Skin Disorders

Skin disorders cover a wide range of conditions, some benign, some very serious, and some even a sign of another underlying illness. A skin disorder not only affects your physical health, but also your emotional well-being.

Skin Care › Skin Disorders › Spider Angioma

Spider Angioma

Spider Angioma is a skin condition and a form of telangiectasis - a lesion produced by telangiectasia (a vascular lesion formed by the dilation of a group of small blood vessels) which may be present as a coarse or fine, red line, or as a punctum (point or small spot) with radiating limbs (spider). This is also called spider nevus.

Causes of Spider angiomas

A spider angioma can be seen in a healthy person without any apparent cause, but is more common in individuals with liver disease or altered hormone levels. A spider angioma lesion typically has a red dot in the center with reddish extensions radiating out for some distance around it (a few millimeters to a centimeter or more). Spider angiomas are associated with childhood, pregnancy, liver disease, birth control pills, and estrogen treatment. They may develop for unknown reasons as well.

Signs and symptoms of Spider angiomas

Spider angiomas is characterized by a central and elevated red dot, about the size of a pinhead, from which small blood vessels radiate (looking like a spider), spider angiomas are often associated with high estrogen levels as occur in pregnancy or when the liver is diseased and unable to detoxify estrogens.

Treatment for Spider angiomas

Treatment is generally not necessary. If resolution is not spontaneous or treatment is required for cosmetic purposes, the central arteriole can be destroyed with fine needle electrodessication (sealing off of blood vessels by monopolar high frequency electric current). Some physicians may suggest treatment with lasers, but this is often more expensive.