Center Cosmetic Surgery
Hemangioma treatment.?
Hi my son has a large hemangioma involving his lip area and above his lip. It is a deep one and quite large. Can anyone give me some information that will put my family to rest on why my wife and I wish to avoid treatment unless absolutely neccessary we would rather worry about cosmetic surgery later in life than cause our child any long term health problems by using carbon dioxide laser or steroids. Links would be appreciated not just personal opinions.
Public Comments
- As far as a link, try www.birthmark.org - that is the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation website. They have a lot of good information on the site, and you can use the "Ask the Experts" section to email a doctor experienced with vascular birthmarks to get their opinion. Also, try the MSN vascular birthmark support website - there is a message forum, and plenty of photos that people have posted of their kids. Of course, I don't know how large your child's hemangioma is, but steroids are often a good option if the hemangioma is still growing, and is likely to cause disfigurement or other physical issues if left untreated. Steroids do not typically result in any long term effects, and there are studies to show that - you can ask some of the experts about that (not your pediatrician, who is unlikely to know much about problematic hemangiomas). My youngest was on oral steroids from 2 months to 5.5 months, then had an injection at 7.5 months. She has also had two plastic surgeries, and could use some laser. Her face will never look completely "normal", but if I had found a doctor to prescribe steroids earlier, we might have avoided surgery. Of course, smaller, "typical" hemangiomas often involute well on their own, so depending upon how large it is, wait and see can be a viable option. Good luck.
