What should you know about thrombosed cherry angioma?

Cherry angiomas are common red or purple skin growths made from small blood vessels. Friction, minor injury, or changes within the vessel can allow a clot to form. The spot may then turn dark red, purple, or nearly black, become firmer, or feel sore. A scab can appear if it has been rubbed or scratched.

A sudden change in a spot should not be diagnosed by colour alone. A clinician can examine it with magnification and decide whether the appearance fits a thrombosed angioma or whether another lesion needs testing.

Avoid picking or shaving over the spot, protect it from friction, and keep any small break in the skin clean. Make an appointment if the spot repeatedly bleeds, continues to change, becomes painful, or you are unsure that it is an angioma.

Treatment is optional when the diagnosis is clear and the spot is not troublesome. If removal is wanted, options may include Pulsed Dye Laser Treatment or Electrosurgery. A clinician should confirm the diagnosis first, particularly when a lesion is new or changing.

Seek prompt assessment for persistent bleeding, a sore that does not heal, rapid enlargement, marked pain, or a lesion with uneven colour or an irregular border. Get urgent help for bleeding that will not stop with steady pressure or for spreading redness with fever.

Ask whether the spot has the typical appearance of a thrombosed cherry angioma, whether it needs dermoscopic review or biopsy, and which removal method fits its location. Discuss wound care, possible colour change, and what recurrence or further change would mean.