Cherry hemangiomas all over

[cherryskin]

Hello.

I'm a late-20s male and I'm posting today because over the past four months I've had a noticeable increase in cherry hemangiomas over my whole body...arms, chest, back, legs, hands...and now two on my forehead. I had a couple to start with, but they've multiplied rapidly. I went to the doctor's last week and got a full blood workup and everything was fine. I'm having a difficult time with this though. My mom has lots of them, but it seems at this rate I will be covered head to toe.

What can I do? Should I stop worrying? Are there reliable methods of removal that don't cause scarring? This is causing me lots of stress and the ones on my forehead are making me self-conscious.  

[Chariklo]

Japanese researchers found that cherry angiomas were associated with oxidative stress. Excessive oxidative stress can damage DNA and cause mutations in cells. Consuming a diet containing antioxidants to improve your immune system and avoiding pollutants and chemicals in the environment helps to prevent and combat this. I wonder if the fact that your mother also has a lot of cherry angiomas means that either there is something in the environment that is causing them or that your family is genetically predisposed to immune problems or oxidative stress. Poor liver function can also cause cherry angiomas too as it plays a part in the immune system by detoxifying pollutants and breaking down dead pathogens. As your bloodwork is normal it may be just that there is too much for your liver to deal with rather than the liver itself being the problem. However, better liver function is associated with better skin and can be boosted with supplements like milk thistle, artichoke and bitter herbs like rosemary and consuming green vegetables including bitter leafy ones like rocket or dandelion and avoiding an excess of fatty foods or sugar. Gulf war veterans often have cherry angiomas due to exposure to chemicals and people who have been exposed to bromine tend to have more of them too. Doing excessive sports can cause a lot of oxidative stress so if you do that it might be wise to take antioxidant vitamins like A (or its precursor beta carotene) and vitamins C, E and the mineral selenium. Antioxidants that are good for the eyesight found in supplements like bilberry are usually good for the liver too. In Eastern medicine there is a connection between the liver and the eyesight as an energy meridian is said to run between them. Drinking water and having plenty of detoxifying hot baths and showers helps to clear toxins out through the pores and the result is brighter eyes too. I don't know if you have any digestive problems or nausea but taking foods with sharp flavours such as adding lemon or pickled vegetables to a meal can improve digestion and liver function and thus help fight the free radicals that cause oxidative stress and cherry angiomas. Pickled capers might help on two counts: the sharpness can help the liver detoxify but they also contain an ingredient that plays a part in repairing the microvasculature.

[Dr Santos]

HI,

It is good that your blood tests were fine. I do understand your concern about the increased lesions. A cherry hemangioma is formed from an overgrowth of small veins. It may be found on any body location and vary in size. Try to avoid trauma, which may cause bleeding of the lesions. Cherry hemangiomas usually require no treatment. But they can be removed if they are irritated, bleeding or if cosmetically undesirable. Lesions may be surgically removed by excision, electrocautery,  laser, or freezing the area. Talk to your doctor about these options and decide which option is  best for you.

Take care and regards