Diagnosis & Treatment of Cherry Angioma

Today, Dr. Herzog will educate us on cherry angioma. I recently went to her about one that was bothering me, and I learned a great deal about what is obviously a common problem. I asked her to share this information on Family Savvy so that it might help others as well.

Dr. Jo Herzog

Jamie called last week because she found an unusual new bump on her back. She has been so well trained by her friend the dermatologist that she knew to call when any changes in her skin were noted.  Before I could count to ten, Jamie was at the office ready for an exam.

Much to Jamie’s relief, I took a quick look and told her that she had a normal benign cherry angioma and that she had nothing to worry about. Because Jamie complained that it was itching, we cauterized it to destroy it. This only took a few minutes, and while we were at it, we cauterized a few other cherry angiomas that we found on her back.

Jamie decided to share the photo of her cherry angioma and have this discussion on Family Savvy. We will all get our share of benign bumps, but not all bumps are cancers. Look and learn from this, but remember: when in doubt, make sure that the dermatologist makes the diagnosis, not the internet.

Cherry angiomas are benign growths that involve blood vessels. That is what makes them the cherry red color that they are. Occasionally, they can be purple too. These are common growths and become more common as we age. They vary in size from a pinpoint to several mm’s. These can occur anywhere on the body. If you scratch them, they bleed a lot. They tend to increase in size during pregnancy.

If you have these growths, they do not need treatment unless they bleed, itch, or bother you. If they are a cosmetic issue to you, they can be treated as well. Electrocautery, freezing, and laser are the most common methods of removal.

Now you know a bit more about cherry angiomas. Hope this helps in some way.

Have a good week and be well,

Dr. Jo