Purpose: This study describes 77 small vascular lesions on the lips of 74 children and adolescents.
Results: Of the 77 lesions, 70% were on the lower lip and 30% on the upper. The diameter range was 0.5-5.0 mm (mean 1.4 mm). On both lips the lesions were in the vermilion zone, close to the border with the skin. The surface of the lesions was smooth and slightly raised, and varied in color from red (49%) through bluish red (45%) to purple (6%). The borders were well defined in most cases. The histology of the lesions was consistent with capillary hemangioma. Small superficial capillary hemangiomas (SSCH) in this study behaved differently from most hemangiomas and vascular malformations in that they did not increase in size, and were persistent in the age group in which most hemangiomas are reported to involute or disappear. The gender distribution of SSCH also differed from the female predominance in hemangioma. SSCH is a solitary benign lesion on the lips of children and adolescents, which has not been separately classified before.
Conclusions: Based on the differences from hemangioma in gender distribution, size, border definition, and growth characteristics, it is suggested that SSCH be classified as a variant or a subgroup of hemangioma.