3 Month Old Has Hemangioma

Hi there,

My 11 week old daughter has this on her pinky finger. Her ped told us to be patient and that it will likely get bigger and then eventually be reabsorbed by her body. He said it wasn't a health concern, though.

Hers has gotten a little bigger, but hasn't so far shown any sign of fading.

Good luck!

H.

I would wait a couple of weeks and if it is still growing and his dr. doesn't want to do anything I would seek a second opinion.

My daughter has one too, and it got worse before it got better. Now she's 2 and it has faded to a light pink and gotten a little smaller. Her doc told me that they usually go away entirely by age 9 or 10 (I think that was what she said) and the only reason to do something about it is if it's near their eyes or nose and may get in the way of vision or breathing. Otherwise it's just a cosmetic thing that will go away on its own.

Don't worry about it. My son had one on his forehead too. It kept getting bigger and darker until he was maybe 6 months old. I swear at some points I thought it was going to burst or something, so dark and kind of protruded a bit. Finally, it slowly started to get lighter and smaller. He's 4 now, you can't tell that it was ever there.

R., I would like to respond to your question. My oldest son had one. He just turned 34 yrs old yesterday. His was on his cheek near the jaw line and my 28 year old daughter also had one on her tummy. They did go away. My pediatrician recommended not treating them because he had seen some horrible scars from ones that they attempted to remove. So I opted to watch and not treat. You just need to be careful so they don't get scratched because they will bleed since they are a blood vessel close to the surface. It faded well before he started school. Now you can't even see it and until I read your question I had completely forgotten about it. It did not leave a scar at all. So my recommendation would be to not worry about it but just be careful and if it does get scraped or scratched get medical attention right away. I never did have to do that though. And my son was a very active little boy. I hope this helps to alleviate your concerns. I know how it is to worry about your children. I have 4, they are all grown up they are 25,28,31 and 34 and I still worry about them and I probably always will. That's what being a mom is all about. Just relax and take care. K. R.

Hi R.,
My nephew had one of these and, I believe, they just left it alone and within a couple of months or so (I'll double-check), it just popped on its own and there is no sign of it. It was rather large. I think, as long as you've seen your doc about it, I'd just wait it out. =0) I'll check with my sister-in-law, just to be sure.
L.

I recommend that you research hemangioma so that you will have specific knowledge about it. I've heard that frequently the mark dissolves on it's own. I don't know how long that takes or when to consider treatment. Your own doctor and your research will tell you that.

Sounds to me that your doctor didn't give you enough information. I'd start with calling his office and asking for some written information about hemangioma. I'd also ask the doctor when you should return if it doesn't resolve itself. And how long does it usually take to resolve.

The internet has lots of information about health issues and this is one. If I were you I'd want to talk with other mothers whose baby has had this condition. Look for a support group at the doctor's office, at the hospitals in your area, at the Health Department and on the Internet.

In the meantime, relax as you know that you will always love this son and will find a way to handle whatever happens. Keep your thoughts positive. You don't want to add stress to yourself and your baby. This may be easier once you have more information. If after talking with your pediatrician, you are still feeling that you don't know enough, ask for a referral to a specialist.

I just want to offer support. My daughter had one on the back of her head which appeared in the first week or so after her birth. People can be so rude with their comments. The rapid growth is scary but it does stop. My daughter is 5 years old now and it is underneath her hair but it is a flat white spot. I believe that doctors are relunctant to do surgery unless it interfers with a vital function like seeing or breathing. They disapper at a rate that coincides with the age i.e. at 1 year 10% will disappear, 2 years old 20% will have disappeared and so on for the next five or so years. Good luck to you and your little boy.

If you type in hemangioma.com on your computer you will get a doctor who specializes in this disorder and they have a place to ask questions.

My son had a hemangioma very close to his eye when he was a baby. You couldn't see it at all when he was born and then by the time he was a month it was very noticeable. It continued to grow until he was about a year old. They checked his eyesite quite a bit, but it never effected anything. Our doctor told us they wouldn't treat it until he was 5-6 years-old (he's 6 now). It started to go down when he was about 15 months old and has been fading ever since. You can't even notice it now. It's a little discolored, but is just a darker skin tone. Because it's a laser procedure, they may not do it on younger kids. Good luck to you.

R.,

Hemangioma's can seem very scary. My son's showed up on his chest right before his 1 week check. Our doctor said it would look worse before it started to disappear. He also told us it would start fading around age 4/5 and be 'gone' by age 9/10 (it varies by child and location). It grew to the size of a quarter, raised up and turned a deep red. Since he was a summer baby and often was just in a diaper I had to explain to others what it was. I see nothing wrong with a quick - "it's' a hemangioma and will disappear when he's older". Most people just wanted to know what it was and that was enough. When my son was about 2 1/2 he asked what it was. He couldn't pronounce it and declared it was his "God spot". Too cute. Anyway, he will be 7 next month and I just noticed how faded it is. As far as treatment, I personally wouldn't do anything unless it becomes a danger to his physical health.

Good luck,
P.

I would seek the advice of a pediatric dermatologist. My son was born with a port wine stain (they grow with time, too). Our regular pediatrician didn't tell us much about it and didn't seem concerned. We were concerned, so we took it a step further. We went to see a specialist at children's hospital and she gave us more facts and explained everything very thoroughly. We began laser treatments at 3 months and now he is almost done (4 years). He has had probably 8 or 9 treatments. I feel strongly that our early decision to see a specialist has prevented some extra headaches and heartaches we may have encountered otherwise.

I have a niece that had one by the time she was two yrs it was all gone. But they did see a specilist and they told they it would go away and it did.

Three of my five children had one of these. Two of them had completely disappeared by the time they were toddlers. My one daughter had one on her forehead and it is still there, but flat and light colored now. Her hairline pretty much covers it too.

When she was little, kids (and adults) would ask us odd questions. Was she injured, etc? We used to tell everyone it was a fruity pebble stuck to her head. That usually solved everything.

My youngest of three children has a hemangioma on her wrist. When she was born is very light in color and by the time she was a year old is was very deep purple/maroon color. Our pediatrician said by the time she was five years old we would hardly notice it. Well she is four and a half and you can hardly see it anymore! In fact we have to "hunt" for it to find it becuause it is so light now. It was never raised from the skin though, it was always flush with the skin. I heard there are some kinds of hemangiomos that are like raised bubbles from the skin, my daughter did not have this kind. So hang in there! My advice would be to keep watching it to see if it becomes raised. My guess is over time it will gradually become lighter and lighter.

I honestly don't know how they deal with them now, but when my 43 year old daughter was a baby she was born with one on the side of her head. Her pediatrician waited until she was 4 months old, and he gave her dry ice treatments (3 of them, a month apart). So by the time she was 7 months old it was totally gone. The first treatment made her cry while they did it (didn't even take a minute), but the second and third one did not seem to bother her. I don't know if this is still an option now or not. But if so, I really recommend it, since it seemed pretty pain free.

R.-

Don't fret! My son also has a hemangioma. It was just a tiny red mark on his neck at about 3 weeks. His doc said it would get bigger, redder, and raised-and it did. The doc also told us these typically go away by 1 year of age. My son is now 6 1/2 months old. It is starting to get less red and less raised.

I know it is hard to constantly answer the question "what is that?". And I know it will be hard to do, but just wait it out. I will get better.

If your babe's doc isn't concerned about it, then don't spend too much time worrying about it!

By the way, the falling in love with your son will only increase with each new milestone he reaches. Just wait until he starts squealing with joy! There's nothing like it!

My DD, who is 4 months old, has a "Strawberry Mark" on her head. We talked to our doc about it and she said a couple of things. One, it will get bigger before it gets smaller. Two, it will take up to a year or so before it starts going away. With that being said, our doc recommended seeing a dermatologist. The dermatologist said the same things that our family doc said. You can treat it with steroids or other meds, but it is best to leave em alone and let the mark heal on its own.

H.

I don't have much insight, but my neice was a premie and had 2. The doctors waited about 2 years (she had hers from birth) and they did shrink on their own. The procedure they performed was lasering them off. It was very painful and by the time it started to feel better she had to have another treatment. After the second one my sister asked and they said she could see if they shrunk on their own because she couldn't bear the agony she was in. And sure enough they did! She is 11 now but by age 3 you would have never known they were there. Now mind you she had one about the size of a small tangerine and one about the size of a baseball! One on her back and one in her armpit! UGH! Good Luck!
S.

My older daughter had a hemangioma on the top of her head. Her doctor told me not to worry about it, it would get better on it's own. But, I experienced the same thing you did. It got way worse before it got better. It was a good couple of years before that spot grew hair. Long story short, it did eventually go down and lose it's color. Now at 9, you'd never know it was ever there. Good luck to you and your baby boy :)

Hi R.,

It's worse when it's on the face. My oldest daughter had one right on her lip and when she nursed it got bigger and redder. People used to ask me strange questions about it. I was used to it and then one day it was gone. I know she was nearly a year old when it disappeared and I too was concerned for a long time about it being permanent.

My younger daughter had a huge one on her back and it faintly appeared, grew, got redder then one day it was gone! Weird but I bet you're son's will disappear soon too. Don't worry there are worse things that could happen, LOL.

My daughter had one on her hip when she was born and the pediatrician said it would go away by the time she was a year. She is almost four and you can hardly see it. I think at one it was even hard to see, but it never grew bigger than its original size of about a nickel.
They do not pop as someone said in a previous post. I have heard of them growing rapidly on the face usually on the nose and needing to be surgically removed. Keep the perdiatrician informed of how fast it is growing.
L.

Hi R.. My husband and I discovered a hemangioma on our son's jaw when he was 5 months old. The nerve to his face ran right through it. We were told most of them go away by age 5 on there own. Since surgery was not an option because of the danger of nerve damage, we were told to wait it out. His would go from the size of a pea to the size of an orange. The older he got, losing his baby fat, the more noticeable it was. At age 2, after praying for him, it started to get smaller. In two weeks it was completely gone. We give God all the glory for that. I would trust your doctor, do some research about treatments though I don't think there are any, and I will pray for your son. I know they look odd and not very pretty, but they're harmless. I hope this helps you.
S. R.

R., I have an 11 month old duaghter with two large hemangeoma's on her thigh. She was 8 weeks premature and born without anything, about one week after she was born I noticed a tiny little speck on her thigh which has grown and grown and grown. As far as I know there is no treatment other than having them removed. Since my daughter's are on her thigh that has not been an option for her dad or I or her Dr. We will just let them resolve on there own.

I do know that they usually start to dissipate after the first year and are usually flat by year two. By the end (around year 5) they should turn into a flat, light puplish color that is not very noticable.

I know Dr's will consider removing them if they could impair eyesight.

Good luck...I know it is hard. But luckily (hopefully) not permanent!

Take a picture of your sons face and then a close up on his forehead, with a measuring tape to measure it and keep track of it's growth. Keep a journal of it's progress. Take him back to his pediatrician and show him the pictures and journal. If it's growing, and he still wants to wait and see, ask him to send your baby to a specialist at Children's Hospital. You have the right to question your doctor where your son is concerned (with something like this). A doctor who specializes in hemangioma's would know what course of treatment to take.

hemangioma's have 3 phases, they are usually there at or close to birth (may look like a dirty spot) but the 1st phase is a rapid growth, the 2nd phase is a sleep phase and the third is when it starts to dissapear, listen to your doctor, watch for each phase to begin and take notes you don't want to treat something in a infant if you don't have to.....
H.