Haemangioma inside lip - wait or remove? Advice needed

[belmart]

Hi all,

I have just joined hoping to get some advice for my 6-month old daughter. She has a haemangioma on the inner part of her top lip. The growth extends mainly under her gum line and the outer part of the lip is not affected, so it is not very noticeable when people look at her - her lip just looks a little fleshier.

My main concern is what happens when her teeth come out. She is bound to bite it and potentially make it bleed, with the risk of ulceration. Also, what if the haemangioma grows and starts affecting her lip?

I have seen a paediatrician in St Mary's hospital (London) who first advised to see a plastic surgeon to have it removed and then phoned to say he had discussed it with the consultant (he was a registrar) and they would like to see my daughter in 3 months time to see if there were any changes before referring us to the surgeon. I said we would go back in 3 months but asked to start the referral process anyway. I don?t want to wait 3 months and then be told we do need to have it removed anyway.

Has anyone been or is in a similar situation? Can you let me know what treatment did you follow, the results and if you have any advice. I am not pushing for surgery and would prefer for it to disappear naturally but, at the same time, I do not make things worse by waiting.

Finally, I am also thinking of seeing a private patrician dermatologist; any recommendations would be much appreciated.

Thanks to all in advance,

[hackneyzoo]

My DD has one on her lip. She saw a specialist at GOSH when she was about 1, and has a follow up every few years (she's 5 now). They advised us to wait and let it disappear naturally. The bit on the outside of her upper lip has gone, but it is still raised/ fleshy on the inside of her lip and looks slightly swollen.

It has never caused a problem and she is not bothered by it. It doesn't interfere with eating or teeth and has never bled profusely. It is on the lip though and not on the gum.

The consultant was very confident that it would disappear at some point in childhood but mentioned that sometimes they used laser treatment if the haemangioma was causing problems. So far all has been fine, so we are just going to wait it out.

[belmart]

Thanks for your reply hackneyzoo! It sounds very similar to what my DD has. Hers is on the lip too, not the gum, but the bulge now sits right under her gum line so teething worries me! Still good to hear it may not necessarily mean bleeding. Hope your daughter's continues to improve.

[cheesecheeseplease]

if it was me I would leave well alone for the moment, if you want to pursue the private route I would recommend Clive Grattan, he's very well known for his allergy work but is lovely with children and works in Norwich and London ( I work with him in Norwich) good luck x