Recognizing Skin Lesions, Part 3: Cherry Angioma

Those little red dots on your skin are called cherry angiomas, and they're nothing to worry about. These are extremely common benign vascular lesions that can develop anywhere on your body. Lesions are bright red and vary in size from the size of a pinhead to the size of a pencil eraser, and they may be flat or raised.

These harmless clusters of dilated blood vessels may develop at any age, but they become more common after the age of 30. The direct cause of cherry angiomas is unknown but research suggests several factors:

• Chemical Exposure (topical nitrogen mustard, bromides and butoxyethanol)

• Genetic mutation

• Aging

• Pregnancy

If you develop cherry angiomas during pregnancy, this is likely due to hormones and high prolactin levels. They may shrink or disappear after delivery.

Cherry angiomas are typically harmless, but if you experience bleeding, itching, or a change in the size or shape of yours, please contact your healthcare provider for an examination.

If their appearance is bothersome to you, they can easily be treated at Aesthetica Beauty & Wellness! Treatment is quick, and there's no downtime! Schedule a consultation here.

Love your skin.

Love yourself.

Love, Faith

Recognizing Skin Lesions, Part 2: Milia

Plagued by stubborn whiteheads that won't budge? Maybe they're not whiteheads. Milia are common cysts, typically found on the face. These fall in to the acne-imposter category, as they aren't related to acne at all. They aren't contagious and will not spread.

Milia is the plural word for these benign lesions. A single lesion is called a milium. There are several different types of milia.

• Neonatal milia: Neonatal milia affects infants and causes white cysts to form on a baby’s skin, most often on or around their nose. This type of milia is present at birth.

• Primary milia: Primary milia are small cysts that are common on your eyelids, forehead, cheeks or genitals. They affect both children and adults.

• Secondary milia (traumatic milia): Secondary milia are small cysts that occur after damage to your skin, either from burns, rashes, blisters or sunlight exposure. They can also form as a reaction to a heavy skin cream or ointment.

• Juvenile milia: Juvenile milia are cysts that are a symptom of an inherited condition. These can be present at birth or show up later in life.

• Milia en plaque: This rare type of milia often affects women or people assigned female at birth between the ages of 40 and 60. The milia clump together on a raised patch of skin, usually behind your ears, on your eyelid, on your cheek or jaw.

• Multiple eruptive milia: This rare condition causes groups of cysts to form over weeks to months on your face, upper arms and upper abdomen. These cysts can be itchy.

Milia form when skin cells fail to slough off and become trapped beneath the surface of your skin. Additional causes of milia include:

• Damage to your skin from an injury or sun exposure.

• Long-term use of steroid creams or ointments.

• A symptom of a genetic condition.

• An autoimmune response.

Milia are common among newborn babies, affecting approximately half of all healthy babies at birth. These will go away, so it is best to leave your baby's delicate skin alone. Your adult milia may also go away with time, but if they linger longer than you would like or if their appearance is bothersome to you, we can treat them quickly at Aesthetica. The procedure is quick and requires no down time, so we'll have you loving your skin in no time!

Love your skin.

Love yourself.

Love, Faith

Recognizing Skin Lesions, Part 1: Sebaceous Hyperplasia

These pesky bumps are often mistaken for acne, but they can't be squeezed and drained like a pimple, and they don't respond to acne treatments. This is because they're actually enlarged sebaceous glands.

So, what's a sebaceous gland? Sebaceous glands are also known as oil glands, and you have them all over your body. They distribute sebum (your skin's natural oil) to the surface of your skin. These glands become enlarged when the cells that form the gland, known as sebocytes, overgrow and overproduce sebum. This creates these shiny little flesh colored bumps with their recognizable donut shape.

Sebaceous hyperplasia are more common in middle-aged or older people, but there is also a genetic component, which means that if you have a parent or other family member with these, then you're likely to have them as well. The immunosuppressant medication Cyclosporine is also known to cause them.

These bumps are usually harmless, but can sometimes be mistaken for basal cell carcinoma. They're also a sign of a tumor in people with the rare Muir-Torre syndrome. If you have concerns, please visit your healthcare provider.

These don't need to be treated, but if you are unhappy with their appearance they can be removed by a trained professional at Aesthetica. The procedure is quick and non-invasive, which means no downtime for you!

Love your skin.

Love yourself.

Love, Faith