Pyogenic granulomas are small, benign, usually blood red, and round skin growths. They can affect people of all ages, but most of the time they affect children, young adults, and pregnant women.
As they have a large number of blood vessels, they tend to bleed. Other names you might come across are “Granuloma Telengiectaticum” or “Lobular Capillary hemangioma.” They can occur in anyone but are primarily seen in children and young adults. Pregnant women develop these too. The reason is the hormone changes that a woman goes through during the pregnancy stage.
In the beginning, a pyogenic granuloma is like a lesion, but then it quickly grows in a few weeks. Once the growth is complete, you see it as a raised, blood-red nodule around 2 centimeters. It could be smooth or rough and might bleed a lot. There is no specific place where they might appear on the body, but they are usually seen on the hands, fingers, arms, back, face, and neck. Pyogenic granulomas are noncancerous.
Do you have a bright red bump on your skin? It might look like a raspberry. It could be on your skin or your child’s skin. If that is the case, you might have a pyogenic granuloma. Don’t let the name frighten you; it’s a harmless growth. The reason why most people want to get rid of it is because of its location. It could be unsightly, bothersome, or it could even bleed. At Body Surgery, our surgeons are experts in microsurgery and each perform around 300-400 surgeries every year.
Appearance: Can be smooth or crusty/rough; Tends to bleed
Size: Starts off as a small lesion, grows rapidly for a few weeks, then stabilizes into a nodule which is usually 1-2 cm wide
Colour: Bloody red
Location: Common areas include hands, fingers, arms, face, neck, chest, lips, eyelids, and the inside of the mouth
Additional symptoms: Tendency to bleed
At TMSC, you don’t have to worry about the quality of care. We have a state-of-the-art facility, and our surgeons will be by your side from the initial consultation to the procedure and any follow-ups required. During your initial consultation, one of our surgeons will inform you about the cost of your pyogenic granuloma removal procedure. It will depend on the complexity of the procedure and the number of areas affected.
It’s often very minor injuries that lead to the development of pyogenic granulomas (eg. pinprick, accidentally biting your lip, etc). They can appear spontaneously as well, especially on the lips during pregnancy due to hormonal changes. Their tendency to bleed is caused by the large number of blood vessels that they contain.
The exact reasons for pyogenic granuloma are still unknown. The known fact is that they might occur due to a scratch, bug bite, cut, or skin lesion. Once they appear, they can rapidly grow. In pregnant women, they often occur due to the hormonal changes that women go through. They are usually harmless and don’t need to be treated. Also, if they are small, the chances are that they might go away on their own, and you don’t have to ask for any treatment. Most people who come to our surgeons for pyogenic granuloma removal have cosmetic reasons or experience discomfort.
In most cases, pyogenic granulomas are removed surgically. This involves surgical excision and some stitching. Local anesthetic is used to numb the area during the procedure, and after the initial sting of the injection, the procedure will be 100% painless. Sometimes, pyogenic granulomas return after surgical removal, leading to additional treatment.
Other methods of treatment include silver-nitrate application.
During the consultation, one of our board-certified plastic surgeons will take your medical history, examine the area where you have the pyogenic granuloma, and might ask for more tests. After the consultation, they will schedule an appointment for your pyogenic granuloma removal surgery if that is required. In some cases, such as pregnancy, our surgeon may ask you to wait until your circumstance changes. Also, if the pyogenic granuloma is small, our surgeon might ask you to wait as it could go away on its own.
At TMSC, our surgeons’ first and foremost objective is to conduct your minor surgery painlessly without discomfort or worry. They will be by your side throughout the surgery and for all the follow-ups required. They will administer a local anesthetic; you will only feel a slight sting, and then nothing after that. Usually, the procedure only takes about half an hour. The surgeon will surgically remove the pyogenic granuloma and insert stitches. There might be some scarring depending on the size of the granuloma, although minimal. They will also tell you how to take care of the scar so it heals rapidly and is barely noticeable.
Scarring is as small as possible; we understand and respect our patients’ desire to minimize scarring, and therefore take great care to ensure that your results are optimal.
Our surgeons are highly trained and experienced professionals who care deeply about their patients. Rest assured all of our procedures are carried out with the utmost care, precision, regard for aesthetics, and in a safe environment.
The procedure has minimal downtime so that you can return to your work immediately afterwards. Our surgeon might ask you to stay away from any strenuous activities for a certain period. It could be a week or more, depending on the size of the pyogenic granuloma removed and the stitches. Our surgeon does this to make sure that you don’t injure the operated area.
There is a chance that a pyogenic granuloma could return after removal. Still, if surgically removed, the chances of recurrence are lowered. You can discuss this with our surgeon in detail during the initial consultation.
A pyogenic granuloma might bleed profusely and cause pain. The pyogenic granulomas are often thin at the surface, and that causes bleeding. Most people who come for pyogenic granuloma removal have this problem and want a permanent stop to it.
Your doctor might suggest cauterization or surgical removal. If it is surgery, the wound usually heals in one week. But there are chances of regrowth. It usually happens in children and pregnant women.
Pyogenic granuloma is not contagious. It cannot spread from person to person. Also, it does not occur due to an infection. It is a harmless, benign growth of the blood vessels on the skin.
Cauterization is one of the ways to remove a pyogenic granuloma, but the chances of recurrence are higher than with surgery. Our surgeons have the expertise, experience, and skills to remove the entire growth and close the wound. Although it is an invasive procedure, the chances for regrowth are less than with any other method.
Yes, a pyogenic granuloma can be painful, mainly if it develops in an area of the body that is hard to reach or regularly disturbed. Pyogenic granulomas can grow rapidly and often bleed a lot even if there is no trauma to the site.
