Strawberry Hemangioma birthmarks?

[nfowife]

My DD has 2 of these- a small one on her bottom (size of a pencil eraser) and a larger one (size of a nickel or maybe a bit bigger) on her head, right behind her left ear. The one on her head has a thick scab on it, too. My ped. referred me to a dermatologist because she hadn't seen one with a scab before, and the dermatologist basically said to leave it alone but that if I wanted to do anything to it I could apply a hydrocortisone ointment to it (and gave me a scrip). I've used the ointment a few times when the scab seemed very thick, but that made it very "gooey" and gross- the last time I put it on first thing in the a.m., that night when I went in for a middle of the night feeding a big chunk of the scab had come off in her crib, it was gross! My dd sleeps on her side, which puts pressure on the birthmark and occasionally it bleeds a little (very little) but this makes me hesitant to put the ointment on because I'm afraid that a big chunk will come off and bleed a lot!
So now that I've grossed you out, anyone else's kids have these? My DD doesn't have a ton of hair so right now it's pretty noticeable, but hopefully when her hair grows in more you won't see it so much.

[cdlamis]

Hi Margaret,
Sounds similar to what my DD experienced earlier this year. Isabella had a hemangioma at birth that eventually required 2 surgical procedures and 2 months of extreme pain for her! I do not mean to scare you but just to warn you. Hers grew very quickly and became raised- it was on her back.

Her Ped said it was normal and not to worry. Well, at 2 months it started to look black in areas (not scabby yet). We were referred to a Pediatric dermatologist who said that the hemangioma was growing too fast for her body. He said to keep it moist (with vaseline!) and he didn't want it to open up since that would be painful. Well, four days later it did ulcerate "open up" and she was in a lot of pain. Her Dr. said that it was like having an open canker sore on your back. You couldn't touch her back without her crying in pain. After 6 weeks of being on codeine around the clock!, endless visits to the local Children's Hospital and all sorts of ointments and even 1 laser treatment, nothing was working and we finally had the hemangioma surgically removed by a Pediatric plastic surgeon.

I really wish we had just removed it instead of trying the laser treatment since she had to be put under anesthesia for the laser treatment as well (and it didn't even work for her). She was in such pain and in a drugged state for 6 weeks while her Dermatologist tried to heal it when we should have removed it right away. I hate looking at pictures of Isabella during those 2 months- she looked like a zombie. Now all that she has is a 5 inch scar on her back that looks great!

E-mail me if you have any questions. I hope this doesn't scare you and that your DD's heals on its own. There is not a lot of info out there about the 1% of hemangiomas that require surgery.

Let us know how it turns out~

Daniella
Mom to Julia 6-13-02
and Isabella 12-18-04

[nfowife]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I may ask for a referral to a ped. dermatologist (I just saw a regular derm.) just to be on the safe side. Hers hasn't grown too much. When she was born it was flat, but within a month or so it became raised, but it hasn't gotten much bigger in circumference. It's probably about an inch in circumference and a perfect circle, with about 85% in the middle covered in scab. When I feed her on my right side I put a rolled up blanket under her neck so that she's not resting her head on it, because I notice that sometimes (especially when it was oozing/bleeding) her resting on it would make that feeding position uncomfortable for her. I've tried doing the football nursing hold on that side but it's not comfortable for me so this is the compromise we've had to make and it is working out okay. From what I've read the first year is when they do the most growing and then they start to die off, with 30% gone by age 3, then 50% by age 5, and so on.

[smomom]

I can't really offer much info on an external hemangioma. My oldest son had a hemangioma inside his saliva glands. It contined to grow until he was about a year old and slowly began to involute on its own. It is now barely noticeable. We were very lucky because surgery would have been very dangerous due to its location.

Best of luck to you. I hope that you find the treatment option right for you.

[jenny76]

My almost 9 month old son has a compound hemangioma above his left eye. When he was born, it was a small, light pink rectangle (about the size of a pencil eraser), but by 4 weeks, it had become a deep red color with a raised, bruise like mark underneath. Our pediatrician recognized it as a hemangioma right away and referred us to a pediatric plastic surgeon. Because of the location, he said it should be treated so his vision was not compromised. That was at 5.5 weeks, and by his first laser and steroid treatment at 8.5 weeks, it was about the size of a quarter in diameter, at least 1/4 inch high and was hanging over his eye. He has gotten a treatment every 6 weeks since then (goes for his 6th this Wednesday), which seems to be helping it a bit. The color has definitely faded, and the swelling, while not reduced as much as the surgeon had hoped by this point, is no longer a major concern.

The thing with Nathan's hemangioma is that it has never ulcerated, as your daughter's has. The ulceration has a lot to do with where it is (since she rubs it while sleeping, etc). With all that I have read, though, I think it's something you need to address further. It's not a good thing, and can become infected very easily. I'm not sure where you are, but I think it's worth it to look into laser treatments to help with the ulceration. Unlike one of the previous posters, my son has had no problems with the laser treatments, other than a bit of soreness the day of the treatment, which I actually think can be attributed to the steroid injection, since those tend to hurt. They do anesthetize him with gas to keep him still, but it's just enough to sedate him, and he wakes up quickly with a hearty appetite.

Yes, hemangiomas can go away on their own. But if you are having problems like the one you mention, do not be afraid to insist on more aggressive care for your child. And there's nothing wrong with seeking a second opinion.

[Wife_and_mommy]

DD was born with two. The one on her back is still there but I honestly couldn't tell you if it's raised or not. Haven't inspected it. Just know it's there.

FWIW, yours sounds more serious than DD's. She used to get comments as an infant but that's the extent of the seriousness of hers. People can be so rude!

I hope you're able to get your DD some relief. It's sounds uncomfortable.

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[Lucia]

Hi Margaret,

My son had a small one on his arm that appeared a month after he was born...it grew and puffed up, but in the last year (he's 2 and 1/2) it has really started to shrink and fade. I know that there are different types so perhaps it might be good to get a second opinion. Hopefully, your daughter's will also start to fade/shrink and not continue to cause problems. Does it seem to cause her any discomfort?

[Mama to EllieCat]

I don't have first hand experience, but a friend of mine does. Here is a messageboard that might be helpful.

http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-ppbirthmarks

Kristen
Eleanor Catherine 8/8/03

[HIU8]

Don't know if I will be much help. DS had a strawberry Hemangioma that showed up when he was 3 days old on his back. The ped said not to worry about it that it would fade and go away on its own. So far that is the case. it is fading and is no longer raised. If it is scabbing that much on your DD I would go back to the dermatologist.

Heather
DS 11/27/04

[nfowife]

Thanks for the info ladies. I am going to the ped today for a sick visit (DD has a cold) so I might mention it today, or next week at her 6 month appt. (maybe they'll do the shots today though). We have a children's hospital in town, we've gone there for some other issues so I would like to see the specialist there if I can, I'll ask for another referral. I think it only bothers DD when there is pressure on it, like when she is lying on her side to feed. Then again, if she sleeps on her side it can't bother her all that much then because if it did I'm assuming she would not sleep in that position anymore, you know? I am very worried about the chance of infection, especially as she gets older and more aware of it- I don't want her picking at it with germy fingers.

[wimama]

I had a strawberry hemangioma on my upper arm. My mother was told that it should resolve on its own. Mine was raised quite high and bright red when I was a baby. As it started going way it became flatter and had some normal skin on it. By the time I was about 7 it was mostly covered with a thin layer of regular skin and had red dots on it and a red rim. Now that I am an adult, it is flat and has a faint pink color to it if you look closely. The skin is still thinner feeling than the rest of my skin though.

I think my hemangioma had larger blood vessels in it though. A dermatologist once told me this and said that is the reason it never completely faded. I think most children's do completely fade. There are some hemangiomas that can be quite aggressive and fast growing, but I do not believe that these are nearly as common.

I never had a scab on mine. I think it is definately worth getting a second opinion on. I too would be concerned if it was forming a scab or seemed to be causing my child discomfort.