Broken blood vessel on child's face

My 7 year old son has a red spot at the bottom of his left cheek right above where the crease is when he smiles.  I noticed this spot about 9 months ago, and it hasn't diminished in color at all.  It kind of looks like it could be a broken blood vessel.  Is there anything we can do to get rid of this red spot on his face-creams, vitamins, etc.?  Would you suggest that we take him to see a dermatologist?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Children often get superficial blood vessels like these.  Sometimes they go away over time.  Kids aren't usually bothered by them very much.  They can be lasered off very easily and safely.  This isn't very painful and just takes a second, but that's a hard concept to get across to a 7-year-old.  Why not have your pediatrician check it out, and then you can take treatment under advisement.  Most of the time, though, people decide to wait it out.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[snittybell147]

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