Birthmark Removal Health Video

Video Transcript

DR. LORETTA CIRALDO: Hi. I'm Dr. Loretta Ciraldo, voluntary professor of Dermatology at the University of Miami School of Medicine, and a practicing Dermatologist for nearly 30 years. I also happen to be a mother of four, and when we talk about birthmark removal, I think that I may be especially sensitive to parents or young adults who are looking for the perfect "birthmark removal system." And I believe that what has happened recently is that there has been so much hype about laser removal of birthmarks, and just as a good introduction to you and orientation to you about birthmark removal, I want you to remember that a birthmark simply means something that is present either from birth or honestly even up to early adolescence. And one of the most important factors to remember in you seeking good care for birthmark removal is that you have to get a sense of whether your birthmark is vascular in nature, meaning made up of blood vessels, or pigmentary in nature, meaning made up of pigment. And what I wholeheartedly recommend is that if you have any medical school in your community or if you have access to a medical school, even if it means you may have to drive a hundred miles, to call to the Dermatology Department of that medical school and see especially if they have a Pediatric Dermatologist who would be able to evaluate your particular birthmark to be sure that you get a good credentialled advice on how to remove that birthmark without scarring because every once in a while, we are best left keeping the birthmark because we want to remove them only if we can do them adequately with no scarring.