Angioma Removal

Angioma or haemangioma describes a benign vascular skin lesion. An angioma is due to proliferating endothelial cells; these are the cells that line the inside of a blood vessel. Angiomas can arise in early life (infantile haemangioma) or later in life; the most common type of angioma is a cherry angioma.

A cherry angioma is a small papular angioma. It is a true capillary haemangioma. Cherry angioma has many synonyms, the most commonly used being Campbell de Morgan spots.

Cherry angiomas markedly increase in number from about the age of 40, so it has been estimated that 75% of people over 75 years of age have them. Although they are also called senile angiomas, they can occur in young people too – 5% of adolescents have been found to have them. Cherry angiomas are very common in males and females of any age or race, with no difference in sexes or races affected. They are however more noticeable in white skin than in skin of color.  There may be a family history of similar lesions. Eruptive cherry angiomas have been rarely reported to be associated with internal malignancy and pregnancy.

The cause of cherry angiomas is unknown. Genetic analysis has found cherry angiomas frequently carry specific somatic missense mutations in the GNAQ and GNA11 (Q209H) genes, which are also involved in other vascular and melanocytic proliferations.

Cherry angiomas are harmless, so do not have to be treated. Occasionally, they are removed to exclude a malignant skin lesion such as nodular melanoma.