Advice for Hemangioma

Birthmarks need to be see by a specialist. I dont know why Pediatricians dont think that they do! I would highly suggest Dr Ghali ( i just told another mama about him) he s in grapevine, and he is amazing! http://www.pediatricderm.com/AboutUs/

My daughter who is 10 now had one when she was a baby she was not born with either at about 3weeks after she was born it started to show It was in the inner corner of her right eye it got dark red and was kinda puffy but it did gradually fade and was gone at about age 4 you can see a very slight hint of it still but you really have to look for it. So yes they will fade and go away. Good luck
B.

I took my ped's advice and left my daughter's alone. It is about half gone at 19 months. My daughter's was hidden on her shoulder, so hardly anyone even knew about it. The vast majority will go away on their own. Why not give it a chance before you put you child through any treatment and risk permenant scars?

my son had a mole on his face that had to be removed because of the type of mole it was. it was not a hamngioma - however in the process we found the best pediatric dermatologist in dallas. her name is robin carder. her father was / is a leading doctor in dallas in well. she was wonderful! her office was wonderful and i totally would trust her. our son was 5 months when we went and she knew exactly what is was, was very knowledgeable.

http://www.drcarder.com/drcarder.htm

My daughter had one near the corner of her right eye. It showed up about 4 weeks after she was born and then got a bit larger, like a pimple size, then it went away about her 1st birthday. My kiddo's DR said to leave it alone unless it affected her sight, so thats what we did. They can be burned off or removed in some other way from what I hear, but if I had done that then she would have had a scar, since we left it alone, she has perfectly smooth skin now.....

I have a daughter that was born with a hemangioma on her forehead....started off as a small red dot and soon became a large raised strawberry. Our first peditrician too said not to worry about it and it would start to decrease in size and eventually go away. That was NOT the case with hers...it grew very large and started to ulcerate. Also, it was hard for me to imagine my little girl having this on her face and not knowing if it would go away on it's own. We did a ton of research and were so fortunate to find Dr. Reinish in CA who specializes in Hemangioma's....you may of seen him on the Health network show on TV. We had hers taken off when she was 9 months old and it was the BEST decision we ever made! I have so much info and would be glad to share it and our story with both of you should you like it. You're welcome to email me at ____@____.com to discuss further.

Our daughter had one appear on her eyebrow and the ped. told us not to worry and that around a year we wouldn't notice it. At right around her first birthday it all of a sudden was gone. We could see slightly where it was, but for the most part it was gone. So I wouldn't worry to much, and good luck.

I would advise you to take to a specialist. I don't think I would worry as much since it is out of sight (not on the face), but agree that a specialist, a pediatric dermatologist who specializes in birthmarks are best able to treat it.
My son developed one just above his lip at 3 weeks old. It grew rather quickly and I didn't seek help from a specialist til it was already quite dark and raised (around 2 months old). She treated it with a potent steriod cream til he was 6 months old then we started laser treatments. They continue to grow for the first year, then go through an involution process whether treatment is obtained or not, but the treatment helps this process occur faster and helps the surface of the skin to look better after involution. We only went through 3 laser treatments and it lightened quite a bit. We moved and the next specialist we saw recommended waiting until he was closer to 4 years before we did anything else. The main reason to seek additional treatment at that time was to avoid kids teasing him. His practically disappeared by 4 years. Now he is almost 6 and you have to really look to see where it was. Best of luck to you.

My daughter is currently seeing Dr. John Burns at Children's Medical Center in Dallas. I would suggest you see a specialist and have him tell you what's best for your son. I believe they have to examine each one on case by case basis. I think a specialist has more information than a regular pediatrician.

My oldest dd has a hemangioma. It was a tiny gray spot after birth and then grew to be quite large and raised during her first year of life. Most of the internet info I found from other moms said they went away by the time their kids were age 2-3. While this may be true for the simple flat type, this was not the case for my dd. However, at age nine, hers is now completely flat and disappearing just as we were told.

We were fortunate enough to see Dr. Milton Waner, now in New York, but was at Arkansas Children's at the time. He advised us that since it was on my dd's back, he did not recommend treatment. He said if it was on her face, he would have advised us differently. When we went back for a follow up, he actually asked if he could show my daughter's hemangioma to another family. He was trying to convince them that because of the location on their son, they needed to treat. The family was opposed to treatment, and he wanted to show them what it would look like as the hemangioma continued to grow. I was thankful at that moment for the placement of my dd's hemangioma and it helped me see that Dr. Waner was advising each case on a risk vs. benefit scenario. For us, the risk of surgery or other treatment was greater than the impact of the hemangioma on my daughter's health or emotional well-being.

There were times when she was a toddler and it was huge in comparison to her small body, that I wished we had done something, but now I am thankful we didn't. I am also thankful for the advice of a wonderful and compassionate specialist. It carried me through the times that I questioned our decision to forego treatment. I am sure there is a ped. dermatologist that specializes in vascular lesions in the Dallas area. I would encourage you to see one, I know that I would have definitely had more worry if not for Dr. Waner.

Here is an article I found about Dr. Waner and the pioneering work he has done in surgery for hemangiomas:
http://nymag.com/nymetro/health/bestdoctors/features/9267/

YES!!! thake your child to a specialist. I have learned with my 3 boys (ages 6,4 & 2) that if they have a specific problem like reflux, asthma... then we go to a specialist... Peds Dr's are great for general medicine but I really feel that when there is a specific issue going on then a specialist is better because they know the latest information on their specific area of speciality and they know the best treatment courses and all that. so I would just ease your mind and go to a specialist. most insurances now days do not require a referral from the ped. and even if they do its with in your right to seek a second oppinion.

Good luck
A. J

Good morning, R.,
My youngest son had a "strawberry mark" on his butt when he was a baby. It was bumpy and raised, more like a raspberry. At its largest it was about the size of a half dollar. We were never too concerned about it and were assured by our pediatrician that it would eventually go away, which it did by the time he was 3 or 4. It gradually "deflated" and faded in color little by little and eventually was barely noticeable by age 3 1/2. Even though they may look unsightly, they are not dangerous, so I would not worry any more about it. We all want our children to be "perfect" and worry needlessly if they have any marks or blemishes.
Be patient and enjoy your precious baby.
B. G. (mother of 8, grandmother of 4)

Hi there...I have definite experience with this...my daughter, now five, had a hemangioma appearing at 2 weeks old on the back of her neck...I thought it was maybe the way I was holding her while breastfeeding...but it kept getting bigger and more red and blue and puffy. My pediatrican sent me to a specialist and I was so glad she did. It can definitely take years for them to disappear although they may not go all the way away. The specialist was wonderful and I highly recommend her...so sweet, patient and caring. She deals with these primarily and I think you could get some great information from her. My daughter's is completely gone by now...but that is unusual...the specialists name is Dr. Christine Carmen-Stiles. Her number is ###-###-####. You should call her you will be so glad that you did. Good luck to you...if you need to talk just email me anytime and I will be glad to share my experience in more detail. She is in the Plano/Frisco area. Do get this checked out...they say that the if there are more than 3 that they could possibly have additional ones inside their little bodies so I would definitely go and see what her recommendations are. My daughter had to have a CT scan to make sure that hers was not pressing on her brain or brain stem...she had no trouble and thank goodness that was not the case.

All 3 of our kids had them. Our son(5 yrs old) and one of our daughters(3 yrs old) had small ones that have now faded.
Our other daughter (3 yrs old) had one on her eye which was treated with steroids when she was much younger and is almost gone. She also has a large one on her arm (2" x 4"). It has gone down a lot and has faded but is still very noticeable. Dr. Ghali in Grapevine told us to wait until she is 5 (before kinder.) to see if it has gone down some more before we have surgery.
Your son's sound pretty small but I would take him just for reassurance.
If you are interested, Dr. Ghali's website is http://www.pediatricderm.com/

Hi R.. Our dd had one, and we didn't think she was born with it either. Her's was on her abdomen. Our doctor told us the same thing...that it should start disappearing and should at some point just be a memory.
Well, she's now 4 and it's almost gone. The only time I would worry about it is if it's on the face, it can sometimes grow crazy and kind of take over. Then you can have it surgically removed.
We didn't think our daughter was born with her's either, but then I found a picture of her in a diaper, and you can barely see a slightly different color where her hemangioma is.
I found (when I was researching them after we discovered hers) that they think it is placental tissue. I wish I could find that resource.
Anyway-good luck and don't worry. It will resolve with the balm of time.
Jennifer

My daughter, who was premature, was born with no sign of her hemangioma. It appeared in the center of her forehead before she left the NICU - about 6 weeks. It was just a little red dot initially. It never grew very large - about the size and height of a short pencil eraser. However, her pediatrician told us that it would definately go away by the time she was 3 - it didn't. He also told us if we did anything about it, we were just being selfish. Unfortunately, we followed his advice and waited until she was in kindergarten before we had it removed. We went to a plastic surgeon in the Dallas area - Dr. A Jay Burns. Here is a link to some of his information on the Children's Hospital website:
http://www.childrens.com/Specialties/template.cfm?groupid...
First he did liposuction on it - said it should just "disappear" - it didn't. Then we had it surgically cut out. Now she has a little scar in the center of her forehead that isn't very noticeable. Dr. Burns told us he may have been able to remove it with laser treatments if we had done something much sooner - when it wasn't very deep. He also said that most pediatricians are not educated in current hemangioma treatment. I was very sorry we didn't follow up with a second opinion. I would recommend getting another opinion by Dr. Burns or another Dr. qualified in treating hemangiomas.

My youngest son had one, but it was on the back of his head when they were born. They had almost no hair, so it was very visible. It didn't bother me, and the doctor said it was perfectly normal and like yours said it would fade, but other mothers would point it out and ask me what "happened" to him all the time. I would simply say it was something he was born with it, although I didn't notice it until he was about two weeks old. He's now 19 months old and it has gone down to just a regular looking birth mark, and it no longer sticks up (his hair covers it for the most part anyway). I would say, if it doesn't go down, have it looked at. Or just for your peace of mind. =)

hi R.
i had one of these while pregnant...it just suddenly appeared...it was quite large and on my belly. After the baby was born, my dr froze it off. Now, that spot itches very frequently b/c blood use to flow there. my son is almost 2 and still it itches! :) It didn't hurt at all when i had it. I also know of some people that had a baby who had the same thing with their baby and the hemangioma was on her face by her eye. Dr told the same thing, that it would go away, i think its starting to shrink on its own as she grows. They aren't painful so i'm sure thats why your pedi isn't concerned and if it isn't growing any bigger, i would just let it run its course, esp since they are out of sight. Its always your call though b/c you're the mamma!!! :) take care and good luck!
S.

my daughter was born with a strawberry hemangioma behind her ear. It started out looking like a small red birth mark & now it literally looks like a strawberry. I had her ped as well as ped derm, Dr. Fred Ghali in Grapevine check it out. They both said 95% of hemangiomas disappear between the age of 1 - 2 years. If it is not bleeding or causing obstruction it is better just to leave it alone. After 2 years there is the option to have it removed with laser.Unfortunately my daugher's hemangioma doesn't seem to have decreased in size at all - she is now 17 months.I too keep trying to find info on this. Please let us know what you find out. Good luck!

sorry didn't have time to read all the other posts. My soon to be 3 year old has one on his top lip of all places. I noticed it when he was 2 weeks old. Since it was somewhere noticeable he was seen by Dr. Burns and children's (plastic surgeon) and started on steroids, due to they grow the first 6 months of life. He did say that if it's visible on the face they treat it because of cosmetic reasons, but if not showing they don't because most times they disappear. My son's is still there, though smaller and color has faded much. He was only on steroids for 2 months. The doctor says that if it's not totally gone by kindergarten we could do a laser surgery if we wish. Hope this helps.

Our daughter had a very large hemangioma at her hairline, just on her forehead. As you mentioned, it first appeared when she was about 4 weeks of age and grew to extremely large size. It was raised by at least a half inch and was larger than a fifty cent piece. It was very noticeable and we received many rude comments on it. I often worried about what would happen if it didn't disappear as it was very visible and she had very little hair growing through it. We waited to see what would happen and it did disappear. It continued to get larger in size until our daughter was about 13 months of age and then gradually shrunk over the next several years. Her hair is slightly thinner where the hemangioma was and if I look really closely, I can still see where it had been. However, to anyone else, it is not noticeable. Hopefully this will provide you with some reassurance. It was always helpful to me when someone would stop me and share their experience with me.

My 24 year old daughter was born with a hemangioma of the neck. There was no obvious redness on the skin, but the pediatrician noticed after a couple of visits to the nursery that one side of her neck looked bigger than the other.

When she was 8 days old, we had her at an ENT specialist to see if there was any airway or esophageal involvement. There was not, so we were told to take her home and forget about it.

We just ignored it until she was about 3 years old and people started coming up to us at church and asking what was wrong with her neck. That pulled our focus back and we took her to her pediatrician who referred us to a surgeon.

Especially with the hemangioma on the neck, the doctor did not want to rush to surgery. Hemangionas have all kinds of branching into the other soft tissues which makes them difficult to extract. (This was before laser surgery was widespread.) The other danger with it being on her neck was that they were concerned that the mass could not be removed without damaging the nerve that operates the corner of her mouth and side of her tongue.

The surgeon had us come back in two weeks for follow-up at which time he decided to do surgery. The mass was continuing to grow. Because it was subcutaneous, they did not know until surgery if it was a hemangioma or a lymphangioma.

The weekend before surgery we visited my in-laws and my mother-in-law burst out crying at the site of her and said "OMG, K.. She looks like a monster!" It was really then that it hit me how large and how fast it had grown. It was emotionally traumatic to have to hand over our 3 year old in the operating suite to the staff both for us and for her. Now I would have insisted that they let me suit up and take her back myself or that they at least sedate her beforehand.

The surgery turned out well. She was expected to have a week long hospital stay, but with me staying with her 24-7 she was out in about 3. She loved getting hot dogs and popsicles when she wanted them, but the bulb of the drain they had to place in her neck freaked her out. Luckily, she did not have a lot of drainage, so it was able to be removed after a couple of days. (My mother-in-law was almost hysterical at the hospital when she came out of recovery, too.)

The next trauma came when it was time to remove the stitches. They ended up strapping her to a board to remove them.

Many of these problems we had are probably addressed now 21 years later, but they weren't then. The surgery was necessary. Looking back at the photos of her from birth until the surgery, I am amazed at how obvious the growth became over time. To us, it looked like she had a double chin on one side. I took a picture of her the day before surgery, but I think my daughter destroyed it later. By the time of surgery, her skin was stretched thin over the growth. She never complained of any pain, but I know it must have been uncomfortable.

She did end up with some rather minor nerve damage that gave her a lopsided smile that everyone thought was cute. She has some minor issue with the side of her tongue that I didn't even notice until a couple of years ago when I was watching her eat. Other than that, the only evidence is a divot under the jaw line on her neck. I'm sure that there could be plastic surgery for that if she wanted, but the only time it was ever really apparent was under stage lights when she took dance.

The woman who did the pathology on the tissue also went to our church and told us that the hemangioma looked like a piece of steak. It was benign and she's never had any regrowth.

We did have a scare when she was a teen though. She got really freaked one day that it was starting to come back. It ended up being swollen glands from a throat infection though.

Our situation from the postings I've read here was not typical. I am glad that her pediatrician was astute enough to spot it early. I was also relieved to learn that it was not caused by anything I had done or not done during pregnancy.

I would recommend a visit to the specialist to ease your own mind and to create a baseline if the problem persists. Here's hoping it disappears on its own, but just in case it does not, it makes treatment options easier to explore if there are doctor's notes documenting an earlier stage.

Hi R.. My daughter was born with 2, one on her nose, and one on her tummy. The one on her nose is the one we have been most concerned with, since it is noticeable. It is about the size of a pea. We saw Dr. Jay Burns, in Dallas, when she was 1, and he said to leave it alone, that we would probably get lucky with it, and it would go away on its own. She is now 3, and it has definitely faded dramatically. It is still there, but I would say that it has decreased in redness by 70%. Dr. Burns did say that hemangiomas on the face should be treated before age 5, due to the mental scars it could leave her with (children teasing her, etc.) There is a wonderful website http://www.birthmark.org/ that is full of information on birthmarks, including hemangiomas. I emailed the lady that began the foundation, as she was from Dallas, and she helped me tremendously. It is frustrating that more pediatricians don't catch this and educate parents on what to do. We plan to have my daughters birthmark looked at again this summer, when she is 3 1/2. We plan to pursue laser treatment between the age of 4 - 5, before she goes to school. Feel free to email me. I know how difficult it can be. There are not many Dr.'s that do this. Find one that you connect with, and will treat your case with care.

Hi, R.!
I would hold off on taking your little guy to the pediatric dermatologist for now. Try not to worry. My daughter had one in the middle of her forehead. Her pediatrician, like yours, was not concerned. Guess what? He was right! It did disappear. I don't recall the exact timeline--but it did fade over time. It was very visible in her one year picture. It was invisible in her two year photo. I can still see a faint trace if I look for it but it is almost impossible to spot. She is now 5. Take care:)

Hi R.. My daughter developed a "strawberry" on one of her toes when she was about two weeks old (I was so embarrassed because I first discovered it when we were at the doctor's office for a well-baby visit!). Our pediatrician told us that the vast majority of hemangiomas (like 90%) are benign and disappear by the time the baby turns 1. What started out as a blob covering about 1/4 of one of her tiny little toes expanded to cover about 3/4 of the toe, but only on the top and side. My daughter is now 10 1/2 months old and all the redness is gone from her mark, and the skin is almost completely smooth. Had we not known that it had been there, we wouldn't be able to tell now that it was there at all. A friend's baby had a dime-sized strawberry on her back that came and went during her first year too. That said, if you're concerned, take your son to see a specialist, if only for your piece of mind. Good luck. -- C. --

One of my twin granddaughters had several over her body and a really large round one that protruded from her lower ear lobe. She is now 3 1/2 and they are all very small or gone. You can hardly see the one on her ear anymore. Her older brother had one about the size of a half dollar on his knee, when he was younger, and he is 10 now and you can't see it at all.

I had two hemangiomas as a child - one made the right side of my mouth look like someone had hit me and the other covered my entire big toe. Both disappeared on their own by the time, I would say, that I was 2-3 years old. When the one on my lip disappeared, a very small part of my lip faded so my upper lip is "lopsided", but I'd have to point it out to people in order for them to notice. No big deal.

My daughter had the "red spots" when she was an infant. They disappeared as she got older. One was on her lower jawline and the others were on the back of her neck. Hang in there.

I think that you are going to feel much better about it if you have a pedi derm look at him. My daughter had one on her chest and he said the same thing about it (that it would go away). You can see it now just a little and she's almost 2. The pediatrician referred us to a pedi derm though just to be on the safe side. He made me feel better because he explained why it wasn't something scary. We saw Dr. Ghali and I was very pleased.

http://www.pediatricderm.com/AboutUs/

Even though he didn't offer any different course of treatment, I felt better about it after he looked at her! We went when she was 4 months old too.

My daughter has a hemangioma about 1cm in diameter just between her eyes. We took her to a pediatric dermatologist right away due to the location. The dermatologist put her on oral steroids to slow the growth and then at 13 months she had her 1st laser treatment and another at 15 months, and now you can't even see it unless you know what you're looking for. My advice is that I would take her to a pediatric dermatolist because of the fact that there are a few of them. Most dermatologist don't treat with steorids unless they may effect breathing, sight, or eating. I have also found that most pediatricians take the wait and see approach. The dermatoloist we used was D. Kerri Carter in Dallas, TX and the plastic surgeon that lasered it was Dr. A. Jay Burns in Dallas as well-both excellent. The general rule is 50 percent are faded completely by age 5 and 70 percent by age 7.