Beneficial effects of early pulsed dye laser therapy in individuals with infantile hemangiomas.

Potential complications of IH include impairment of visual or respiratory function, ulceration, permanent anatomic distortion, dyspigmentation, and significant scarring. Haggstrom and colleagues reported that 24% of 1,058 patients with IH who were followed in a national registry developed complications. The most common area of involvement is the face, with 22.9% of facial hemangiomas developing complications and 43% requiring intervention. The optimal approach to IH treatment consists of recognizing lesions that are more likely to be problematic based on location and rapidity of growth and intervening in a timely manner to prevent or minimize adverse sequelae. There is no standardized management strategy for IH, but a variety of treatments are used to decrease the proliferative phase and increase speed of involution. These include corticosteroids, propranolol, laser therapy, and surgical excision. Early intervention with pulsed dye laser (PDL) is the focus of this article. Two of our patients received systemic therapy and localized PDL treatment, providing an “internal control” that documented the additive effects of combination therapy.