Welcome to VBF!

Our Featured Experts

Ask the PWS Expert
VBF welcomes Dr. Stuart Nelson of the Beckman Laser Institute as another one of our medical experts. Dr. Nelson will answer your questions concerning the diagnosis and treatment of Port Wine Stains.

Ask the Research Expert
VBF is proud to showcase Dr. Martin Mihm, Jr. as our Research Expert. Dr. Mihm is coordinating and directing research regarding vascular birthmarks and tumors.

Ask the West Coast Hemangioma Expert
Meet Dr. Gregory Levitin, VBF's West Coast Hemangioma expert. Dr. Levitin will answer your questions regarding the surgical treatment of all vascular birthmarks and tumors.

Ask the AVM Expert
VBF is proud to have the world renown expert, Dr. Alex Berenstein as its expert in AMVs. Send your questions concerning AVMs to him.

Ask the Eye Specialist
Dr. Aaron Fay joins VBF as our eye specialist VBF's Eye Specialist will answer questions concerning eye problems and birthmarks.

Ask the Surgeon
VBF welcomes Dr. Waner. Dr. Waner is an internationally recognized authority on hemangiomas and vascular malformations.

Ask the Vascular Arms/Legs Expert
VBF Welcomes Dr. Bob Rosen as our expert for all non-brain AVMs and vascular lesions of the arms and legs. Dr. Rosen welcomes your questions concerning these lesions.

Ask the KTS Surgery Expert
VBF is proud to welcome Dr. Giangola of NYC as our KTS surgical expert. If you have questions concerning the surgical treatment of KTS or other vascular lesions of the arms, legs, or trunk, contact him.

Ask the KT Expert
VBF is proud to welcome Dr. Delfanian as our Klippel-Trenaunay expert. Send your questions concerning KT Syndrome to Dr. Delfanian

Ask the SWS Expert
VBF is proud to announce that Dr. Anne Comi, one of the leading experts on Sturge Weber Syndrome will be responding to your questions concerning this syndrome. Read more about Dr. Comi and ask her expert advice on SWS.

Ask the Family Services Expert
VBF is proud to have Corinne Barinaga, our Administrative Director, to answer emails concerning family advocacy, treatment questions, or physician referral.

Ask Dr. Linda, VBF's President and Founder
VBF Announces "Ask Dr. Linda." Dr. Linda Rozell-Shannon is the leading lay expert in the world on the subject of vascular birthmarks.

Ask the Wound Care Expert
VBF is proud to add Dr. Thomas Serena as our wound care expert. Please send Dr. Serena your questions regarding wound care for an ulcerated hemangioma or other vascular birthmark, tumor, or syndrome that requires wound care.

Ask the Lymphatic Malformation Expert
VBF is proud to announce the addition of an expert who treats Lymphatic Malformations. Ask Dr. Edmonds your questions related to this vascular lesion.

Ask the Internal Lesions Expert
VBF is proud is welcome Dr. Steven Fishman of Boston Children's Hospital as our Ask the Internal Lesions Expert. Ask Dr. Fishman your questions about liver and other internal vascular lesions.

Ask the Doctor in Spanish, Portugese, or Italian
VBF is excited to have a multilingual expert. Dr. Piris is from Boston and can answer your questions in Spanish, Portugese, and Italian and of course English. Please send your questions concerning your vascular birthmark or tumor to Dr. Piris.

Ask the Interventional Radiologist
VBF is proud to add Dr. Orhan Konez as our expert Interventional Radiologist. Questions regarding reading and interpreting films and treating malformations with sclerotherapy or embollization can be sent to Dr. Orhan Konez.

Ask the Airway Expert
VBF is proud to announce that Dr. Jason Mouzakes from Upstate New York has joined us as our airway expert. Email Dr. Mouzakes with questions regarding airway hemangiomas and other vascular lesions in the airway (throat area).

Ask the European Surgeon
VBF is proud to add Dr. Tombris as a European surgeon expert. He treats all forms of hemangomas, port wine stains and malformations.

Ask the Laser Dermatology Expert
VBF is proud to add Dr. Zeina Tannous as a Laser/Dermatology expert. Send your questions to Dr. Tannous here.

Ask the PHACES Expert
VBF is proud to welcome Dr. Denise Metry as our PHACES expert. If you have any questions regarding this syndrome, please ask Dr. Metry.

Ask the Laser Doctor
VBF is proud to offer to our families a new service. VBF's Ask the Laser Doctor offers expert advice on laser treatments for all vascular birthmarks by Dr. Susie Astner.

Ask the Pharmacy Doc
VBF is proud to offer the services of a Pharmacy Doc who worked for many years at a Vascular Birthmarks Clinic. If you or your child has a vascular birthmark and you have a question regarding a prescription drug, please ask Doc Helen Figge.

Ask the Military Surgeon
VBF is proud to announce that Dr. Stevan Thompson has joined us to answer questions concerning the treatment of vascular birthmarks in the military.

Ask the CMTC Doctor
VBF is proud to announce the addition of Dr. Marilyn Liang of Boston Children's Hospital as our Ask the CMTC expert. Send your questions regarding CMTC to Dr. Liang

Ask the CMTC Expert
VBF is proud to have Lex van der Heijden, Chairman, CMTC, as our Cutis Marmorata Telangiectatica Congentica expert. If you or your child has CMTC, please contact Lex with your questions.

Ask the Insurance Appeal Expert
VBF is proud to add Barbara (Basia) Joyce as our insurance appeal expert. Please send your questions regarding your appeal or request for out-of-network treatment to Basia.

Ask the Developmental Specialist
Elissa Uretsky- Rifkin, M.Ed. CMHC
is a trained developmental specialist and is on the board of VBF. Send questions concerning hemangiomas and this topic to Elissa

Ask the Developmental Specialist
Leslie is a trained developmental specialist. Send questions concerning port wine stains and this topic to leslie

Ask the Adult Rep in Spanish
VBF is proud to add Alicia as our Adult with an AVM who can translate your spanish questions to one of our docs and can answer back to you in spanish.

Ask the Makeup Expert
VBF is happy to provide you with an expert opinion regarding the use of make-up to cover a birthmark. Ask our expert Nancy Roberts, Co-Creator of Smart Cover Cosmetics (www.smartcover.com), your questions about make-up.

What Our Families Are Saying About Us

"We relied on the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation to provide us with the information, the contacts, the resources, and the support that we needed to get through this difficult time. Their theme, "We are making a difference" couldn't be more accurate. For us, it was all the difference in the world."
Jill Brown

Hi Linda
Just a note to say how wonderful I found the interview of you and Capital 9 news. Thanks so much for your devotion.
Gina

Recent forum threads

Visit the forum

Hemangioma Information

Approximately thirty percent of all hemangiomas are visible at birth. The remaining seventy percent become visible within one to four weeks after birth. Hemangiomas occur 5 times more often in females than in males and occur predominantly in Caucasians. Low birthweight infants (less than 2.2 pounds) have a twenty six percent chance of developing a hemangioma. The cause of hemangiomas has not been determined, and neither parent should bear guilt over the occurrence or appearance of one of these birthmarks. The important thing to remember is that accurate diagnosis and early intervention is key. Hemangiomas, like people, come in all shapes and sizes. Some are small and hardly noticeable, while others are large and disfiguring. Approximately eighty three percent occur on the head and neck area. The remaining seventeen percent appear throughout the the rest of the body (both externally and internally). In the early stages some appear either as bluish or reddish spots or flat patches. Rarely is a hemangioma fully grown at birth. Hemangiomas that are flat and appear reddish in color are called "superficial" and those that are deep beneath the skin and appear bluish in color are called "deep" hemangiomas. When a hemangioma is both deep and superficial it is called a "compound" hemangioma. The correct diagnosis is critical for proper treatment. Hemangiomas can grow for up to 18 months and then begin a long slow regression known as involution. This involution can last from 3- 10 years. While all hemangiomas eventually 'involute" the result is not always cosmetically acceptable. Early intervention has been shown to reduce the need for corrective surgery after "involution" has occurred; or to, at least, minimize extensive corrective surgeries in the future. Psycho-social scarring which occurs when a child has been forced to live with a facial deformity until "involution" has been completed can be avoided by early, aggressive intervention. In some cases, hemangiomas can be life threatening or severely problematic (interfering with eating, breathing, seeing, hearing, speaking, etc.) and require immediate aggressive intervention. Hemangiomas that grow internally can be very dangerous. They are difficult to detect and when they are detected, the infant is often in need of immediate intervention. Internal hemangiomas (referred to as visceral) occur in the liver, intestines, airway and brain. Infants who have what is referred to as hemangiomatosis ( multiple hemangiomas) are suspect for internal lesions. When an infant has more than 3 hemangiomas, an ultrasound should be done of the entire body to rule out internal lesions. Jaundice may be a sign of liver hemangiomas, blood in the stool may be a sign of hemangiomas on the intestines and stridor (croupy cough and difficulty breathing) may be a sign of airway hemangiomas.

If you need additional resources or support with hemangioma related problems, please try posting in our Discussion Forum.

The VBF Birthmark Fact Booklet is here (pdf)

Need a medical opinion? Ask the Expert!

Ulcer Care and Treatment Guide (pdf)

How to Appeal an Insurance Denial or
Request Out-of-Network Treatment (pdf)

Register for our Conference

VBF is very excited to announce that despite the economy the Port Wine Stain and Vascular Birthmarks Conference will be held in Irvine, California on Friday, October 9th and Saturday, October 10th. This conference will take place at the Beckman Laser Institute in Irvine, and at the Island Hotel minutes away in Newport Beach, California.


VBF Birthmarks Treatment Resources Research Register Donate Community Forum
	Our Featured Experts Ask the PWS Expert VBF welcomes Dr. Stuart Nelson of the Beckman Laser Institute as another one of our medical experts. Dr. Nelson will answer your questions concerning the diagnosis and treatment of Port Wine Stains. Ask the Research Expert VBF is proud to showcase Dr. Martin Mihm, Jr. as our Research Expert. Dr. Mihm is coordinating and directing research regarding vascular birthmarks and tumors. Ask the West Coast Hemangioma Expert Meet Dr. Gregory Levitin, VBF's West Coast Hemangioma expert. Dr. Levitin will answer your questions regarding the surgical treatment of all vascular birthmarks and tumors. Ask the AVM Expert VBF is proud to have the world renown expert, Dr. Alex Berenstein as its expert in AMVs. Send your questions concerning AVMs to him. Ask the Eye Specialist Dr. Aaron Fay joins VBF as our eye specialist VBF's Eye Specialist will answer questions concerning eye problems and birthmarks. Ask the Surgeon VBF welcomes Dr. Waner. Dr. Waner is an internationally recognized authority on hemangiomas and vascular malformations. Ask the Vascular Arms/Legs Expert VBF Welcomes Dr. Bob Rosen as our expert for all non-brain AVMs and vascular lesions of the arms and legs. Dr. Rosen welcomes your questions concerning these lesions. Ask the KTS Surgery Expert VBF is proud to welcome Dr. Giangola of NYC as our KTS surgical expert. If you have questions concerning the surgical treatment of KTS or other vascular lesions of the arms, legs, or trunk, contact him. Ask the KT Expert VBF is proud to welcome Dr. Delfanian as our Klippel-Trenaunay expert. Send your questions concerning KT Syndrome to Dr. Delfanian Ask the SWS Expert VBF is proud to announce that Dr. Anne Comi, one of the leading experts on Sturge Weber Syndrome will be responding to your questions concerning this syndrome. Read more about Dr. Comi and ask her expert advice on SWS. Ask the Family Services Expert VBF is proud to have Corinne Barinaga, our Administrative Director, to answer emails concerning family advocacy, treatment questions, or physician referral. Ask Dr. Linda, VBF's President and Founder VBF Announces "Ask Dr. Linda." Dr. Linda Rozell-Shannon is the leading lay expert in the world on the subject of vascular birthmarks. Ask the Wound Care Expert VBF is proud to add Dr. Thomas Serena as our wound care expert. Please send Dr. Serena your questions regarding wound care for an ulcerated hemangioma or other vascular birthmark, tumor, or syndrome that requires wound care. Ask the Lymphatic Malformation Expert VBF is proud to announce the addition of an expert who treats Lymphatic Malformations. Ask Dr. Edmonds your questions related to this vascular lesion. Ask the Internal Lesions Expert VBF is proud is welcome Dr. Steven Fishman of Boston Children's Hospital as our Ask the Internal Lesions Expert. Ask Dr. Fishman your questions about liver and other internal vascular lesions. Ask the Doctor in Spanish, Portugese, or Italian VBF is excited to have a multilingual expert. Dr. Piris is from Boston and can answer your questions in Spanish, Portugese, and Italian and of course English. Please send your questions concerning your vascular birthmark or tumor to Dr. Piris. Ask the Interventional Radiologist VBF is proud to add Dr. Orhan Konez as our expert Interventional Radiologist. Questions regarding reading and interpreting films and treating malformations with sclerotherapy or embollization can be sent to Dr. Orhan Konez. Ask the Airway Expert VBF is proud to announce that Dr. Jason Mouzakes from Upstate New York has joined us as our airway expert. Email Dr. Mouzakes with questions regarding airway hemangiomas and other vascular lesions in the airway (throat area). Ask the European Surgeon VBF is proud to add Dr. Tombris as a European surgeon expert. He treats all forms of hemangomas, port wine stains and malformations. Ask the Laser Dermatology Expert VBF is proud to add Dr. Zeina Tannous as a Laser/Dermatology expert. Send your questions to Dr. Tannous here. Ask the PHACES Expert VBF is proud to welcome Dr. Denise Metry as our PHACES expert. If you have any questions regarding this syndrome, please ask Dr. Metry. Ask the Laser Doctor VBF is proud to offer to our families a new service. VBF's Ask the Laser Doctor offers expert advice on laser treatments for all vascular birthmarks by Dr. Susie Astner. Ask the Pharmacy Doc VBF is proud to offer the services of a Pharmacy Doc who worked for many years at a Vascular Birthmarks Clinic. If you or your child has a vascular birthmark and you have a question regarding a prescription drug, please ask Doc Helen Figge. Ask the Military Surgeon VBF is proud to announce that Dr. Stevan Thompson has joined us to answer questions concerning the treatment of vascular birthmarks in the military. Ask the CMTC Doctor VBF is proud to announce the addition of Dr. Marilyn Liang of Boston Children's Hospital as our Ask the CMTC expert. Send your questions regarding CMTC to Dr. Liang Ask the CMTC Expert VBF is proud to have Lex van der Heijden, Chairman, CMTC, as our Cutis Marmorata Telangiectatica Congentica expert. If you or your child has CMTC, please contact Lex with your questions. Ask the Insurance Appeal Expert VBF is proud to add Barbara (Basia) Joyce as our insurance appeal expert. Please send your questions regarding your appeal or request for out-of-network treatment to Basia. Ask the Developmental Specialist Elissa Uretsky- Rifkin, M.Ed. CMHC is a trained developmental specialist and is on the board of VBF. Send questions concerning hemangiomas and this topic to Elissa Ask the Developmental Specialist Leslie is a trained developmental specialist. Send questions concerning port wine stains and this topic to leslie Ask the Adult Rep in Spanish VBF is proud to add Alicia as our Adult with an AVM who can translate your spanish questions to one of our docs and can answer back to you in spanish. Ask the Makeup Expert VBF is happy to provide you with an expert opinion regarding the use of make-up to cover a birthmark. Ask our expert Nancy Roberts, Co-Creator of Smart Cover Cosmetics (www.smartcover.com), your questions about make-up. What Our Families Are Saying About Us "We relied on the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation to provide us with the information, the contacts, the resources, and the support that we needed to get through this difficult time. Their theme, "We are making a difference" couldn't be more accurate. For us, it was all the difference in the world." Jill Brown Hi Linda Just a note to say how wonderful I found the interview of you and Capital 9 news. Thanks so much for your devotion. Gina Recent forum threads What dosage of propranolol did your child start on?... Lower Lip Visit the forum	Hemangioma Information Approximately thirty percent of all hemangiomas are visible at birth. The remaining seventy percent become visible within one to four weeks after birth. Hemangiomas occur 5 times more often in females than in males and occur predominantly in Caucasians. Low birthweight infants (less than 2.2 pounds) have a twenty six percent chance of developing a hemangioma. The cause of hemangiomas has not been determined, and neither parent should bear guilt over the occurrence or appearance of one of these birthmarks. The important thing to remember is that accurate diagnosis and early intervention is key. Hemangiomas, like people, come in all shapes and sizes. Some are small and hardly noticeable, while others are large and disfiguring. Approximately eighty three percent occur on the head and neck area. The remaining seventeen percent appear throughout the the rest of the body (both externally and internally). In the early stages some appear either as bluish or reddish spots or flat patches. Rarely is a hemangioma fully grown at birth. Hemangiomas that are flat and appear reddish in color are called "superficial" and those that are deep beneath the skin and appear bluish in color are called "deep" hemangiomas. When a hemangioma is both deep and superficial it is called a "compound" hemangioma. The correct diagnosis is critical for proper treatment. Hemangiomas can grow for up to 18 months and then begin a long slow regression known as involution. This involution can last from 3- 10 years. While all hemangiomas eventually 'involute" the result is not always cosmetically acceptable. Early intervention has been shown to reduce the need for corrective surgery after "involution" has occurred; or to, at least, minimize extensive corrective surgeries in the future. Psycho-social scarring which occurs when a child has been forced to live with a facial deformity until "involution" has been completed can be avoided by early, aggressive intervention. In some cases, hemangiomas can be life threatening or severely problematic (interfering with eating, breathing, seeing, hearing, speaking, etc.) and require immediate aggressive intervention. Hemangiomas that grow internally can be very dangerous. They are difficult to detect and when they are detected, the infant is often in need of immediate intervention. Internal hemangiomas (referred to as visceral) occur in the liver, intestines, airway and brain. Infants who have what is referred to as hemangiomatosis ( multiple hemangiomas) are suspect for internal lesions. When an infant has more than 3 hemangiomas, an ultrasound should be done of the entire body to rule out internal lesions. Jaundice may be a sign of liver hemangiomas, blood in the stool may be a sign of hemangiomas on the intestines and stridor (croupy cough and difficulty breathing) may be a sign of airway hemangiomas. If you need additional resources or support with hemangioma related problems, please try posting in our Discussion Forum. The VBF Birthmark Fact Booklet is here (pdf) Need a medical opinion? Ask the Expert! Ulcer Care and Treatment Guide (pdf) How to Appeal an Insurance Denial or Request Out-of-Network Treatment (pdf)	Search this site: Register for our Conference VBF is very excited to announce that despite the economy the Port Wine Stain and Vascular Birthmarks Conference will be held in Irvine, California on Friday, October 9th and Saturday, October 10th. This conference will take place at the Beckman Laser Institute in Irvine, and at the Island Hotel minutes away in Newport Beach, California. Read More About the 2009 Conference Download the 2009 Conference Registration form Register online for the 2009 Conference Register online for the 2009 Clinic Physician's Registration for the 2009 Conference Dr. Linda Article Published in Pediatrics for Parents VBF's International Day of Awareness is May 15 It's never too late to register for VBF's International Day of Awareness. Our annual celebration for Awareness is on May 15, but events can be held at any time during the year. Join our Day of Awareness Team Be put on our Email List Become a Parent Rep VBF's Honorary Chairs, Frank and Barbara Catalanotto, join the Milwaukee Brewers Dr. Linda Rozell-Shannon: The Founder and President of VBF Tells Her Personal Story
Mission Statement: An international charitable organization that networks families affected by a vascular birthmark, tumor, or syndrome to the appropriate medical professionals for evaluation and/or treatment and provides informational resources as well as sponsors physician education, research, and programs that promote acceptance for living with a birthmark. español \| deutsch \| français \| italiano \| português DISCLAIMER Information accessed through the VBF is presented in summary form in order to impart general information relating to the diagnosis and treatment of vascular birthmarks. Such information is not complete and should not be used as a substitute for a consultation or visit with your physician or other health care provider. Information accessed through VBF website is not exhaustive and does not cover every aspect of vascular birthmarks. VBF makes no warranty as to the information's completeness, reliability or accuracy. Should you have any health care related questions regarding this matter, please see your physician or other health care provider promptly. Information accessed through the VBF website is provided "AS IS" and without warranty, express or implied. All implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular use or purpose are hereby excluded. VBF shall not be liable under any theory or indemnity. In no event shall VBF be liable for any damages, direct or indirect, and all other damages, direct or indirect, special, incidental, consequential or punitive, are hereby excluded even if VBF has been advised of the possibility of such damages. \|Administrative\| Founded by: Dr. Linda Rozell-Shannon President / Founder © 2000-2009, Vascular Birthmarks Foundation - We Are Making A Difference . All Rights Reserved. VBF is a fully approved not-for-profit. Your donations are tax deductible. Federal Tax ID 16-1515227 Site Design and Maintenance performed by M. Scott.