STRAWBERRY HEMANGIOMA ON INFANTS

 What You Can Do About Strawberry Hemangioma on Infants and Children

Strawberry hemangiomas on infants and younger children are quite common and most often are not anything to worry about unless they impair the vision. Medical treatment for strawberry hemangiomas on infants usually is not required and more often than not will do more harm than good. Unless the hemangioma is too large or is located in a position that could cause other complications, you may want to consider treatment. I would recommend that if you have questions or concerns regarding hemangiomas on infants, you should talk to a medical professional.

Strawberry hemangiomas on infants is the term usually associated with a red birthmark that are often found on infants and young children. Boston's Children's Hospital has estimated that between four to ten percent of light-skinned babies will be born with or develop a strawberry hemangiomas. They are found on newborn girls more often than on boys; by a rate of four to five times higher. No medical reason for this has ever been discovered. Strawberry hemangiomas on babies is usually characterized by a growth of hardened blood vessels usually found just below the skin and can appear anywhere on the body. No definitive cause for strawberry hemangiomas has been discovered as yet and there are no controllable risk factors that will increase or decrease the odds of developing one.

In most instances strawberry hemangiomas on infants will look worse than it actually is, normally there is nothing to worry about. They normally don't cause any pain or functional impairments. The Mayo Clinic states that most strawberry hemangiomas on infants will shrink and fade over time. It is estimated that ninety percent of strawberry hemangiomas will be totally gone before the age of ten. It is very rare that a hemangioma will be located in an area that will impair the vision or any other physical functions. If that is the case a physician should decide what the treatment, if any should be.

For the most part, strawberry hemangiomas on infants will be harmless, but in certain cases there will be impairment issues for your child and there are a few treatment options. Laser surgery is probably the most frequently used treatment option. It can be used to completely remove the hemangioma or it can stunt its growth. This treatment is not used in instances where there are no functional impairment issues as the side effects of laser surgery can be severe. They can include infection, scarring around the area, and severe pain for your child.

Corticosteroids, the second medical treatment option, may be injected directly into the hemangioma or they may be taken orally. As with the first option, laser surgery, corticosteroids come with some risks as well. These risks can be severe growth problems which are related to steroid use in an infant and also include hypertension, also related to steroid use. Similar to laser surgery, steroid treatments are not used for strawberry hemangiomas on infants that do not cause problems because this treatment comes with risks to your child. Some of the new and developing treatments for strawberry hemangiomas on infants involve the use of beta blockers and rarely embloization.

Strawberry hemangiomas on infants are quite common and unless they cause other complications, they are nothing to be concerned about. Rarely is there any treatment required, and will more than likely cause more harm than good. Occasionally the location of the hemangioma may cause complications and need to be treated. If you ever have any cause or concerns about strawberry hemangiomas on infants or children always get treatment advice from a medical professional.