strawberry naevus

good day! im a mother of a 1 year old girl. my problem occured a month ago just after her ist birthday.
she has developed this so-called strawberry naevus. we are thinking to send her for an early treatment since
it started to bleed when she accidentally scratched it located on her forehead ( upper part of her right eyebrow).
My question is: (1) which is more safer, laser treatment or operation?. (2) if we considered any of those, will it leave her a permanent scar? (3) is there a guarantee that once its removed it won't come back anymore? i am looking forward to hear your advice soon. thank you and have a nice day.

[Dr Santos]

Hi,

A strawberry birthmark will usually go away on its own by the time a child is about five years old and almost all strawberry birthmarks disappear by themselves by the time the a child reaches the age of nine. This mark usually do not recur. If they do not vanish they can be treated. The strawberry birthmark will be treated in the first year of a child’s life if they are obstructing eyes, ears, nose or mouth; otherwise they will be left alone to regress by themselves. However, bleeding occurs with accidental trauma. It will stop easily and quickly with pressure from a finger or an ice pack, followed by a sterile dressing to cover it.  

If you wish to remove this,  treatment is usually aimed at inducing rapid shrinkage.  Laser treatment is used to stop bleeding in ulcerated haemangiomas, and can speed up healing and shrinkage of the haemangioma. If carried out very early, laser treatment may slow down the growth and induce shrinkage. This is a safe procedure but some effects of this procedure such as hyperpigmentation/ hypopigmentation, infection or allergic reactions.

Have your daughter evaluated by your doctor and discuss which treatment option is suited for her. Take care and regards.