Cavernous Hemangioma of the lip

An anxious couple with their gracious 5 years old approached Dr Sunil at Richardsons Dental and Craniofacial Hospital, Nagercoil. This charming young child had a large swelling in the right side of her upper lip, involving the lower lip and almost extending to the upper cheek. It was reddish-purple in colour and interfered with her cute smile and function. On examining, Dr Sunil Richardson diagnosed the swelling as a hemangioma growth on the skin, and suggested hemangioma corrective surgery.

What Is Hemangioma?

Hemangioma is a non-cancerous growth on or under the superficial skin with extra or numerous blood vessels. They are usually present from birth. We don’t know the exact reason for this growth, but the problem could run in the family.  They are bright red to purple in colour, depending on the depth of the swelling under the skin. Hemangioma on the skin does not cause any discomfort or pain. The complication could include massive bleeding when the swelling is ruptured. 

 

Our dental assistants prepared the kid for surgery under general anaesthesia after conducting routine blood investigations. The Hemangioma corrective surgery went successful. We completely excised the entire mass of swelling to prevent re-occurrence and sent the excised tissue to a laboratory for further investigation. Lab results later confirmed it to be a hemangioma. The patient recovered quickly and was very happy to see her face free from swelling.  The sutures were removed after a week. And after a month, we were happy to see this pretty little girl for a review. She smiled vibrantly, making her parents and us happy.

The Richardsons Dental and Craniofacial Hospital under Dr Sunil Richardson, Oral and Maxillofacial surgeon provides all forms of craniofacial corrective surgeries.