Hemangiomas :What Can You Do About Them?

Strawberry hemangiomas on infants and younger children can be very common and usually do not pose any threat to the child unless they are in a location that may impair their vision. Medical procedures for strawberry hemangiomas on infants are not usually needed and quite often may cause more harm than good. Only if the hemangioma is too large or is located in a position that could cause other complications, only then you might want to consider treatment.

I would strongly recommend that if you have questions or concerns regarding hemangiomas on infants, you should talk to your doctor. Strawberry hemangiomas on infants is the term usually associated with a red birthmark, often found on infants and young children and are usually found to be harmless. The IWK Children's Hospital in Canada has estimated that between 4% to 10% of light-skinned babies will be born with or develop a strawberry birthmark. They usually are found on girl infants more often than on boys; by a rate of four to five hundred percent higher. No medical reason for this has ever been discovered for this condition. Strawberry birthmarks are usually found just below the skin and may show up anywhere on the body.

No real cause for strawberry hemangiomas have been discovered, and there are no known risk factors that will increase or decrease the odds of developing one. In most instances strawberry birthmarks on infants will look worse than they actually are, in most cases there is nothing to worry about. They are usually painless and rarely cause any functional impairments. The Mayo Clinic states that almost all strawberry hemangiomas on infants will shrink and fade over time. They have estimated that almost ninety percent of strawberry birthmarks will be totally gone before the child reaches the age of ten. It is quite rare that a hemangioma will be located in an area that will restrict the vision or impair any other physical functions.

If that is the situation you find yourself in, you should consult your physician and they should decide what the treatment, if any should be. Laser surgery is usually the most frequently used treatment option. It usually completely removes the hemangioma or rarely it can just stunt its growth. This treatment should not used in instances where there are no functional impairment or other issues as the side effects of laser surgery sometimes can be severe, such as infection, scarring around the area, and severe pain for your child Corticosteroids, a second medical treatment option, could be injected directly into the hemangioma or they may also be taken orally. As with any medical procedure corticosteroids can come with some risks as well. These risks can be severe growth problems or hypertension which are related to steroid use in an infant. Steroid treatments are never used for strawberry hemangiomas that do not cause problems, because this treatment comes with risks to your child.

Some of the developing treatments for strawberry hemangiomas on infants involve the use of beta blockers and occasionally embloization. Strawberry birthmarks on infants are quite common and unless they cause other complications or impairments, they are usually harmless. There is rarely any treatment required, and if treated, will more than likely cause more harm than good. Occasionally the position of the hemangioma may cause complications and may need to be treated. If you ever have any cause or concerns about the location of strawberry hemangiomas on infants or children, you should always get treatment advice from a medical professional.