Surgery and laser from one consultant.
She carries out both surgery and laser herself, so your child's care stays with one person throughout.
Miss Torres-Grau carries out laser treatment herself at Evelina London Children's Hospital, gently and in planned steps, for marks such as port wine stains, some pigmented spots and certain scars, with your child's comfort at every stage.
Every child starts with an assessment. A test patch shows whether laser will help before any course of treatment begins.
Request an assessmentMiss Jana Torres-Grau provides laser treatment for children and young people at Evelina London Children's Hospital.
Laser uses focused light to fade certain marks on the skin, such as red birthmarks, some pigmented spots and some scars. Every child starts with an assessment, and a test patch shows whether laser will help before any course of treatment begins.
Red and vascular marks respond to a pulsed dye laser. This is the usual choice for a port wine stain, and it can also help some haemangiomas and red or raised scars. It works on the tiny blood vessels that give these marks their colour, and it sits alongside the wider birthmark assessment and surgery Miss Torres-Grau provides, so your child gets the option that suits them.
Mixed or pigmented marks suit intense pulsed light, known as IPL, or Q Switch Nd:YA. IPL can treat more than one thing at once, such as colour and texture together, and it helps with some brown or patchy marks.
Raised or textured scars are treated with a CO2 laser or IPL, to resurface the skin and soften how a scar looks and feels. Some marks are better removed in surgery, such as a raised mole, and Miss Torres-Grau will tell you honestly which approach makes more sense for your child.
Comfort comes first at every session, and most children manage laser well. Smaller areas are numbed first with a cream, and cold dressing or cool air settles things afterwards.
When the area is larger, or for a younger child, a general anaesthetic is often necessary, so your child sleeps through the treatment and feels nothing. That choice is made with you.
Children who have had laser often describe the feeling as a quick flick against the skin. It does not last, and each session is planned around keeping your child settled.
Laser is rarely a single visit. It works gradually, over a planned course, and it begins by checking that it will help your child at all. You contact the team, we reply the same day, and arrange your first appointment.
A small area is treated first with a few pulses of laser, numbed beforehand, to see how your child's skin and the mark respond. It is reviewed together after about twelve weeks.
Where the test patch shows laser will help, your child has a series of sessions, usually several, spaced a few months apart and often over a year or more.
Progress is checked along the way, with guidance on caring for the skin afterwards, including sun protection, which matters for up to a year after each treatment.
The NHS explains what laser treatment for a birthmark involves, if it helps to read around the subject before getting in touch.
NHS guidance on birthmarksTreatment lightens and softens many marks, and a port wine stain often fades well over a course. It rarely removes a mark completely, and results differ from child to child, which is why the test patch comes first.
Side effects are usually mild and short-lived. Treated skin can look bruised and feel like mild sunburn for several days, then settles down. Settings are adjusted carefully for every skin tone, because darker skin needs a gentler approach to protect the natural colour.
On a scar, laser is one of several options, and it works best on redness and raised texture. If another approach may suit better, the decision is made together.
A first appointment with Miss Torres-Grau costs £250. At that visit she looks at the mark, talks through whether laser is right for your child, and answers your questions. Where laser will help, you receive a written quote before anything is booked.
What a course costs depends on a few things: the type of mark, its size and where it is, how many sessions are likely, and whether your child needs a general anaesthetic. Treatment is arranged at the hospital with a starting-from package, and because every child is different, the full price comes after the assessment. Care is self-pay.
Not sure whether laser is right for your child? An assessment will give you a clear answer, with no pressure either way.
No obligation, and the team is happy to answer questions first.
Miss Jana Torres-Grau
Consultant Paediatric Plastic Surgeon
She carries out both surgery and laser herself, so your child's care stays with one person throughout.
All laser is carried out at Evelina London Children's Hospital, with a general anaesthetic available and a full children's team around your child.
A test patch shows whether laser will help before you commit to a course, and Miss Torres-Grau will say plainly if it will not.
Her fellowship training in children's plastic surgery was at Great Ormond Street Hospital, where laser for children is part of everyday care.
Open any question to read more. At consultation, Miss Torres-Grau will talk through what is most relevant for your child.
Most children find it very manageable. The skin is numbed first for smaller areas, and many children describe the feeling as a quick flick. For a younger child or a larger area, a general anaesthetic means your child sleeps and feels nothing.
There is no single age, because it depends on the mark and your child. Some marks, such as a port wine stain, can be treated from a young age, with research favouring this option. Timing is discussed at your assessment.
Laser works gradually, so a single session rarely shows the full result. Most children improve over a course of several sessions spaced a few months apart, and the test patch gives an early sense of how the mark responds.
Your child can usually return to school quickly, though the treated skin is fragile for a short while. Families are asked to avoid swimming and rough play for about three weeks, and to keep the area out of the sun.
Yes, laser can be used on every skin tone, with the settings adjusted to suit. Darker skin needs a gentler approach to protect the natural colour, and the test patch helps confirm the right settings before a full course.
A first assessment is £250, and you receive a written quote afterwards if laser will help. The cost of a course depends on the mark, its size, the number of sessions, and whether a general anaesthetic is needed.
Fill in the form and the team will be in touch, usually the same day. There is no obligation, and I will always give you an honest view of whether laser treatment is the right choice for your child.
All fields marked * are required. Your details are kept private and never shared.
Start with the test patch, not a commitment
You do not have to commit to a course of laser to find out whether it will help your child. The test patch is a straightforward way to see how the mark responds, and the result guides everything that follows. Many marks improve steadily once treatment begins, and starting the conversation early often gives the most options. An assessment simply tells you where your child stands.
Miss Jana Torres-Grau · Evelina London Children's Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH
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