Treatments, Test and Procedures ► Pulsed Dye Laser

Pulsed Dye Laser

Also known as: pulsed dye laser treatment, PDL.

What is a pulsed dye laser?

Pulsed dye laser is a laser where the laser beam passes through a dye in order to target blood vessels and treat capillary malformation and other vascular lesions.

What happens during the procedure?

A pulsed dye laser is used to treat vascular skin lesions. The area and length of exposure will vary based on the nature and extent of the lesion. The pulsed dye lessen and even remove various vascular lesions such as port wine stains, hemangiomas or spider angiomas.

Is any special preparation needed?

Topical anesthetic may be used in some cases.

What are the risk factors?

Pain, redness, swelling, itching, blistering, bruising, changes in skin pigment, burns and bacterial infection are all potential risks of pulsed dye laser treatment but these are uncommon.

Reviewed by: Ana Margarita Duarte, MD

This page was last updated on: July 19, 2021 12:18 PM

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Capillary Malformations

A capillary malformation is a flat, sharply defined small or large pink, red or purple birthmark, consisting of small blood vessels that may be found anywhere on the body, but most frequently on the head/neck area.