What is up with his hand?

After looking at some pictures of Austin, I am sure that some of you may have asked (or wondered to yourself) what exactly is going on with his left hand?



What Austin has on his hand is called a strawberry hemangioma (also called strawberry mark, nevus vascularis, capillary hemangioma, and/or hemangioma simplex). Strawberry hemangiomas may appear anywhere on the body, but are most common on the face, scalp, back, or chest. An hemangioma is a benign tumor of endothelial cells that normally line the blood vessels. These cells multiply at an abnormally rapid rate and form tightly packed vascular channels (extra blood vessels). Consisting of small, closely packed blood vessels, hemangiomas may be absent at birth and usually develop by 3 to 5 weeks, and then grow quickly during the first six months. If the tumor is near the skin surface it is called a "superficial" hemangioma. It often looks like a raised bright red patch, sometimes with a textured surface (hence the once-commonly used term "strawberry hemangioma"). Veins radiating from the tumor may also be visible beneath the skin. By the first birthday, most have already peaked in size.

Hemangioma usually appear shortly after birth and grow quickly during the first year, called the proliferative phase. This is followed by a much slower process of shrinking (the red color fades), or regressing called the involuting phase, which may take from one to about seven years. Thereafter, the tumor enters its final, shrunken state called the involuted phase, after which it will never regrow.

Regression of the hemangioma is complete in 50 percent of children by age 5 and in 70 percent of children by age 7. Ninety-five percent of strawberry hemangiomas disappear by the time the child is 9 years old, although there may be some slight discoloration or puckering of the skin where a strawberry hemangioma existed.

This information was obtained from the following web sources (after consultation with Austin's pediatrician):

• WebMD
• DrGreene.com
• University of Maryland Medical Center
• Children's Hospital (Boston)