Hemangioma

A blood vessel Tumor with active cell dividing activity is called a Hemangioma. They are often found on the head or the neck region. Most children have only one and only in rare cases children have a few of them. The hemangioma is more common among girls than boys.

Hemangiomas are tuffs of Blood Vessels which are mostly superficial on the skin. It can be termed as a birthmark. These appear on the skin at birth or may appear within one month of birth. They appear as faint red marks first and then grow rapidly in size. The exact reason due to which these occur is still unknown. They occur mostly in premature infants.

With the advancement in medical sciences, the hemangiomas can be treated using laser treatments, surgical excision etc., In many cases treatment is not required as some areas start greying, in many cases there would be a rapid regression. Rarely it needs corrective surgery. Its difficult without medical advice to predict if the hemangioma is a complicated one or not. It is essential to seek medical advice. Treatments depends on the size and location where it is present. Small non intervening ones do not need surgical correction.

Its essential to acertain through ultrasound that there are not internal hemagioma present either on the liver or the abdomen. There are two types of hemangioma the one that is superficial is the "Strawberry hemangioma" which are usually bright red and soft. Those that are deeper in the skin are called cavernous hemangioma, these often appear bluish. Hemangiomas are not contagious in nature.