results. if you would email pics to billsbabygirly@yahoo.com i would really apprisiate it..thanks Bill b.