After giving birth, young mothers have a lot of worries, but even more worries about the baby’s health. And when an ugly red spot is found on the smooth clean skin of the baby, many begin to panic. To the touch, it is defined as a thickening on the skin of an implicitly outlined shape.
There is another option for the development of events when, at the birth, the neoplasms are just invisible spots or a light pink blot.
But in the first six months they rapidly develop to a rather large tumor.
If, when you click on such a stain, it first turns pale, and subsequently pours blood even harder, know that your child has capillary hemangioma. In order to understand what to do next - to beat all the bells or to calm down and wait for the problem to resolve itself - it is necessary to understand what the hemangioma threatens the health of the child.
What is hemangioma?
Capillary hemangioma is a clot of dilated blood vessels, between which there are also cavities filled with blood. Most often this formation is found on the head or neck and has a superficial location. But there is also an internal hemangioma, which can be located on organs with good blood supply, such as the liver, brain, kidneys and others.
In fact, this tumor, fortunately, is benign, which can either dissolve on its own, or develop into a large formation that threatens the health of the child. Therefore, it is necessary to observe its condition throughout its existence.
Capillary hemangioma in newborns
can begin to develop even in utero, and then the baby is already born with a neoplasm. And it may appear in the first three months after birth. The first six months, the tumor develops rapidly, sometimes reaching a rather large size, after which its growth slows down. In most cases, after a year, the reverse process begins, leading to the complete or partial disappearance of education.
The greatest danger are tumors located on the internal organs, such as capillary hemangioma of the liver and brain.
Hemangioma on the skin
Capillary hemangioma in newborns on the skin, if it does not interfere with the normal functioning of the child, is usually not treated in the first years, but is only observed.
Plain hemangioma consists of capillaries of the dermis and does not extend to the underlying layers of the skin. Do not worry too soon if the formation is small and pale red. As a rule, such tumors dissolve without a trace up to 5-7 years, and most often earlier. In rare cases, capillary hemangioma can last until puberty and during a hormonal jump discolour or completely disappear.
Cases requiring medical attention
Pay close attention to the disease is in the following cases:
- If capillary hemangioma (photo below) begins to bleed and cause the child inconvenience.
- There is too active tumor growth, which begins to spread to neighboring areas of the skin.
- If hemangioma interferes with unhindered breathing, eating or swallowing, even if its size is constant, it is imperative to consult a doctor for treatment. The same applies to cases with swelling on the eyelids, in the auricles or lips.
- Rarely, but there are times when the capillary hemangioma in a child is located in the inguinal region or in the armpits, that is, in places where it experiences constant friction. This can lead to damage and, consequently, bleeding, therefore, with this variant of the disease, timely treatment is also necessary.
Tumor on the internal organs
Capillary hemangioma of the liver is an extremely dangerous formation, since it does not have any external manifestations or symptoms. However, the consequences of its rupture can be fatal. As a rule, hemangioma is detected by random diagnosis for another disease.
In the spleen, the neoplasm is quite rare, but its rupture can also lead to unpleasant consequences. In rare cases, pain in the left hypochondrium can signal its existence.
Capillary-cavernous hemangioma in different parts of the brain can lead to unreasonable headaches, sleep disturbances and anxiety. Rupture of such a tumor causes cerebral hemorrhage, which leads to death.
Hemangioma is dangerous not only in cases where it is a life threat, but also if it significantly interferes with the normal functioning of the body. Neoplasms on the nasal mucosa, eyelid, and ear can lead to a disruption in the functioning of these organs.
Diagnosis of neoplasms
Capillary hemangioma of the skin is determined by visual inspection. If at birth it looks like a small dot on the baby’s body, then after a couple of months it can be a fairly large prominent spot with a smooth surface. If you look at it closely, you can see a pattern resembling a vascular asterisk.
The main symptom is a change in color from bright to pale when pressed. Parents can do this, but the child must be examined by a doctor to determine the diagnosis. Cases when capillary hemangioma is combined with cavernous, which is more dangerous for health, are quite common.
Also in appearance, capillary hemangioma can be confused with less harmless skin diseases, such as squamous cell carcinoma or cyst. Therefore, relying on your own opinion is still not worth it.
In most cases, capillary hemangioma on the internal organs is detected during the examination for another disease, since it usually does not give obvious symptoms. Various pain may occur, but, of course, they cannot be associated with the presence of a hemangioma on a particular organ without a preliminary examination.
What is hemangioma dangerous?
Capillary hemangioma is most often a cosmetic defect that passes through a certain period of time. But in cases of incomplete oppression, such a defect in appearance, especially on the visible parts of the body, can lead to psychological problems.
The presence of a neoplasm contributes to the appearance of a significant number of blood clots. Then, if the tumor is large enough, this leads to poor blood coagulation.
Hemangiomas, located in the inguinal or other areas with increased trauma, are most often damaged, and this is fraught with the appearance of non-healing ulcers.
Capillary hemangioma can be combined with a cavernous type, while the upper part of the tumor looks like a normal harmless formation, and the more dangerous one can be detected only during a subsequent examination.
How is education treated?
The decision on the need for treatment is made based on the results of monitoring the behavior of the tumor, as well as on the basis of hemangioma analyzes. To begin with, the affiliation of the neoplasm is determined and other diseases are excluded.
After that, for some time, changes in size, shape and color are recorded and, if indicated, conservative or surgical treatment is prescribed.
In any case, before the start of the second month of life, no intervention, including surgery, is undertaken in the development of the tumor. As a rule, operations are performed at 3, 6 and 12 months. If possible, try to prescribe treatment with a conservative method, and surgery is used in extreme cases.
Unfortunately, there is no medical treatment method, the only option is to take hormones, but this method is unacceptable due to the negative effect on the body, especially for children.
Conservative hemangioma removal methods
For the smallest formations - up to 5 mm - the most gentle method of elimination is used - electrocoagulation. The hemangioma is affected by an electric current, as a result of which the tumor tissue coagulates, forming a crust. Subsequently, it disappears, leaving clean skin.
For small formations, the cryotherapy method is used. Snow from carbon dioxide is applied to the hemangioma, which acts on the tumor, pushing it into the skin. After the procedure, the following metamorphoses occur with the formation: the place swells, then swells with a bubble, then a crust forms, which subsequently falls off.
Alternative methods for eliminating the tumor
For subcutaneous tumors or formations on the internal organs, they resort to radiation therapy. This method is extremely dangerous for the health of newborns, therefore, it is used only in case of emergency and only after reaching six months of age.
There is another way to remove a tumor such as capillary hemangioma. Treatment is with alcohol-based urethane injections. This method is used if the neoplasm is located in an inaccessible place, for example, in the auricle or in the oral cavity, or with contraindications for surgery.
Recently, a more modern method has appeared, such as laser removal of a tumor. Today it is the most effective way to solve the problem, which is also used in the case of combined hemangioma.
Surgical removal
With very large tumors, especially if capillary hemangioma progresses rapidly, surgical excision of the formation is performed. The procedure is quite painful, involving not only the removal of the tumor, but also
a skin transplant from another part of the body to the site of the operated hemangioma. In addition, a lot of blood is lost during excision, so this method of treatment is prescribed to children only in exceptional cases. In this case, possible cosmetic flaws after the operation are taken into account.
How to prevent hemangiomas?
Unfortunately, today it is impossible to say exactly why a tumor such as capillary hemangioma is formed: the causes of this trouble have not yet been determined. Specialists can only speculate on what factors can become a trigger.
- First of all, they call prematurity, since the appearance of hemangiomas is recorded, as a rule, in such children, and mainly in girls.
- Heredity is also considered an aggravating factor.
- In the case of a Rhesus conflict in the mother, which, in principle, provokes a lot of problems.
- Maternal diseases, such as hormonal imbalance or catarrhal diseases at the time of development of the baby's cardiovascular system.
- Mother abuse alcohol, smoke, and take medication.
- Stressful stress during pregnancy.
Of course, there is no escape from heredity, but other factors can be completely prevented. There is, of course, no 100% guarantee that this disease will not occur, but in any case, such prevention will definitely benefit both your well-being and the health of the child.