MANILA, Philippines - Four young patients afflicted with hemangiomas and port wine stains successfully underwent their initial treatment at the Makati Medical Center. The children, aged six months to six years old, were among the six screened for the hospital’s vascular birthmark program.
Started in 2008 in partnership with the Rotary Club of Makati West (RCMW), the program seeks to support regular missions for those who need treatment for vascular birthmarks, including hemangioma, one of the most common benign vascular (blood vessels) tumors that occur during infancy.
Though these usually regress before the age of 10, the lesions can be disfiguring and may cause psychological problems and, in some cases, require treatment such as the use of the Pulsed Dye laser. There are also rare cases that need surgery.
The mission, which is the first of a series, was conducted by the hospital’s highly motivated team composed of MakatiMed’s Department of Dermatology chair Dr. Peachy Paz-Lao, training officer Dr. Valerie Herbosa, plastic surgeon Dr. Benjamin Herbosa, pediatricians Dr. Aurelia Leus and Dr. Rosario Marin, and anesthesiologist Dr. Amelia Reyes.
“The very impressive and dynamic team of doctors, in cooperation with MakatiMed’s OR personnel and RCMW, made this first venture a success,” says Dr. Paz-Lao who, with Dr. Herbosa, performed the Pulsed Dye laser treatment on the children.