Birthmarks

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Stork bite

Hemangioma on the face (nose)

Hemangioma on the chin

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Birthmarks - red

Alternative Names:

Strawberry mark; Vascular skin changes; Angioma cavernosum; Capillary hemangioma; Hemangioma simplex

Treatment:

Many capillary birthmarks (strawberry hemangiomas, cavernous hemangiomas, salmon patches) are temporary and require no treatment.

The nevus flammeus type of hemangiomas may require no treatment unless they are disfiguring, psychologically distressing, become painful, or change in appearance.

Permanent lesions may be disguised with cosmetics, especially those designed to be concealing or covering, such as Covermark.

Oral or injected cortisone may be used to reduce the size of a hemangioma that is growing rapidly and obstructing vision or vital structures.

Permanent birthmarks may be treated with cryotherapy (freezing), surgical removal, or laser surgery. They are usually not treated unless they cause unwanted symptoms, or until a child is at least school age. However, port wine stains on the face should be treated at a young age with a yellow pulsed-dye laser (for best results), to prevent the often profound psychosocial problems they cause.

Expectations (prognosis):

Birthmarks rarely cause problems other than cosmetic changes. Many birthmarks resolve spontaneously by the time a child is of school age, but some are permanent.

Complications:

Emotional distress because of appearance
Discomfort or bleeding from vascular birthmarks (occasional)
Scarring or complications after surgical removal

Calling your health care provider:

All birthmarks should be examined by a health care provider to determine the prognosis (probable outcome), course of action, and possible complications.

Review Date: 10/29/2004
Reviewed By: Jonathan Kantor, M.D., Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 2004 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.