Birthmark on chest

First of all, the birthmark being close to your heart is not significant since most birthmarks either involve a higher concentration of blood vessels in that specific area or simply a higher concentration of natural pigment in the area produced by the melanocytes. In either case, as long as the birthmark has no abnormalities such as being raised above the skin or having a splotchy appearance where parts of the birthmark are darker and other parts are lighter, there is really no indication of tumor or cancer, which would be the only situation you might have some concern about the location. Second, I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "stain" because the two previously mentioned main causes of birthmarks look very different. The former, with the higher concentration of blood vessels involves a red appearance usually described as a port wine stain, while the latter involving a higher production of natural pigmentation presents with a brownish appearance and is typically identified as a cafe au lait spot because it looks like coffee with cream. As far as treatments are concerned, both can be treated fairly successfully with lasers. A doctor may try to talk you into having a biopsy done before the procedure can be performed or whatnot, and you need to tell them flat out that you will sign a release form saying if it is cancer then they aren't liable because you decided not to have the biopsy. This, however, is your preference because if you want to make sure its not cancer then go ahead with the biopsy, but otherwise, I would prefer to go without a senseless scar. Treatment effectiveness does seem to vary depending on who does the procedure, the type of birthmark, and what laser is used. Most of the lasers used now are sort of an all in one package so the person performing the procedure should set it to the appropriate type and intensity level to get optimal results. Port wine stains (red appearance) can be treated quite well and you can acheive a result that is nearly comparable to your natural skin. Cafe au lait birthmarks seem to be more difficult for three reasons. First, since the discoloration involves your natural pigmentation, there is a chance the treatment will affect a little bit of the normal skin surrounding the mark. Second, it is difficult to adjust the treatment precisely enough to where it matches the surrounding skin. Third, certain spots within the treated area may try to repigment back to a darker coloring so there is a splotchy appearance. If the darker spot begin to appear, then they can be treated reasonably well since the darker spots absorb more of the light emitted by the laser than the lighter surrounding areas, which leads to them being heated more subsequently destroying more pigment in that area than the surrounding ligher skin. Birthmark treatments do take time, since typically more than 1 is needed, and can only be performed on untanned skin. Before beginning treatment, usually a small area is tested to see how it responds, and if it responds well, minor adjusments may be made to the settings and generally the whole birthmark is treated in one session. Afterwards, a month or two needs to pass before the next treatment can be performed, if it's needed at all. But in summary, in my opinion, treatment is well worth it and you will end up with an outcome that is less noticeable than the mark you have right now, and if your a lucky one, it may match your skin well enough where it's completely unnoticeable. Make sure you find a doctor or a specialized clinic run by nurses that know what they are doing and actually care and understand that even though it may not be a major life threatening medical issue, it's something that matters to you and therefore it should matter to them.

Best of luck,
Doc

How do I remove this birthmark on my chest over my heart? It's hairy and it is black.