Hemangiomas are clusters of veins that can occur on infants and young children, but can also be found in other parts of the body. They are considered benign tumors and usually resolve without treatment. Treatment options include cortisone injections and laser surgery, but surgical removal carries risks and may not be necessary.
A hemangioma is a cluster or bundle of small veins that have clumped together and dilated. Most often, people refer to hemangiomas found on infants and young children, especially on the neck and face. They can occur elsewhere in the body, such as in the liver or even the spine, but tend to be relatively harmless because they usually resolve without treatment.
Any hemangioma is considered a tumor. They are benign and the name tumor reflects the abnormal growth of certain types of cells. In most cases, what happens is that the endothelial cells (cells that line blood vessels) grow abnormally. This type of tumor is also called self-involuting because the abnormal growth stops at some point and the tumor begins to recede. It may still leave a residual red mark, sometimes as large as 2-3 inches (5.08-7.62 cm), after the tumor evolves.
In newborns, this skin tumor may start out as a flat, bluish or pink-looking bump. This can then lead to the growth of what looks like a raised or fatty red tumor. These growths on a baby’s skin can spread very quickly, but usually do not exceed 2 to 3 inches in diameter. They are not painful, but are sometimes prone to bleeding or rupture. A very rapidly growing hemangioma can occasionally cause an open wound, which should be evaluated by a doctor. Tumor growth may stop by the time a child is five years old, and the skin is flat again, though still discolored, in most children by the time they are nine.
Most growths don’t require removal or treatment, as they will shrink on their own. However, if they are large, they can be seen as disfiguring a child’s otherwise cute face. Some parents choose to have them removed, and in some cases, doctors recommend removal because a hemangioma continues to bleed or because it is obscuring vision if it grows near one of the eyes.
Treatment options available to remove a hemangioma or to slow its growth include the use of cortisone injections, although this treatment carries some risks such as potentially slowing the growth of the baby. Laser surgery can be used to remove a growth that keeps opening and bleeding and can help with growths that create open sores.
Sometimes a hemangioma grows in the deeper layers of the skin and tends to appear as a bluish mark on part of the skin. Others grow both below and above the skin’s surface. The Mayo Clinic recommends carefully considering whether to opt for surgical removal, as it carries a number of risks and can still leave residual scars. Also, in many cases, it is not medically necessary to remove these growths because they will eventually heal on their own.
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