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Infantile hemangioma is a condition that appears in the first year of a child’s life and sometimes disappears. The ailment is characterized by single skin lesions consisting of extra blood vessels. Hemangiomas may tend to increase and disappear by 5-10. age. In about 80% of cases, the changes disappear spontaneously without a trace.
Hemangioma in an infant – definition
Hemangiomas are birthmarks that usually appear during the first year of a child’s life. The skin changes are usually mild and consist of small blood vessels overgrowth. It is not fully known where this ailment comes from and what causes the blood vessels to connect with each other. It is suspected that this could be related to a group of proteins that are produced by the placenta during pregnancy. Hemangiomas in an infant appear more often in girls, premature babies and in white children (about 10%).
Symptoms of hemangioma
A baby’s hemangioma may appear on the day it is born, but it largely develops in the first few weeks of life. The initial symptom is a flat, red, small birthmark, most often located on the face, back of the neck and scalp. Superficial hemangiomas they are bright red in color because their blood vessels are close to the surface of the skin. In 15% of children, hemangiomas attack the area of the legs and arms. Some babies have more than one birthmark. During the first year of life, slight redness slowly turns into a spongy mass that protrudes from under the skin and grows very quickly (up to 6 cm in diameter). Then the hemangioma stops growing and remains in a resting phase. The next stage is the slow disappearance of the hemangioma, which in most cases disappears by the age of five. Almost all moles of this type disappear by the age of 10, the color of the hemangioma disappears, but it leaves a permanent discoloration of the skin.
In addition, there are deep hemangiomas also called cavernous hemangiomas, which are bluish-purple in color. This is because the abnormal blood vessels run deep under the skin. Of course, deep hemangiomas may resolve before your child goes to school, but there is some risk that the condition will continue until the child is eighteen. In such cases, appropriate treatment is sometimes undertaken, especially if the hemangioma is located around the eyes, nose, mouth or genitals, with accompanying wounds. In extreme cases, the hemangioma may affect, for example, the entire back, but this is extremely rare.
Parents of children with hemangioma should remember to check this type of mole regularly. If the hemangioma begins to bleed, there is a bruise or a wound, and the birthmark itself looks as if it has become infected and is growing rapidly – see a doctor immediately.
Types of hemangiomas in an infant
- ordinary hemangioma – it is convex, has a bright red color and appears on the baby’s skin immediately after birth. In most cases of this type of hemangioma, it disappears on its own within a few years;
- squamous hemangioma – resembles a flat pink-red or red spot with clearly delimited edges. During fever or high air temperature, the birthmark may have a more intense color. This also applies to the crying and screaming of the baby. The flat hemangioma is most often located around the forehead, neck or eyelids, fades with time, but does not disappear spontaneously;
- cavernous hemangioma – its appearance resembles a strawberry, and its color is cyan-red or red. To the touch, the hemangioma is soft and convex. In the first year of life, the cavernous hemangioma grows much faster than a child. Then it stops to slowly fade away in preschool / early school age. Cavernous hemangioma can also be located in the child’s mouth, on the mucosa.
Hemangioma in infants – treatment
In most cases, infantile hemangiomas do not require specialized treatment. Many parents believe that these types of birthmarks should be treated absolutely because they disfigure their children and cause mental and social problems in the future. Doctors are quite skeptical about this as hemangiomas have no effect on physical health. Usually, skin lesions disappear on their own and treatment may lead to side effects. Of course, there are situations when the hemangioma causes vision problems or other health problems, then the following treatment methods are used:
- laser treatment: a doctor can use a laser to remove a hemangioma, stop its growth or heal wounds that have arisen because of it, and which do not want to heal. Possible side effects of this method are: scarring, pain, infection or the appearance of changes in skin tone / discoloration,
- use of corticosteroids: these types of preparations are administered orally or in the form of injections. They are very effective during the growth phase of the hemangioma, as they inhibit its development and sometimes even reduce its diameter. In order for the treatment with these preparations to give any results, a long-term treatment is needed, preferably repeated several times. Possible side effects of these preparations are: high blood sugar, cataracts, high blood pressure, slowing growth in the child.
Other treatments include excision or surgical firing of the hemangiomas, but there is a risk of permanent scarring. Scientists have come up with a new method of removing hemangiomas, for which it is used radio waves high frequency. Radio waves remove unsightly hemangiomas without interfering with the skin surface. Although most hemangiomas are not life-threatening, purple and red birthmarks disfigure not only children but also adults. Some people accept this state of affairs and can live with it, while others mask hemangiomas with various cosmetics. People who cannot accept this type of skin changes should consult a dermatologist and take appropriate treatment.
How to care for the skin of an infant with hemangioma?
A child with an hemangioma should be under the care of an oncologist, this is a normal activity, as specialists deal with this type of mole. Hemangiomas should be monitored and careful that the skin is not injured. In addition, sunbathing should be avoided. Hemangiomas can be washed with soap and lubricated with special baby lotions or olive oil. You cannot catch hemangiomas!
Dig. 22.7 Cavernous hemangiomas