Nevus Flammeus

Nevus flammeus or port-wine stain (PWS) is a non-neoplastic congenital dermal capillary hamartomatous malformation presenting as a pink or red patch on a newborn's skin. It is a congenital skin condition that can affect any part of the body and persists throughout life. The nevus flammeus is a well-defined, often unilateral, bilateral, or centrally positioned pink to red patch that appears on the face at birth and is made up of distorted capillary-like vessels. It needs to be differentiated from a nevus simplex/salmon patch, which is usually seen along the midline and disappears over time. An acquired port-wine stain, clinically and histopathologically indistinguishable from congenital capillary malformation, has been reported to develop in adolescents or adults, usually following trauma. Although nevus flammeus is a benign lesion, and often the diagnosis is clinical, occasionally detailed evaluation and radiological imaging are required when associated with other skin, soft tissue, skeletal, and vascular anomalies.