Cherry angiomas that develop during pregnancy typically do not go away on their own after delivery. Unlike spider angiomas, which often fade once pregnancy hormones return to normal, cherry angiomas are permanent growths of tiny blood vessels that tend to persist indefinitely. The good news is they’re completely harmless, and if they bother you, removal is straightforward.
Why Pregnancy Triggers Cherry Angiomas
The exact cause of cherry angiomas isn’t fully understood, but pregnancy is a recognized trigger. Hormonal shifts, particularly elevated levels of prolactin (a hormone produced by the pituitary gland), appear to play a role in their development. During pregnancy, your body also dramatically increases its blood volume and grows new blood vessels to support the placenta, creating conditions where small vascular growths are more likely to form.
Cherry angiomas can appear at any point during pregnancy but are most commonly noticed in the second and third trimesters, when hormonal levels are highest. They look like small, bright red or purple dome-shaped bumps, typically a few millimeters across, and can show up anywhere on your body. They’re painless unless scratched or irritated.
Why They Usually Don’t Fade Postpartum
Once a cherry angioma forms, it’s a stable cluster of blood vessels in the skin. The hormonal environment of pregnancy may have triggered its growth, but the structure itself doesn’t depend on those hormones to survive. When estrogen and prolactin drop after delivery, the signal that prompted the angioma disappears, but the angioma stays.
This is different from spider angiomas, which are a common point of confusion. Spider angiomas have a central red dot with tiny blood vessels radiating outward like a web. They’re directly linked to hormonal fluctuations and often fade on their own within a few months of giving birth. Cherry angiomas, by contrast, are solid red bumps without visible branching vessels. That structural difference is why one resolves and the other doesn’t.
If you had cherry angiomas before pregnancy, those won’t shrink either. Some people notice their existing angiomas become slightly more prominent during pregnancy due to increased blood flow, but they generally stay the same size afterward rather than getting smaller.
When to Have a Spot Checked
Cherry angiomas are benign and don’t become cancerous. However, pregnancy can trigger many types of skin changes, and not every red spot is a cherry angioma. If a growth changes color, develops an irregular border, bleeds without being scratched, or grows rapidly over weeks, it’s worth having a dermatologist take a look. A quick visual exam is usually enough to confirm whether a red bump is a cherry angioma or something else entirely.
Eruptive cherry angiomas, where dozens appear in a short period, are rare during pregnancy. If you notice a sudden crop of many new angiomas, mention it to your provider, as this pattern occasionally warrants further evaluation.
Removal Options After Pregnancy
If your cherry angiomas bother you cosmetically, removal is a simple outpatient procedure. Several methods work equally well, and no single technique has proven superior to the others. Your dermatologist will recommend one based on the size, location, and number of angiomas you want removed.
- Electrocautery: A small electrical current burns away the angioma. It’s quick, and the area heals within a week or two.
- Laser treatment: Various laser types can target the red pigment in the blood vessels, causing the angioma to shrink and fade. This works well for smaller spots and typically leaves minimal scarring.
- Cryotherapy: Liquid nitrogen freezes the growth, which then falls off as the skin heals. This is one of the fastest options.
- Shave removal: The angioma is shaved off at skin level under local anesthesia. This is common for slightly raised or larger spots.
Most cherry angiomas only need a single treatment session. Larger ones occasionally require a follow-up visit.
Safety During Breastfeeding
If you’re breastfeeding, you don’t necessarily need to wait until you’ve weaned to have a cherry angioma removed. Procedures like electrocautery, cryotherapy, and laser treatment involve minimal systemic absorption, meaning very little of any topical anesthetic or treatment byproduct enters your bloodstream or breast milk. A 2017 review in the International Journal of Women’s Dermatology found that most cosmetic procedures, including lasers and electrocautery, are considered safe during lactation.
The main procedures to avoid while breastfeeding are sclerotherapy (injection-based vein treatment) and anything involving significant fat redistribution. Standard cherry angioma removal doesn’t fall into either category.
Can You Prevent New Ones From Forming?
There’s no proven way to prevent cherry angiomas. They become more common with age regardless of pregnancy history. Most adults over 30 have at least a few, and the number tends to increase over the decades. If you developed several during pregnancy, you may continue to get new ones over time, though not necessarily at the same rate.
Sun protection, maintaining a healthy weight, and avoiding known chemical irritants like bromides and certain industrial solvents may reduce your overall risk slightly, but none of these measures guarantee prevention. The tendency to develop cherry angiomas has a genetic component, so if your parents have many, you’re more likely to as well.