Page:Skin Diseases of Children.djvu/96

64 In the treatment of nævus araneus and other telangiectases the electrolytic needle is most serviceable. Any form of galvanic battery may be used, and the point of an ordinary cambric needle or flexible steel jeweller's broach, attached to the negative cord, should be pressed into the centre of the red spot. A moist sponge attached to the positive cord should now be grasped in the patient's hand or slowly applied to the skin at any point, when the electrolytic current will begin to act and quickly produce a whitening of the skin around the needle

. 33.—Nævus of scalp.

point and cause sufficient inflammation to seal up the deep-seated supply vessel. The pain caused by this operation is slight and no more than the promise of some candy or a coveted toy will induce the average child to endure. The result is always excellent.

The electrolytic needle may also be used with success in many cases of port-wine mark, but the treatment is tedious and only capable of producing good results when persistently and skilfully employed. The best that can be said of it is that in