Can infantile hemangiomas disappear on their own?

Infantile hemangioma is also called hemangioma. It is a common benign tumor in infants and young children. There is about a 30 percent chance that it can be seen at birth, so can infantile hemangiomas disappear on their own?

Hemangioma is composed of a large number of proliferating blood vessels and is a common congenital soft tissue tumor in children. The incidence rate is about 1% to 2%. Most hemangiomas are discovered after infants are born.

The development of hemangiomas can generally be divided into three stages:

1. Proliferative period: After birth, hemangiomas continue to proliferate and expand, rapidly invading the surrounding skin and deep tissues. The proliferative period of hemangiomas generally lasts 6 to 10 months.

2. Stable period: The growth rate of hemangioma gradually slows down. As the child grows, the hemangioma grows slowly, but the growth rate is still faster than that of children. The hemangioma proliferates and degenerates alternately, and the general time is 3 to 6 months.

3. Degeneration period: Generally, the growth rate of hemangiomas slows down after the age of 1, some capillary hemangiomas begin to degenerate, and the fibrous fatty tissue in the hemangioma increases. In a few children, the hemangiomas can completely degenerate at the age of 5. During the degeneration process, the color of capillary hemangioma changes from purple or dark red to light purple, and then gradually becomes lighter and degenerates into gray. The appearance changes from full and raised to flat to wrinkled, and the skin tissue becomes fibrotic. After the hemangioma disappears, the skin at the affected area may have capillary dilation and pigmentation, but generally no scars are left. Cavernous hemangioma degenerates very slowly, and only a very small number of children can experience spontaneous regression, while the vast majority of cavernous hemangiomas will not regress spontaneously. Most mixed hemangiomas, racemose hemangiomas, orange-red spots, port-wine stains, and other hemangiomas will not regress naturally. Only some strawberry hemangiomas and capillary hemangiomas can regress naturally within 5 years of age. It is rare for those over 5 years old to regress completely.