Cherry angiomas are those small, round red spots that can appear on the skin as we get older.
Cherry angioma removal uses laser to target the blood vessel within the angioma, causing it to fade and clear from the skin.
Cherry angioma removal is designed to treat small, benign vascular lesions commonly known as cherry angiomas, those little bright-red to deep-red or purple spots that tend to become more noticeable with age. They are formed from small blood vessels within the superficial skin and are extremely common, particularly from midlife onwards.
They can be flat or slightly raised, smooth and rounded, and may occur as a single spot or as multiple scattered lesions.
They can be anything from a tiny pinprick to a few millimetres across, and they can sit flat against the skin or be slightly raised, sometimes looking almost like a little red bead.
They can be surprisingly pesky. They can catch on clothing, jewellery or towels, become irritated and bleed, and they can be particularly noticeable when you have several of them. Some people simply want them removed because they don't like the way they look.
Anything new, changing, crusty or bleeding needs to be checked by your GP or dermatologist first.
Treatment may be suitable for adults who have clearly identifiable cherry angiomas they would like removed for cosmetic reasons, or because individual lesions are prone to irritation or bleeding.
Cherry angiomas do not medically require treatment, so removal is generally an elective cosmetic procedure.
An important part of the treatment is knowing what we are looking at first. Not every red, purple or dark spot is a cherry angioma. Other vascular lesions, and occasionally skin cancers, can resemble one another. If a lesion is unusual, changing, rapidly growing, bleeding without obvious trauma, or its diagnosis is uncertain, it should be assessed by a GP or dermatologist rather than treated cosmetically.
We use a Fotona Nd 1064 nm laser to selectively heat the blood vessels making up the cherry angioma, with the goal of causing the lesion to collapse and gradually disappear.
For cherry angiomas, the laser energy is absorbed by the blood within the small abnormal vessels. The objective is to heat and coagulate those vessels so that the visible red lesion can progressively fade and resolve, while carefully managing the surrounding skin.
The 1064 nm Nd wavelength has relatively deep penetration compared with many shorter vascular wavelengths, making it particularly useful when treating vascular structures that sit deeper within the skin.
Treatment parameters are selected according to the individual lesion, including its size, colour, elevation, location and the surrounding skin. This is not a one-setting-fits-all treatment. Precision and appropriate parameter selection are an important part of achieving a controlled result.
If you have just one isolated cherry angioma you'd like treated, the fee is $150.
Because cherry angiomas are often tiny and incredibly quick for me to treat, I don't believe it makes sense to charge you a separate fee for every individual spot.
Instead, I've created a 15-minute Cherry Angioma Removal session for $350, which allows me to treat as many suitable cherry angiomas as I can within your 15-minute treatment time, anywhere on the body.
My 15-minute session, $350, includes:
The reality is that each little angioma may take me only seconds to treat, but the technology I'm using is highly sophisticated, and the result relies on my knowledge, experience and ability to select the appropriate settings and treat each lesion precisely. So while I don't think it would be fair to charge you $350 for one tiny spot, it also wouldn't be appropriate for me to undervalue the technology and expertise involved.
The fairer your skin, the better.
Cherry angiomas are vascular, so I'm looking for a clear contrast between the red lesion and the surrounding skin. Generally, the lighter the surrounding skin, the easier it is for me to precisely identify and target those tiny blood vessels while minimising interaction with the surrounding skin.
The other thing I find myself saying all the time is: this is a very quick treatment. These little spots can literally take seconds to treat. I have cold air cooling available throughout the treatment to make the experience as comfortable as possible.
I also document what I'm treating.
New cherry angiomas can develop over time.
When appropriately treated, scarring is not expected, but every skin treatment carries some risk of an individual skin response.
I recommend avoiding the beach and unnecessary sun exposure immediately after treatment. Your skin needs a little time to settle, and protecting the treated areas from UV exposure is important.
Results vary from person to person.