What are hemangiomas of infancy?

Also known as: strawberry birthmarks, red birthmark

Hemangiomas of infancy are the most common vascular tumors in infants. These benign lesions usually have an initial phase of rapid growth from the first 6 to 8 months of life and after this they start to involute by themselves.

One third of the hemangiomas in infants will resolve by 3 years of age, one third by 6 years of age, and the last third by 9 years of age. By the end of their involution, these tumors can leave a faint mark or scar in the area were they were localized or a residual amount of superficial blood vessels. Depending on the body area they can have a medical significance for treatment or no treatment.

Most hemangiomas in infants grow in areas that do not interfere with other organs or cause disfigurement and just require observation by a doctor; but a small amount of them can grow in areas that interfere with:

• Vision (eyelids)
• Breathing or eating (throat)
• Ulcerate in mucosal areas (lips, diaper area, neck)
• Cause disfigurement by interfering with regular formation of cartilage (nose and ears)
• Compromise the heart work due to its large size or multiple lesions

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This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM