Vascular Birthmarks

Hemangioma

Click here to view Before and After photographs of Hemangioma treatments

Renowned Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon Dr. Edwin Williams provides treatments for hemangiomas including removal with a personalized laser surgery or a surgical treatment plan at the Williams Center for Excellence of Albany, NY.

A hemangioma is an abnormal build up of blood vessels in the skin or internal organs. In most cases, hemangiomas will completely resolve over time. They are formed either during gestation or appear during the first few weeks of life and may present as a birthmark. Hemangiomas occur in approximately ten percent of Caucasians, and are less prevalent in other races. Females are three to five times more likely to have hemangiomas than males. Hemangiomas can be vivid superficial lesions, known as capillary hemangiomas (often referred to as "Strawberry Marks"), or they can be deep bluish swelling, known as cavernous hemangiomas. Sometimes they can be both superficial and deep. Approximately eighty percent are located on the face and neck. Although hemangiomas are benign, some serious complications can occur.

Most hemangiomas disappear without treatment leaving no visible marks. Large hemangiomas can leave visible skin changes secondary to severe stretching of the skin or damage to surface texture. When hemangiomas interfere with vision, breathing, or threaten significant cosmetic injury, they are usually treated. Smaller raised lesions are sometimes treated with injection of a steroid into the lesion. Pulsed dye laser can be useful for very early flat lesions if they appear in cosmetically significant areas such as the face or for those lesions that leave residual surface blood vessels in the case of incomplete resolution. Sometimes pulsed dye laser can be used to accelerate healing of an ulserated Hemangioma.