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Children's health

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Strawberry spot

28 replies

Amum25 · 16/04/2025 12:30

Hi, has anyone had children with Strawberry spots (haemangiomas)?
If so did it get treated? My baby has one on her head and I would love advice on it

OP posts:
loveyoutothemoonandtosaturn · 16/04/2025 13:41

My son had one on his nose when he was born, I'll be honest I hated it and hated the constant questions about it. It was small enough and on one nostril just and it did start to shrink and fade quite quickly. He's a big strapping teenager now and still a faint mark there but nothing you would ever notice unless you knew. We decided not to get treatment for it as it wasn't affecting him in anyway.

Olika · 16/04/2025 13:51

My DD has one on her ear since birth. We got referred to a dermatologist who we met twice with. She gave us prescription for a medication (cannot remember name anymore) that we applied twice a day for about a year. it stopped the spot growing larger and got us beyond DD getting to 18 months when these spots usually stop growing bigger (that’s what we got told). She still has discolouration and a slightly larger tragus at 3 but it’s not blocking her ear.

nocoolnamesleft · 17/04/2025 00:14

Most common treatment is time - they get bigger and more prominent over the first 6 months to a year, then naturally start getting paler and shrinking, and a lot are no longer visible by school age.

Most common active treatment is oral propranolol. This has been used for this indication for over a decade (think I first prescribed it 13 or 14 years ago). Generally used for problematic haemangiomas. So those having problems with bleeding or ulceration, or those in critical locations like close to eyes, nasal, on the ear, or genitalia. Personally I also have a low threshold for facial ones, because society is so mean about even temporary facial differences. It usually initially stops the natural worsening, and then usually makes the regression start earlier than it would otherwise. Risks of dropping blood pressure, dropping blood sugar. Because of this we always keep the baby on the ward for a few hours of monitoring after the first test dose. Also needs stopping if they develop wheeze as toddlers, as it stops inhalers working.

More recently a few hospitals (not ours) have started using a topical preparation. Usually seems to be timolol, which comes as a gel to be applied a few times a day. Can't be used if any skin breach. Only seems to work on the smaller flatter milder haemangiomas (basically the ones we wouldn't usually treat at all).

Unless ulcerating, there isn't much evidence that treatment improves the eventual appearance (unless in a location with growing cartilage ie nasal tip or ear), but rather that it reaches the final outcome faster. Personally I suspect that it probably does slightly improve the final appearance, as it doesn't get as bad before it starts improving, hence why I stretch the guidelines to include significant facial ones even if not in a critical location.

Hope that gives you some info.

Iwillcomeouttheotherend · 17/04/2025 00:19

My daughter had quite a large one on her back. It had completely disappeared by about age 3.

Foxgloverr · 17/04/2025 00:37

nocoolnamesleft · 17/04/2025 00:14

Most common treatment is time - they get bigger and more prominent over the first 6 months to a year, then naturally start getting paler and shrinking, and a lot are no longer visible by school age.

Most common active treatment is oral propranolol. This has been used for this indication for over a decade (think I first prescribed it 13 or 14 years ago). Generally used for problematic haemangiomas. So those having problems with bleeding or ulceration, or those in critical locations like close to eyes, nasal, on the ear, or genitalia. Personally I also have a low threshold for facial ones, because society is so mean about even temporary facial differences. It usually initially stops the natural worsening, and then usually makes the regression start earlier than it would otherwise. Risks of dropping blood pressure, dropping blood sugar. Because of this we always keep the baby on the ward for a few hours of monitoring after the first test dose. Also needs stopping if they develop wheeze as toddlers, as it stops inhalers working.

More recently a few hospitals (not ours) have started using a topical preparation. Usually seems to be timolol, which comes as a gel to be applied a few times a day. Can't be used if any skin breach. Only seems to work on the smaller flatter milder haemangiomas (basically the ones we wouldn't usually treat at all).

Unless ulcerating, there isn't much evidence that treatment improves the eventual appearance (unless in a location with growing cartilage ie nasal tip or ear), but rather that it reaches the final outcome faster. Personally I suspect that it probably does slightly improve the final appearance, as it doesn't get as bad before it starts improving, hence why I stretch the guidelines to include significant facial ones even if not in a critical location.

Hope that gives you some info.

How does propranolol affect the skin? I had no idea it could be used for this.

Just interested as I take bisoprolol and wondering if it has any effect on the skin?

nocoolnamesleft · 17/04/2025 00:38

Foxgloverr · 17/04/2025 00:37

How does propranolol affect the skin? I had no idea it could be used for this.

Just interested as I take bisoprolol and wondering if it has any effect on the skin?

It's not affecting the skin so much as the walls of the overgrowth of blood vessels in the haemangioma.

Foxgloverr · 17/04/2025 00:41

Thanks for answering. How does it affect the walls of the blood vessels if you don't mind me asking?

jimmyeatworld · 17/04/2025 00:42

I had one on my head, literally on my scalp. It grew my mum said it was female ? lol
anyway it got burst one day when I was crawling and shrank away. I still have a dent in my head now.
I also had a flat one on my shoulder blade, looked like felt tip pen ! That’s also disappeared now.

IridescentRainbow · 17/04/2025 00:45

My brother had one on his thigh. It grew with him until he was about 13. Then gradually faded and disappeared.

nocoolnamesleft · 17/04/2025 00:47

Foxgloverr · 17/04/2025 00:41

Thanks for answering. How does it affect the walls of the blood vessels if you don't mind me asking?

Attaches to the beta adrenergic receptors in the walls. This sends a message telling them to constrict. Which in turn reduces blood flow. Though exactly how that makes them heal up isn't entirely understood yet. Interesting factoid: this effect was discovered by accident, when clinicians noticed that babies that happened to be on propranolol for cardiac reasons, who also happened to have haemangiomas, had them disappear faster than expected.

ViaRia01 · 17/04/2025 00:50

My son has one on his head which looks like a strawberry mark and another on his head which is just below the surface and so appears just like a lump. No treatment but they have measured it’s size with an ultrasound scan. I think the ultrasound was for two reasons - first, to be sure exactly how thick/ deep it goes under the skin and second, to record the size in case we should have any cause for concern in the future and they will be able to check it has not increased in size.

Foxgloverr · 17/04/2025 00:52

nocoolnamesleft · 17/04/2025 00:47

Attaches to the beta adrenergic receptors in the walls. This sends a message telling them to constrict. Which in turn reduces blood flow. Though exactly how that makes them heal up isn't entirely understood yet. Interesting factoid: this effect was discovered by accident, when clinicians noticed that babies that happened to be on propranolol for cardiac reasons, who also happened to have haemangiomas, had them disappear faster than expected.

That's so interesting. Thank you!

Mistyglade · 17/04/2025 00:57

Yes. DS was born with a strawberry on his back. It’s faded and almost entirely shrivelled up but a faint patch remains. He’s 9 now. Owing to its location it ulcerated when he was about 2 which was tended to at GOSH. Apparently I had a few in between my legs as a baby but all disappeared very quickly.

Alljan · 17/04/2025 01:01

My DD has one close to her eye which came up at 3 weeks old. Due to the location of it, she was treated with timalol as mentioned above which prevented it growing and also removed the redness so that by 3/4 ish it was much paler and now at 8 it’s just a slightly raised lump the same colour as the rest of her skin. Other children did comment on it when she was younger as it looked like a cut but she’s never been bothered by it because of the treatment.

Virtualhelp · 17/04/2025 01:20

DD had one appear a few weeks after she was born. It’s on her head. Luckily hers is quite small and only a little raised. We’ve not been on any treatment for it and I’ve had quite afew people say their babies had them and they went after a few years. TBH I barely notice it anymore. People do sometimes ask about it or think she’s injured though.

Woahbodyforrrrm · 17/04/2025 01:46

My daughter had one on her upper thigh, it was quite raised and about the size of a 10p. It completely disappeared by the time she was 3 or 4. I’d completely forgotten she had it until this post just reminded me.

Amum25 · 17/04/2025 05:39

Thanks everyone, that's very helpful. I guess I just need to decide if we wait for it to go or give the medication. Those who gave propranolol or timalol, were there any side effects?

OP posts:
howcanitbetrue · 17/04/2025 07:22

If you are in Instagram I'd take a look at 'life of Lola' https://www.instagram.com/thelifeoflola___?igsh=MTFwM2Q5dnFlb2F1MQ==
She documents her daughter's journey from her being very tiny and talks through the different treatments, side effects etc. it's a very positive and informative page.

TheGrimSmile · 17/04/2025 07:51

My ds had one on his shoulder- about the size of a squashed strawberry. It gradually disappeared before he started school. His cousin the same. I can't even remember exactly where it was now. There is no mark at all.

GoldenPineapple15 · 17/04/2025 08:08

My son had one on his chest . I can’t remember exactly when it disappeared , but he is 9 now and all there is is, is a slightly raised lighter patch .

Normandy144 · 17/04/2025 09:05

My daughter had one on her head just around the hairline of her forehead. It grew for a bit as predicted and then just started to fade. This was 12 years ago. We weren't offered treatment but we weren't in the UK at the time. Honestly didn't give it a second thought. It started to fade and I honestly couldn't even tell you exactly where it was now.

WithOnlyTheMemories · 17/04/2025 09:11

Yes my DD had one a long straight line one on her head as a baby. It looked like an injury so attracted a lot of attention!

We didn't treat it with anything and it began to fade and be covered with hair. She's now 6 and it's very, very faint beneath her hair.

Amum25 · 23/04/2025 14:22

Thank you! This is great and really helpful

OP posts:
lwal · 23/04/2025 17:51

My little girl was born with one on her back. It was HUGE & bright red by the time she was 6mo. She’s 3 now & has faded substantially. She has been seen by a plastics paediatrician who has said they will laser off any excess left behind. (The skin under it is quite fatty due to the excess blood vessels) She never needed meds, her body sorted it itself :)

Apprenante · 23/04/2025 18:08

My GD had one on her head. Very noticeable and drew lots of comments. It just went away on its own. We were told it would be gone by the time she started school and it was

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