Hemangioma?

When I was 5 months pregnant I noticed a small, red, pimple like growth on my left index finger. Gradually over the next few weeks it continued to grow and eventually was about the size of a dime and raised slightly off my finger. It looks very much like a wart and I did not do anything to treat it since I was pregnant. I am now 6 weeks post partum and it has gotten much smaller. I went to the dermatologist today who looked at it and said it actually looks like a hemangioma and that it is common to get in pregnancy and will go away. She offered to remove it but said it was not necessary since it would probably be gone in 6 months.

After getting home, I did some research and can not find anything talking about hemangioma's in pregnancy. Most of what I found said that it occurs in infants. Do you think she missed the mark and I should get it checked somewhere else? She seemed confident but I hate to put something off if it is cancerous, although it has definitely shrunk in size and I imagine it will completely go away.

[Jasmina Jankicevic, MD, MSc, CCRP]

First of all, Congratulations on your baby!

Different vascular skin changes are associated with pregnancy including pyogenic granuloma (granuloma gravidarum), hemangiomas, hemangioendoteliomas, glomangiomas, spider angioma, unilateral nevoid telangiectasia, just to mention a few.  

For example, pyogenic granuloma is a rapidly growing, friable, red lesion above skin surface that can reach even 1 cm in diameter, and fingers are one of the most common locations. It is a benign tumor, but tends to bleed (especially with minor trauma) and it may persist indefinitely if not removed.  The importance of pyogenic granuloma is that it can be mistaken for amelanotic  nodular melanoma.

If you are uncertain about current diagnosis, it is absolutely appropriate to ask your doctor for further diagnostics to be performed in order to confirm or correct that clinical diagnosis.

Yours in optimal health,
Dr. Jasmina Jankicevic