Pyogenic granuloma arising within a port-wine stain

Pyogenic granulomas are common overgrowths of vascular tissue that usually arise on the face, lips, or hands after episodes of minor trauma or during pregnancy. Pyogenic granulomas rarely have been reported to arise in congenital capillary malformations such as port-wine stains, a presentation that most often occurs after laser treatment of port-wine stains or in the setting of pregnancy. This co-occurrence of the 2 lesions represents an underreported event, and the presentation can be alarming or mimic malignancy when there is no prior history of trauma or other known circumstances in which pyogenic granulomas occur. We report a case of a pyogenic granuloma emerging within a port-wine stain in a 35-year-old man with no predisposing factors. A review of the literature regarding pyogenic granulomas that arise within port-wine stains is presented and yields informative conclusions regarding the clinical scenarios where this sometimes alarming event is likely to happen.