The Vascular Birthmarks Foundation (VBF) is pleased to announce the 2022 VBF Milan Free Laser and Ultrasound Clinic on Friday, December 9, 2022, in collaboration with Dr. Giacomo Colletti, VBF Italy Director and Co-Director of VBF Europe; Dr. Matteo Tretti Clementoni, Founder, CEO and Medical Director of Laserplast; and Candela Medical, a leading global manufacturer of energy-based devices.

This laser and ultrasound clinic is open to adults and children. This year, the VBF is pleased to announce the addition of free Sturge Weber Syndrome (SWS) consultations with VBF SWS Experts Dr. Anne Comi and Dr. Anna Pinto. More than 40 pre-qualified patients from 16 countries are to receive free laser and ultrasound treatments.

“Many individuals and families living with a vascular birthmark, anomaly and/or related syndrome (VBARS) have not been able to have access to care during the past several years due to circumstances out of their control, such as COVID-19 and displacement due to the war in Ukraine,” said Dr. Linda Rozell-Shannon, president and founder, The Vascular Birthmarks Foundation. “This free clinic will provide both help and hope to our VBARS community in Europe. No matter what is happening in the world, the need for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment plan does not stop.”

There are specific parameters around using lasers on infants and children, and Dr. Giacomo Colletti is a maxillofacial surgeon and one of the leading experts for complex vascular malformations. The clinic will offer free laser and ultrasound services to children and adults living with VBARS, and the treatments will be performed at Laserplast in Milan, Italy. Candela’s Vbeam Pulsed Dye Laser (PDL) is considered the gold standard for the laser treatment of port wine stains and other vascular anomalies in infants and children, as well as adults.

“We are pleased to be able to support the meaningful work of the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation with the Candela Vbeam Pulsed Dye Laser which has been helping physicians improve vascular birthmarks for over thirty years,” says Konika Patel Schallen, M.D., Medical Director, Senior Vice President, Global Clinical Operations, Candela Medical. “The team at Candela is committed to advancing technology and collaborating with our providers in order to continue to impact the lives of patients around the world.”

This free laser and ultrasound clinic is part of VBF’s mission to network families affected by VBARS to the appropriate medical professionals for evaluation and/or treatment, provide informational resources, sponsor physician education, mobilize medical missions, collaborate on research, and support programs that promote acceptance. At VBF’s national and international clinics, free laser treatments are offered to patients who cannot afford or have limited access to treatment. VBF is committed to ensuring that every patient gets fair and equal access to the latest treatment options for all vascular birthmarks, anomalies, and/or related syndromes.

Dr. Giacomo Colletti: “The VBF Italy free clinic is one of the most rewarding events in my medical career. I look forward to it like children look forward to Christmas.”

Dr. Matteo Tretti Clementoni: “Myself and my staff look forward to hosting these free VBF clinics. Being able to pay it forward through the use of Laserplast is as rewarding for us as it is for the patients.”

For more information, including registration to attend, visit: https://birthmark.org/milan

As part of VBF’s ongoing program of free laser clinics, the next free clinic will be on Friday, January 20, 2023, at the Dermatology and Laser Surgery Center in Houston, TX, with world-renowned and award-winning Paul M. Friedman, M.D. and his team.

About The Vascular Birthmarks Foundation The Vascular Birthmarks Foundation (VBF) is an international charitable organization that networks families affected by a vascular birthmark, anomaly, and/or related syndrome (VBARS) to the appropriate medical professionals for evaluation and/or treatment, provides informational resources as well as sponsors physician education, mobilizes medical missions, and supports research and programs that promote acceptance for individuals with vascular birthmarks. VBF has networked more than 125,000 children and adults into treatment since 1994. Established in 1994, by Founder and President, Linda Rozell-Shannon, Ph.D., VBF is the leading vascular birthmarks foundation in the world for patient education. For more information about vascular birthmarks, anomalies, and/or related syndromes, and treatment options, please visit www.birthmark.org.

About Laserplast Laserplast was founded in 2012 by Founder, CEO, and Medical Director Matteo Tretti Clementoni, M.D. a plastic surgeon, in order to take care of a variety of skin conditions. For more information about Laserplast, please visit www.laserplast.org.

About Giacomo Colletti, M.D. Giacomo Colletti, M.D., D.D.S., is one of the leading maxillofacial surgeons in Europe for complex vascular malformations. Dr. Colletti is Associate Professor of Maxillofacial Surgery at UniMORE, Director of VBF Italy and VBF Europe, Co-Director of Physician Education with Dr. Linda Rozell-Shannon.

About Anne Comi, M.D. Dr. Comi is a pediatric neurologist, clinical scientist, and Director of the Hunter Nelson Sturge-Weber Center at Kennedy Krieger Institute where she coordinates multi-disciplinary clinical and research services. She is Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

About Anna Pinto, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Pinto is a pediatric neurologist and published researcher focusing on Sturge-Weber Syndrome, pediatric epilepsy, and developmental disorders at Boston Children’s Hospital’s Department of Neurology. She is an instructor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School.

Media Contacts: For the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation Inc., contact: Gina Rothe, Marketing Communications Manager, gina@birthmark.org.

For Candela, contact: Aviva Katz, Senior Marketing Communications Manager, EMEA, Candela Medical, avivak@candelamedical.com. For more information about Candela Medical or the Vbeam Pulsed Dye Laser, please visit www.candelamedical.com.