Facial birthmark...

[karlilay]

Poppy's is starting to bubble out now. I was going to make an appt to see the doctors because I want to be referred to a specialist for some cream to stop it's growth/shrink it, but I'm on holiday next week so it will be my 6 week check. I really hope they take me seriously and refer me.

 

[LoraLoo]

Id never heard of a cream til this thread, they said there was nothing when Caitlyn was a baby but it's almost 16 years ago x

 

[staralfur]

My LO started her treatments less than 4 years ago and there was no cream, the only thing they could offer was propranolol which comes with its own risks and the only reason it was prescribed to her was because of its location which was causing her a lot of physical distress.

Not sure if they're that strict about it where you are and it's definitely worth having checked out by a specialist to rule out any potential issues, but if it's just superficial then they may not recommend treatment.

 

[karlilay]

The cream/drops are called Timolol. Which is used to treat an eye condition. But it has been found to stop the growth and take away the redness of the hermangioma. It's a topical treatment though so will need prescribing from a dermatologist. I'm hoping to get it before we get to a stage where we need propananol. The side effects of that scare me a little.

 

[RainbowDrop_x]

Daisy has a strawberry birthmark on her left shoulder blade and it started off very similar to Poppy's. I didn't notice it when she was first born but we had a newborn shoot done at 13 days and it wasn't until we got the pictures back that I noticed it. I didn't really think anything of it until about 5/6 weeks when it started raising and it's now huge and still getting bigger. My biggest concern was how painful it looks but when I spoke to my HV he said that they can grow for 12 months and are generally gone by the time the child starts school although how they go is beyond me, but that also they don't cause any pain. I've attached some pictures of it at different stages just so you can see when it looks like now compared to how it looked to start off with.

13 days (tiny red mark in her shoulder)
https://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn45/KayleighJayne02/KMackenzie-ONLINE-6.jpg

This was 6 weeks old
https://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn45/KayleighJayne02/Mobile%20Uploads/image_11.jpeg

And this is how it looks now
https://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn45/KayleighJayne02/image_173.jpeg

I also spoke to a HV at a drop in clinic when I went to get her weighed about it and she said if I wanted I could take her to a GP for them to keep an eye on it but that generally nothing will be done until after 12/18 months of age because of the fact they tend to disappear. From a vain point of view I'm lucky it is on her back because you can't see it but it does stick out and you can see the lump as well as feel it through her clothes.

My eldests was like this with the swelling underneath, though a bit smaller, hers was between her eye and ear.
It's bizarre how they go, when she was 2 she started getting skin coloured lined through it, breaking it up. Within a week it was gone- the birthmark, swelling the lot, no evidence of it ever being there!

That's exactly what my HV said would happen!

Daisy has a strawberry birthmark on her left shoulder blade and it started off very similar to Poppy's. I didn't notice it when she was first born but we had a newborn shoot done at 13 days and it wasn't until we got the pictures back that I noticed it. I didn't really think anything of it until about 5/6 weeks when it started raising and it's now huge and still getting bigger. My biggest concern was how painful it looks but when I spoke to my HV he said that they can grow for 12 months and are generally gone by the time the child starts school although how they go is beyond me, but that also they don't cause any pain. I've attached some pictures of it at different stages just so you can see when it looks like now compared to how it looked to start off with.

13 days (tiny red mark in her shoulder)
https://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn45/KayleighJayne02/KMackenzie-ONLINE-6.jpg

This was 6 weeks old
https://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn45/KayleighJayne02/Mobile%20Uploads/image_11.jpeg

And this is how it looks now
https://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn45/KayleighJayne02/image_173.jpeg

I also spoke to a HV at a drop in clinic when I went to get her weighed about it and she said if I wanted I could take her to a GP for them to keep an eye on it but that generally nothing will be done until after 12/18 months of age because of the fact they tend to disappear. From a vain point of view I'm lucky it is on her back because you can't see it but it does stick out and you can see the lump as well as feel it through her clothes.

My friend just went through something similar. That looks exactly like a hemangioma and should be followed very very closely from a hemangioma clinic specialist. Although often they resolve, those are very complicated birthmarks that can go very deep into the skin affecting other areas internally etc. I would ask for a referral and be followed by a specialist in the area of hemangiomas xx

DD was in hospital Tuesday night (for an unrelated reason) and 5 different Drs/consultants looked at it and said that it was nothing to worry about one even went as far to say that the main risk of them is if they catch and bleed they bleed a lot so to get down to a&e if that happens. Absolutely no mention of having it checked/followed up on

 

[dani_tinks]

I've never heard of them needing treatment etc

Esme's got quite large but has already gone back down and is starting to go silver in the middle.

 

[staralfur]

Daisy has a strawberry birthmark on her left shoulder blade and it started off very similar to Poppy's. I didn't notice it when she was first born but we had a newborn shoot done at 13 days and it wasn't until we got the pictures back that I noticed it. I didn't really think anything of it until about 5/6 weeks when it started raising and it's now huge and still getting bigger. My biggest concern was how painful it looks but when I spoke to my HV he said that they can grow for 12 months and are generally gone by the time the child starts school although how they go is beyond me, but that also they don't cause any pain. I've attached some pictures of it at different stages just so you can see when it looks like now compared to how it looked to start off with.

13 days (tiny red mark in her shoulder)
https://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn45/KayleighJayne02/KMackenzie-ONLINE-6.jpg

This was 6 weeks old
https://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn45/KayleighJayne02/Mobile%20Uploads/image_11.jpeg

And this is how it looks now
https://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn45/KayleighJayne02/image_173.jpeg

I also spoke to a HV at a drop in clinic when I went to get her weighed about it and she said if I wanted I could take her to a GP for them to keep an eye on it but that generally nothing will be done until after 12/18 months of age because of the fact they tend to disappear. From a vain point of view I'm lucky it is on her back because you can't see it but it does stick out and you can see the lump as well as feel it through her clothes.

My eldests was like this with the swelling underneath, though a bit smaller, hers was between her eye and ear.
It's bizarre how they go, when she was 2 she started getting skin coloured lined through it, breaking it up. Within a week it was gone- the birthmark, swelling the lot, no evidence of it ever being there!

That's exactly what my HV said would happen!

Daisy has a strawberry birthmark on her left shoulder blade and it started off very similar to Poppy's. I didn't notice it when she was first born but we had a newborn shoot done at 13 days and it wasn't until we got the pictures back that I noticed it. I didn't really think anything of it until about 5/6 weeks when it started raising and it's now huge and still getting bigger. My biggest concern was how painful it looks but when I spoke to my HV he said that they can grow for 12 months and are generally gone by the time the child starts school although how they go is beyond me, but that also they don't cause any pain. I've attached some pictures of it at different stages just so you can see when it looks like now compared to how it looked to start off with.

13 days (tiny red mark in her shoulder)
https://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn45/KayleighJayne02/KMackenzie-ONLINE-6.jpg

This was 6 weeks old
https://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn45/KayleighJayne02/Mobile%20Uploads/image_11.jpeg

And this is how it looks now
https://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn45/KayleighJayne02/image_173.jpeg

I also spoke to a HV at a drop in clinic when I went to get her weighed about it and she said if I wanted I could take her to a GP for them to keep an eye on it but that generally nothing will be done until after 12/18 months of age because of the fact they tend to disappear. From a vain point of view I'm lucky it is on her back because you can't see it but it does stick out and you can see the lump as well as feel it through her clothes.

My friend just went through something similar. That looks exactly like a hemangioma and should be followed very very closely from a hemangioma clinic specialist. Although often they resolve, those are very complicated birthmarks that can go very deep into the skin affecting other areas internally etc. I would ask for a referral and be followed by a specialist in the area of hemangiomas xx

DD was in hospital Tuesday night (for an unrelated reason) and 5 different Drs/consultants looked at it and said that it was nothing to worry about one even went as far to say that the main risk of them is if they catch and bleed they bleed a lot so to get down to a&e if that happens. Absolutely no mention of having it checked/followed up on

Most really are harmless and superficial and don't require any treatment. Unless it's in an area that threatens to affect the function of another part of the body (like if it's close to an eye), an area that gets irritated frequently (my lo's was between her bum cheeks and bled and ulcerated every time she pooped), or an area that is symptomatic of another problem (my lo's also extended to her lower back which was a marker for a tethered spine), then doctors aren't likely to worry much about it. If your LO's was in a place that worried them at all in terms of internal or external structures then they would have said something I'm sure!

 

[karlilay]

Aw thats reassuring to hear is going down Dani, i'm only worried as much as i am because its on her face I already have people daily ask about it and its not even raised or anything yet. its just so noticeable and it guts me that its the first thing people see when they look at her. I don't even 'see' it anymore. Until someone asks. Yesterday a lady asked me if the kids had drew on her head?! I mean wtf!?

 

[dani_tinks]

I know what you mean Karli. I've come to expect people to ask me about it now. Kids on the school run are always curious about it too. Gorgeous pic of Poppy, she's scrummy.
Esme's started to raise straight away, once we noticed it at a few weeks old it just kind of grew infront of our eyes.

 

[LoraLoo]

Peoples comments used to bother me too. Maybe just pop a little hat on when you go out if you'd rather not deal with them. I always found it was the old dears! X

 

[Starlight32]

I'm shocked people mention it! I don't think it looks like much of anything from the pictures, just a small red mark. Seems a bit rude and forward of those people.

 

[shellgirl]

Hi Karlilay. Just found this thread. My son has a strawberry hemangioma on his forehead between his eyebrows. It didn't show until 4-5 weeks old. The ped said it would go away, but then it started getting more red and raised. I took him to the pediatric dermatologist when he was 10 weeks old and started the Timilol. At this point it was deep and superficial (growing below and above the skin). We did the Timilol for a month, but it didn't help and it even looked like it was still growing so we started Propranolol. He's been on the Propranolol now for about 5 weeks. The first pic was after a month on Timilol, the day before he started Propranolol. The second is today. How's Poppy's coming along? Did you see a pediatric dermatologist?

 

[karlilay]

Hi we didn't, as it was such a struggle to get referred, we have decided to just leave it to go away on its own. I actually kind of love it now

Thankyou for sharing your pictures. Have you had any side effects from the propranolol? It's really changed hasn't it, amazing.

Poppys has stayed pretty much the same. She has a superficial hemangioma, and it is still flat to her head, and hasn't grown is size really since 7 weeks so we are very lucky. I will try to find a picture to upload

 

[karlilay]

I haven't got too many pictures on here, but this was her in the bath yesterday it's about the size of my finger nail...

 

[shellgirl]

That's great that it's stopped growing on it's own and you love it now! My daughter has one too, but it's on her neck. I always loved it too and now it's fading as she is 3. His was just getting so big and so dark so quickly, and with it being smack in the middle of his face, I felt like I needed to treat it and the pediatric dermatologist agreed. The only side effects he's really had is cold/hands and feet, but I just keep socks on him or dress him in footie sleepers. They say disrupted sleep is also a side effect, but he's always woken up multiple times a night, so I have no way of telling with that one.