Hemangiomas of Infancy

Also known as: strawberry birthmarks, red birthmark

What are hemangiomas of infancy?

Hemangiomas of infancy are the most common vascular tumors in infants. These benign lesions usually have an initial phase of rapid growth from the first 6 to 8 months of life and after this they start to involute by themselves.

One third of the hemangiomas in infants will resolve by 3 years of age, one third by 6 years of age, and the last third by 9 years of age. By the end of their involution, these tumors can leave a faint mark or scar in the area were they were localized or a residual amount of superficial blood vessels. Depending on the body area they can have a medical significance for treatment or no treatment.

Most hemangiomas in infants grow in areas that do not interfere with other organs or cause disfigurement and just require observation by a doctor; but a small amount of them can grow in areas that interfere with:

  • Vision (eyelids)
  • Breathing or eating (throat)
  • Ulcerate in mucosal areas (lips, diaper area, neck)
  • Cause disfigurement by interfering with regular formation of cartilage (nose and ears)
  • Compromise the heart work due to its large size or multiple lesions

What are the common hemangiomas of infancy?

Read more detailed information about different kinds of hemangiomas found in children.

Image of Hemangiomas of Infancy

Hemangioma infant

What are the treatment options for hemangiomas of infancy?

The majority of them don’t require medical treatment; but if required, they will include:

  • Oral medications such as propanolol or prednisone
  • Pulsed dye laser
  • Nd:YAG laser
  • Co2 laser or surgical excision depending on the clinical evaluation

The International Birthmark Institute (TIBI)

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Infantile/Ulcerated Cavernous Hemangiomas

The term hemangioma refers to a common collection of blood vessels on or under the skin that usually develops in babies.

PELVIS Syndrome

PELVIS syndrome is used for the association of lumbosacral or genital area hemangiomas

PHACE Syndrome

PHACE syndrome is a term used to describe a special type of hemangioma that usually covers a segmental area of the body.

Gorham Syndrome

Gorham syndrome is a rare condition involving gradual bone loss that can affect one or more bones.

Pulsed Dye Laser

Pulsed dye laser is a laser where the laser beam passes through a dye in order to target blood vessels and treat capillary malformation and other vascular lesions.