eMedicine Specialties > Dermatology > Diseases of the Vessels

Cherry Hemangioma: Treatment & Medication

Author: Clarence William Brown Jr, MD, Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Director of Mohs Micrographic and Dermatological Surgery, Rush University Medical Center
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: May 9, 2008

Treatment

Medical Care

Medical intervention is not helpful and not indicated in the treatment of the benign vascular proliferations of cherry hemangiomas. Perform biopsy on lesions in which the diagnosis is doubtful. The biopsy procedure may be used as a therapeutic measure to remove traumatized or bleeding lesions.

Surgical Care

Treatment for cherry hemangioma lesions is recommended only in situations of irritation or hemorrhage or in instances in which the lesions are deemed by the patient to be cosmetically undesirable.

  • Shave excision: This procedure allows delicate removal of the lesion by blade and histologic confirmation of the diagnosis. Hemostasis following removal may be obtained by chemical means (aluminum chloride) or by performing electrocautery.
  • Curettage and electrodesiccation: These techniques permit reliable elimination of the lesion through tissue destruction. The risk of scarring usually is minimal when the technique is performed by a skilled operator.
  • Pulsed dye laser: Ablation of lesions using pulsed dye laser may be performed for cosmesis. The use of a pulsed dye laser with a green light source allows selective absorption of the laser energy by the hemoglobin contained within the red blood cells and subsequent obliteration of the vascular lumen.2,3
  • Cryotherapy: Cryotherapy is a less well-controlled means by which lesions are eliminated through irritation, coagulation, and subsequent destruction.

The Medscape Dermatologic Surgery Resource Center may be of interest, as may the eMedicine article Laser Treatment of Benign Pigmented Lesions.

Consultations

Dermatologist consultation may be indicated. For multiple cherry hemangiomas that have appeared over a short period, refer the patient for evaluation to exclude an internal malignancy. In several patients, cherry hemangiomas that have erupted over a very short period of time were associated with an internal malignancy.

More on Cherry Hemangioma

Overview: Cherry Hemangioma
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Cherry Hemangioma
Treatment & Medication: Cherry Hemangioma
Follow-up: Cherry Hemangioma
Multimedia: Cherry Hemangioma
References
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References

  1. Pembroke AC, Grice K, Levantine AV, Warin AP. Eruptive angiomata in malignant disease. Clin Exp Dermatol. Jun 1978;3(2):147-56. [Medline].

  2. Dawn G, Gupta G. Comparison of potassium titanyl phosphate vascular laser and hyfrecator in the treatment of vascular spiders and cherry angiomas. Clin Exp Dermatol. Nov 2003;28(6):581-3. [Medline].

  3. Gupta G, Bilsland D. A prospective study of the impact of laser treatment on vascular lesions. Br J Dermatol. Aug 2000;143(2):356-9. [Medline].

  4. Calonje E, Wilson-Jones E. Vascular tumors: tumors and tumor-like conditions of blood vessels and lymphatics. In: Elder D, Elenitsas R, Jaworsky C, Johnson B Jr, eds. Lever's Histopathology of the Skin. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott-Raven; 1997:902.

  5. Hagiwara K, Khaskhely NM, Uezato H, Nonaka S. Mast cell "densities" in vascular proliferations: a preliminary study of pyogenic granuloma, portwine stain, cavernous hemangioma, cherry angioma, Kaposi's sarcoma, and malignant hemangioendothelioma. J Dermatol. Sep 1999;26(9):577-86. [Medline].

  6. Mazereeuw-Hautier J, Cambon L, Bonafé JL. [Eruptive pseudoangiomatosis in an adult renal transplant recipient]. Ann Dermatol Venereol. Jan 2001;128(1):55-6. [Medline].

  7. Odom RB, James WD, Berger TB. Dermal and subcutaneous tumors: cherry angiomas. In: Andrew's Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology. 2000. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2000:751.

  8. Sanchez JL, Ackerman AB. Vascular proliferations of skin and subcutaneous tissue. In: Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. Vol 1. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 1993:1219-20.

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Further Reading

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Keywords

Campbell de Morgan spots, senile angiomas

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Clarence William Brown Jr, MD, Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Director of Mohs Micrographic and Dermatological Surgery, Rush University Medical Center
Clarence William Brown Jr, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology and American College of Mohs Micrographic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Evan R Farmer, MD, Professor of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Clinical Professor of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine; Consulting Staff, Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins Hospital, VCU Health Services
Evan R Farmer, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology, American Dermatological Association, American Medical Association, American Society of Dermatopathology, and International Society of Dermatology
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Richard P Vinson, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Dermatology, Texas Tech University School of Medicine; Consulting Staff, Mountain View Dermatology, PA
Richard P Vinson, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology, Association of Military Dermatologists, Texas Dermatological Society, and Texas Medical Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

Warren R Heymann, MD, Head, Division of Dermatology, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
Warren R Heymann, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology, American Society of Dermatopathology, and Society for Investigative Dermatology
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

Catherine Quirk, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, Brown University
Catherine Quirk, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha and American Academy of Dermatology
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

William D James, MD, Paul R Gross Professor of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Vice-Chair, Program Director, Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Health System
William D James, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology and Society for Investigative Dermatology
Disclosure: elsevier Royalty Other; american college of physicians Honoraria Other

 
 
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