Information Provided By Lifestyle Lift
WHAT IS HEMANGIOMA?Hemangiomas are a type of birth defect that are not always present at birth but will appear within the first few months of a baby’s life. Hemangioma is a specific type of vascular birthmarks and is the most common type of benign tumor of the skin. With as many as 12% of babies afflicted, hemangioma is more widespread than most would think. Hemangioma is known by many different names and other common ones are port wine stain, strawberry hemangioma, and salmon patch, to name a few. While they can develop anywhere on the body, 87% of hemangiomas occur on the neck or head area and are five times more common among women than men. Additionally, the birth defects occur more often among people with lighter skin. Most commonly, hemangiomas will grow for six to eight months before proliferating for up to 18 months.
Hemangioma is not inherently dangerous or life threatening, however, if they develop in the wrong places, they can be debilitating. If the tumor occurs in the facial or neck region (as they often do), they can cause impairment of vision, breathing, hearing, and eating. When a large hemangioma traps cells that aid in blood clotting, it is known as the Kassabach-Merritt phenomenon and can create major problems. Should the lesion develop in close proximity to abdominal organs or the airway, it can cause adverse effects varying from noisy breathing to ones that are life threatening.
If the lesion is not life threatening or physically harmful, many parents will opt to remove hamangiomas from their infants. If the growth is in a very visible part of the body, it can affect the child’s self image or even his or her social life. Love it or hate it, modern society often judge people based on their appearance. For this reason, many people choose to have the hemangioma removed. Because children tend to develop their sense of self around the age of three, many doctors will try to remove the lesion before this time, or by the age of five, when most children begin school.