Hemangiomas are a dense collection of blood vessels in the skin and can have many different appearances depending on how deep the blood vessels are. A shallow hemangioma has a bright red color and is called a strawberry hemangioma. Deeper hemangiomas are called cavernous hemangiomas and form a soft, bluish mass. Combined hemangiomas have characteristics of both types. There are a variety of possible treatments for hemangiomas, although they frequently do not require any treatment.
Instructions
1. Treat hemangiomas with intravenous or oral cortisone. Common side effects of the prolonged use of cortisone include growth suppression, increases appetite, stomach irritation and an increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and systemic infection.
2. Administer pulsed laser treatments. This procedure is most effective on superficial hemangiomas that appear as flat, red lesions. The typical therapy is a series of treatments about three weeks apart.
3. Use a short course of antibiotics for the treatment of open, infected hemangioma. These hemangiomas will also require the wound to be cleaned daily.
4. Consider the surgical removal of hemangiomas in rare cases. Hemangiomas that may deform surrounding tissue or are not likely to resolve spontaneously may need to be removed surgically.
5. Take alpha Interferon for potentially life threatening hemangiomas. These types of hemangiomas affect babies most often and typically require daily injections of alpha Interferon for several months. This medication is reserved for the most severe hemangiomas because it can have serious side effects such as blood abnormalities and neurologic deficits.
Tags: alpha Interferon, blood vessels, side effects