Pyogenic granulomas are common benign skin growths that are small, round, and usually bloody-red in color. It often seems to follows a minor injury and grows rapidly over a period of a few weeks. They’re also known as capillary hemangioma, or granuloma telangiectaticum. They tend to bleed because they contain a very large number of blood vessels.
Pyogenic granuloma can occur at any age, but is least common in the very young and the very old. They are also fairly common in pregnant women. The hormone changes that occur during pregnancy can cause these growths to develop.
As mentioned before, they are always benign but cancerous lesion can mimic pyogenic granuloma. Therefore, a biopsy is usually obtained for analysis. Lesions most frequently appear on the head, neck, upper trunk and hands (especially fingers) and feet. These growths mostly occur after injuries, but the reason for this isn’t known. Other causes of pyogenic granulomas include trauma, infection, hormonal influences, drug-induced, viral infection etc.
Pyogenic granuloma is usually diagnosed clinically based on its appearance. The doctor might do a biopsy which involves taking a tissue sample for accurate diagnosis. Biopsy helps rule out similar kind of growth, such as squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, and melanoma. If due to a drug, they usually disappear when the drug is stopped. If pyogenic granuloma recurs, there are several ways to remove them using curettage, cauterization, laser surgery, cryotherapy etc. Recurrence after treatment is common because feeding blood vessels extend deep into the dermis in a cone-like manner. In these cases, the most effective method of removal is to excision. To find out more and get proper treatment, make an appointment by calling 732-297-9535
