Cherry Angioma
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Cherry Angioma vs Skin Cancer
A cherry angioma is a harmless cluster of tiny blood vessels. It is bright red, round, and the same colour all the way across, and it stays that size for years. A skin cancer is a growth that keeps changing. It grows, shifts colour or shape, bleeds without being knocked, or scabs over and never fully heals. A red dot that has looked identical for years is almost always a cherry angioma.
At a glance
| The difference | Cherry Angioma | Skin Cancer |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A small knot of extra blood vessels | Skin cells that keep dividing |
| What it looks like | Bright red, round, evenly coloured | Uneven colour or an uneven edge |
Skin Cancer
Skin cells that keep dividing One line of cells stops responding to the signal to stop. The growth keeps adding to itself, so the spot looks different month by month.
Side by side
The differences that matter
What it is
Cherry Angioma
A small knot of extra blood vessels
Blood vessels in the skin multiply into a tiny bundle. The bright red colour is the blood inside them. It is not cancer, and it does not turn into cancer.
Skin Cancer
Skin cells that keep dividing
One line of cells stops responding to the signal to stop. The growth keeps adding to itself, so the spot looks different month by month.
What it looks like
Cherry Angioma
Bright red, round, evenly coloured
A smooth dome or a flat dot. One half mirrors the other, the border is clean, and the red is the same shade the whole way across.
Skin Cancer
Uneven colour or an uneven edge
A pearly bump with fine vessels over it, a rough scaly patch, a firm pink lump, or a spot with more than one colour in it. The border is often ragged.
More photographs
Cherry Angioma
Size
Cherry Angioma
Half a millimetre to five
Most are the size of a pinhead. They reach their size and then stop.
Skin Cancer
Small at first, then bigger
Growth is the point. Some take years. Some take weeks.
Does it change
Cherry Angioma
No
New ones appear elsewhere over the years, but each individual spot holds still.
Skin Cancer
Yes
Changing size, changing colour, changing shape, or a new part budding out of one side.
Does it bleed
Cherry Angioma
Only when it is knocked
A razor or a fingernail can catch one, and it bleeds a lot for its size. It then settles and does not do it again.
Skin Cancer
Often, on its own
It bleeds, scabs, looks healed, then bleeds again in the same place. That repeating cycle is the most common way a skin cancer gets found.
Where it shows up
Cherry Angioma
Trunk, chest and arms
The torso first, then the upper arms, shoulders and neck. The face is less usual.
Skin Cancer
Sun-exposed skin, mostly
Face, nose, ears, scalp, lips, neck, forearms and the backs of the hands. Melanoma can also appear on skin that rarely sees sun.
When it needs a doctor
Cherry Angioma
If it changes, or you are unsure
A red dot you have had for years needs nothing. One you cannot place, or one that has changed, is worth showing someone.
Skin Cancer
A growth that changes or will not heal
A spot that grows, bleeds without being knocked, or has not healed in about four weeks should be looked at by a dermatologist. Most turn out to be harmless. Checking takes minutes, and these are far easier to treat small.
The colour is the most useful clue
Cherry Angioma
A cherry angioma is one colour. Bright cherry red or a deep purple-red, the same shade from edge to edge, with a clean round border. It looks like a drop of red paint sitting on the skin.
Having one removed
Cherry Angioma
Cherry angiomas do not need treating. They are removed for cosmetic reasons, or when one sits where a razor or a waistband keeps catching it.
Common questions
Questions Patients Ask
Can a cherry angioma turn into skin cancer?
No. A cherry angioma is a small cluster of blood vessels, and it has no link to cancer. It cannot become one.
Why do I keep getting more red dots?
Cherry angiomas become more common with age, and they run in families. Getting several over a few years is the usual pattern and is not a sign of anything wrong.
My cherry angioma bled a lot. Is that bad?
Bleeding after it is caught by a razor, a fingernail or a zip is normal for these, because they are full of blood vessels. Press on it for a few minutes and it stops. Bleeding with nothing touching it is the version worth showing a doctor.
Does a cherry angioma go white when I press it?
Some flatten and pale a little under firm pressure, and some barely change. It is not a reliable test on its own, so use colour, shape and whether it has changed instead.
What does an early skin cancer actually look like?
Most often it is dull rather than dramatic: a pearly or waxy bump, a rough patch that keeps returning, a sore that will not heal, or a "pimple" that has been there three months.
Should I photograph a spot I am unsure about?
Yes. A dated photo next to something for scale, repeated in two months, answers the only question that really matters, which is whether it is changing.