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FOOTPRINTS
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Early in embryonic development, a single cell makes a minor copying error. In the vast majority of cases, it isn’t caused by anything a parent did or didn’t do, nor is it found in the family genes. It is entirely random.
As plainly as we can say it to every mom and dad, congenital vascular malformations are usually random acts of Nature. Why do we emphasize this? Because so many parents eventually ask the same painful question:
“Did I do something to cause this?”
As clearly as we can answer, the overwhelming majority of the time, the answer is no.
In the rare circumstances where a vascular condition follows a hereditary pattern, it is an inherited trait passed through DNA, not the result of an action, choice, food, medication, activity, or exposure during pregnancy. Throughout this website, we will address those uncommon circumstances as well.
Depending on when that change occurs during tissue development, a small biological detour can create major differences in how blood and lymphatic fluid move through the body.
This is why no two people with rare vascular conditions look exactly alike, progress identically, or respond to treatment in the same way.
This is also why generic prescriptions for PDL laser treatment do not always produce the same results, and sometimes may not help at all.
Advocacy in these conditions includes due diligence and reasoned skepticism. Without belaboring the point, science has already provided information that can help guide better questions, better investigations, and often better outcomes.
Each reflection and note includes a standardized Milestone Block. You may find many of the explanations you’re looking for there.
With apologies for the repetition, a picture may be worth a thousand words, but visible clues should compel deliberate, evidence-based investigation before a final diagnosis is made.