Nevus flammeus

What it means

A congenital vascular malformation consisting of superficial and deep dilated capillaries in the skin which produce a reddish to purplish discolouration of the skin.

Port-wine stains generally become deeper, thicker, and darker in color over time, mainly as a result of progressive vascular dilatation. As a result of these changes, which are generally much more evident on the face, patients often develop hypertrophy and nodularity after the third or fourth decade of life. The fact that nodules are only found on the face and do not occur in childhood has led some authors to suggest that port-wine stains might actually be hamartomatous lesions.

Rare diseases that can present with this14

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Nevus simplex