Angioma and hemangioma: What is this task on my baby?
Many babies are born or develop a red, pink, flat or relief spot on a small corner of their new skin.A particularity which is without danger most of the time, but which can ask to look more closely.
What is an angioma, on my child's skin?
A raspberry red stain stands on the skull of your newborn.A clearly visible element that captures your attention and worries you both.For your pediatrician, it is simply an angioma, a term little known to parents.""The term angioma is commonly used to designate all vascular assault anomalies that form a trace on the skin,"" explains Noémie Lachaume, pediatrician at the Colombes hospital center.However, there are several types of angiomas to be distinguished: angiomas with a type of vascular malformation, which are done at the expense of the vessels (capillaries, veins, arteries ...): the angioma plan and the naevus flameus, and the angiomasvascular cell proliferation called hemangiomas.Some are congenital, that is to say that they are present from birth, others appear in the first weeks of life.
Angioma Plan: the famous wine spot
Angioma Plan is a pink macule in Violine, which will grow at the same time as the child.It is presented in a tablecloth with crumbled and pale edges but also in geography map with well limited edges and a darker color (the one called ""wine spot"").""The angioma plan is present from birth, isolated, and touches both girls and boys,"" describes the specialist.It can be located anywhere on the baby's body.
Should we worry about it?
Angiomas plans require a specialized consultation in pediatric dermatology, but in most cases there is no examination to be carried out in emergency, if the physical examination is normal elsewhere.
Plans angiomas are often isolated and without consequences.""But they can in rare cases be associated with other vascular malformations (venous malformation, lymphatic malformation, arteriovenous malformation) and asymmetries of size or length of the limbs.""
Angioma Facial Plan, a red birth spot on the face
Attention, lorsqu’un angiome plan se situe sur le visage du bébé, il est nécessaire de rester vigilant et d’explorer davantage cette anomalie : ""S’il touche le front et les paupières, il peut parfois être associé à une atteinte ophtalmologique (glaucome, buphtalmie) et cérébrale (angiomatose méningée avec risque d’épilepsie et de retard psycho-moteur) dans le cadre d’un syndrome que l’on appelle syndrome de Sturge Weber"", précise la pédiatre.
À lire aussiThe Flameus NEVUS
Under its somewhat learned name, the flameus nevus actually represents the most frequent vascular lesion in pediatrics.It is transient and not pathological.
The Flameus NEVUS se reconnaît à son apparence : la lésion est rosée, plane, à contours ""émiettées"" et elle peut foncer quand l’enfant pleure. ""The Flameus NEVUS a une forme triangulaire, au milieu du front mais on peut également le retrouver sur les paupières mais sans continuité avec l’atteinte frontale, sur le nez, au dessus de la lèvre et au niveau lombaire. On le retrouve également au niveau de la nuque où il s’eczématise, parfois"", détaille la spécialiste.
This form of angioma is reduced in a few months and disappears before the age of one year in the majority of cases.
How to make an angioma go?Who removes them?
The angioma is not annoying for the child and his freedom of movement, but may be discomfort on the aesthetic side.You naturally ask yourself the question of how to erase it.Then know that:
Infantile hemangioma: a benign tumor ... to be monitored
Hemangioma is a vascular proliferation or benign vascular tumor which affects 5 to 10 % of infants, with a predominance in girls.It can be congenital, with or without evolution, but the majority of cases are infantile, they appear in a few weeks, especially on the head and the neck.
""The hemangioma growth phase is characteristic.They are not present at birth but in 25 % parents report a small pink or white task. Puis ils grossissent sur plusieurs mois jusqu’à atteindre leur taille définitive"", relate le Dr Lachaume.Growth is maximum in the first 3 months then can last up to 6 to 9 months on average, with a maximum of 2 years.Regression is spontaneous over several years.
A particular form in relief
Hemangioma is less than 3 cm in most cases. Il lui existe une forme superficielle qui est rouge vif, aux bords nets, en relief, avec une surface ""mammelonnée"" irrégulière, d'où son surnom de fraise.
But also a deep form that we discover under a protruding, rounded, hot swelling, under normal or bluish skin.
Hémangioma: When should we consult?
Hemangioma, even if it is well in relief, is generally benign and parents reassured quickly.Nevertheless, some forms must lead to a quick consultation with a specialist to be sure that he does not hide another anomaly.
To find out if baby needs a specific consultation, a committee of experts has established the IHRES score, a score that lets you know whether or not the child should see a specialist and when that (source 1).
Rare but possible complications of hemangioma
""Dans la grande majorité des cas, l’hémangiome infantile n’entraînera ni séquelles ni complications"", rassure le Dr Lachaume.Nevertheless, some complications of hemangiomas remain possible.
How to treat a hemangioma?
Hemangioma regression is spontaneous over several years.They will whiten in the center and then gradually sag.The superficial component will disappear first followed by the deep component."The involution is slow but more than 90 % of infant hemangiomas will have disappeared at the entrance to primary" reassures the pediatrician.
""Cependant, pour éviter un risque de complication, un traitement par propanolol (béta-bloquant) peut être proposé en milieu hospitalier, afin de bloquer la prolifération des hémangiomes infantiles"", complète le médecin.This treatment will be indicated in the event of vital risk, functional risk, aesthetic risk and ulceration.
Source 1: Hemangioma evaluation tool
A lire aussiAuteur : Magali Regnier, JournalisteExperte : Dr Noémie Lachaume, pédiatre spécialisée en dermatologie au centre hospitalier de Colombes. Article publié le
