Signs of Involution (Shrinking)
*********Disclaimer********
This site is from a parents perspective. All information
has been found through personal research or personal
experiences and is not intended for medical purposes.
As always, one should seek the advice of a doctor or in this case,
a vascular anomalies specialist.
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1) The hemangioma is
less painful or tender
2) Hemangioma is softer to touch, not full and hard
3) The hemangioma does not get bigger when child is crying
4) The hemangioma changes colors from a bright red to a
dark maroon or grayish hue
In Danielle's case, it was always warm, and still is. The hemangiomas were definately softer, the deep part of her hemangioma (the lumps) turned a grayish almost black and blue look; but the superficial part (strawberry mark) turned dark maroon. After months of involution the skin began to actually sag.
Types of Regression:
Rapid regressors:
Luckily, Danielles hemangiomas are rapid regressors, They
stopped growing around 1 yr and over a 9 month period
they've shrunk I'd say over 50%.
Slow regressors:
These are hemangiomas that do show signs of involution by age
3 or 4. Usually 50% of hemangiomas are in this category.
Hemangiomas on the nose and lower lip are usually slow regressors.
Note: I was told that
parotid hemangomias normally do not involute well; usually even
after involution, the
child will most likely need cosmetic surgery. In our case, this
was true, since the skin
had been stretched out so badly.
Knowing what type of regressor is very important when deciding what further treatment to consider. Obviously, a parent my opt to treat a hemangioma that is a slow regressor that will not involute well by school age. Other parents my opt to wait till involution is complete if it's a rapid regressor. This point brings me back to stressing the importance of finding a specialist that understands all aspects of hemangiomas, so that he can help guide the parents in the decision making processes.