Cherry angiomas are common skin growths that can develop on most areas of your body. They are also known as senile angiomas or Campbell de Morgan spots.
They are usually found on people aged 30 and older. The broken blood vessels inside a cherry angioma give them a reddish appearance.
This type of skin growth is typically not a cause for concern unless it bleeds often or changes in size, shape, or color. Talk to your doctor if you notice any bleeding or changes in appearance. These could be symptoms of skin cancer.
Cherry angiomas are red papules filled with blood vessels made up of capillaries at the surface of the skin.
Common characteristics:
The exact cause of cherry angiomas is unknown, but there may be a genetic factor that makes certain people more likely to get them. They’ve also been linked to pregnancy, exposure to chemicals, and climate.
There also appears to be a link between cherry angiomas and age. They often begin to appear when individuals reach 30 years old, and seem to increase in size and number with age.
How are cherry angiomas treated?
You probably won’t need to have a cherry angioma treated, but you do have options if you want it removed for cosmetic reasons. Or if you might need to have it removed because it is in an area that is easily bumped, which can lead to regular bleeding.
There are a few common procedures for removing cherry angiomas.
Electrocauterization
This surgical method of treatment involves burning the angioma by using an electric current delivered by a tiny probe. For this procedure, you will also have a grounding pad placed somewhere on your body to ground the rest of your body from a surge of electricity.
Cryosurgery
This procedure involves freezing the angioma with liquid nitrogen. The extreme cold will destroy it. This method is known for being a quick and relatively easy procedure.
You often only need one treatment session for cryosurgery to work, and the liquid nitrogen is usually sprayed for only about 10 seconds. The wound doesn’t require much care afterward. And there is a lower chance of infection compared to other types of interventions.
Laser surgery
This type of surgery involves using a pulsed dye laser (PDL) to get rid of the cherry angioma. The PDL is a concentrated yellow laser that gives off enough heat to destroy the lesion. This method is quick and is done as an outpatient procedure, which means you will not have to stay in the hospital overnight.
Depending on how many angiomas you have, you may need between one and three treatment sessions. This surgery can cause slight bruising, which can last up to 10 days.
Shave excision
This procedure involves removing the angioma from the top portion of skin. Shave excision is an alternative to invasive surgery that would involve cutting out the lesion or growth and using stitches, or sutures, to close the wound.
If you do have angiomas removed with any of these methods, scarring is uncommon but always possible.
Excel V
About Treatment
The Excel V laser is the newest, most advanced laser for treating vascular skin conditions. It combines two different wavelengths to make it the most effective, versatile and powerful vascular laser available. This includes a powerful 532 nm KTP laser wavelength, in addition to two 1064 nm Nd:Yag laser modes.
The Excel V has many benefits over other types of lasers and light treatments such as the pulse dye laser (V-Beam laser) and IPL treatments. Excel V is a versatile and powerful laser that can be more effective in treating vascular conditions and it can achieve this in less time (fewer treatments) then any other laser/light based treatment.
Goal
To treat vascular lesions of the head, neck and body. This includes facial telangiectasia, facial redness, Rosacea, cherry angiomas, venous lakes, bruising, port wain stains, leg veins and scars.
Procedure
The Excel V laser is used to treat vascular lesions and bruising in the comfort of our office laser treatment rooms. Safety eye shields will be placed to protect your eyes.
Recovery
Initially you can have some increased redness over the treated areas. This generally lasts from one to three days after the procedure. There is no significant pain or discomfort and pain medication is not needed.
