Dermatologists Explain If You Should Worry About Those Tiny New Cherry-Colored Dots on Your Chest

Some skin lesions can easily catch your eye. Take cherry angiomas: Though they’re typically small, they’re also often a vibrant red (hence their name)—which means they can really stand out against your skin.

But does that intense hue spell trouble? We checked in with two dermatologists to learn more about this common skin growth and what you should know if you’re noticing one or two (or more!) pop up.

Meet the experts: Duaa AbdelHameid, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist with VCU Health in Richmond, Va.; Lycia Thornburg, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in Rapid City, S.D.

What are cherry angiomas?

Cherry angiomas—or “cherries,” as Duaa AbdelHameid, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist with VCU Health in Richmond, Va., informally calls them—are tiny red or purple dots on the skin. They often look like a simple pinpoint but are actually a collection of blood vessels that are growing more than usual. They usually crop up on the trunk and sometimes the extremities, such as the upper arms.

Typically, they start out as minuscule dots that are just a millimeter or so in size. But they can grow to be about half a centimeter to a quarter inch or larger, according to Lycia Thornburg, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in Rapid City, S.D. Cherry angiomas often start out flat and become raised over time, she adds.

They can appear on any skin tone, but Dr. Thornburg says she tends to see them more in folks with lighter skin.

Cherry angiomas are super common: On the day Dr. Thornburg was speaking with Prevention, she said that about half of the patients she had seen that morning had them. Usually, people get just a few initially starting in their late 20s and early 30s and slowly accumulate more over time. Some folks can end up having hundreds of them, Dr. AbdelHameid adds.

What causes those cherry-colored skin growths?

There’s not a clear answer. “We think there’s probably some sort of genetic component because they tend to run in families,” Dr. AbdelHameid says. She tells her patients: “If mom and dad are covered and you’re getting a few, that’s kind of expected.”

But likely the biggest risk factor for developing them is age. “Almost all adults over the age of 75 have some,” Dr. Thornburg says, a fact supported by research. Some people also think sun damage may play a role, but the connection is murky. “I wouldn’t say they’re a direct consequence of sun damage the same way that sunspots or liver spots are,” Dr. AbdelHameid says. She also notes that she has many patients who don’t bake in the sun and also get them, “so I think it’s a little bit more complex than just sun exposure.”

Also worth noting: For women, significant hormonal shifts may also play a role. Some people develop more of the red growths during pregnancy and/or notice any existing ones they have grow bigger, Dr. AbdelHameid explains. “We think it has to do with the hormonal changes,” she says. “We see that sometimes the same thing can happen in menopause, although not as significantly.”

Are cherry angiomas ever dangerous?

Some good news: Cherry angiomas are not malignant (cancerous) and they don’t have the potential to become so, Dr. AbdelHameid says. So no, they’re not dangerous, Dr. Thornburg says. (And if you’re wondering, they’re also not contagious either, she adds.)

Instead, you can think of them as “cute little decorations” on your skin, Dr. AbdelHameid says.

That said, if you suddenly get an eruption of a bunch at once (think: anywhere from over 10 to 50) that’s not normal and in rare cases, could be linked with malignant melanoma, in which case you should definitely see a dermatologist. Speaking of…

When to see a dermatologist about cherry angiomas

True cherries aren’t dangerous, but because they can sometimes mimic a certain type of rare melanoma (more on that in a minute), which is a harmful growth, it’s always wise to get new or rapidly growing skin spots checked out by a dermatologist. Same goes for any lesions that bleed or that you’re generally worried about, Dr. AbdelHameid says. And, like we mentioned, if you develop a bunch of new ones at once, that’s also worth getting seen.

Even if the dermatologist confirms your spots are simply cherry angiomas, they will also hopefully take that opportunity to do a full skin check, which can help identify any other growths that may actually be concerning. Dr. Thornburg says that benign skin growths—such as cherries or seborrheic keratoses (age spots)—are usually what bring people into her office, but after examining them fully, she sometimes finds other, truly concerning spots that the person hadn’t noticed. Moral of the story: It’s never a bad idea to visit your derm for a full-body skin check.

What makes them different from other skin lesions?

To dermatologists, cherry angiomas are typically identifiable at first glance. “We usually can just pick them out right away,” Dr. AbdelHameid says. That said, sometimes cherries can resemble other skin spots, including:

• Pyogenic granuloma: A noncancerous tumor on the skin that’s made up of abnormal blood vessels. These are usually found in children or pregnant people; they can grow quickly and bleed a lot, Dr. Thornburg says. Pyogenic granuloma can look really similar to cherry angiomas, but they usually are bigger, a bit more gray in color, and often bleed regularly.

• Venous lake: A blue or purple spot that’s a dilated blood vessel on the surface of the skin. They are typically bigger than cherry angiomas, but you can think of the two lesions as cousins, Dr. Thornburg says. Venous lakes often develop on sun-damaged skin, such as the ears or lips, but like cherries, they aren’t dangerous, she says.

• Amelanotic melanoma: A rare type of skin cancer that can cause pink, red, purple, normal skin color, or colorless lesions versus the darkly pigmented lesions you probably think about with melanoma. If your dermatologist can’t tell from a visual inspection whether your spot is truly a cherry angioma, they may opt to do a biopsy to check for the possibility of amelanotic melanoma.

If you have multiple cherry angiomas, they typically all look similar. But if there’s one that looks or behaves differently—for example, grows much faster than the others or bleeds a lot—it might not actually be a cherry and instead could be one of these other types of lesions, Dr. Thornburg says.

Do they need to be treated?

Because cherry angiomas are harmless, they’re usually just left alone, Dr. AbdelHameid says.

But sometimes, they can crop up in places where they frequently get irritated by clothing (such as along your waistband or under your bra strap), which can cause them to ooze and bleed, Dr. AbdelHameid says. They can also bleed if they’re larger or chunkier (meaning, especially raised) and catch against something, she adds.

In these scenarios, cherry angiomas can be removed through various treatment methods, including vascular lasers, electrocautery (burning off the lesion), cryotherapy (freezing it off), and shaving, Dr. AbdelHameid says. Typically that removal will be covered by insurance.

You can also get them removed if you don’t like the look of them, she adds. Heads up, though: That’s likely an out-of-pocket cost.

Whatever your reason for wanting them gone, leave the actual removal process to the pros: Trying to take them off at home is a no-no, Dr. AbdelHameid says. “They’re going to be a little oozier than you expect because they’re made up of blood vessels, and then you risk getting an infection,” she explains.

Can you prevent cherry angiomas?

Not really. The biggest risk factor for developing them is age. And as Dr. AbdelHameid puts it: “There’s nothing we can do to slow down aging and the passing of time.”

That said, because cherries might be linked with UV exposure, consistently protecting your skin from the sun may reduce how many you go on to develop, she adds. And sun protection is a smart habit anyway as it reduces your chances of getting a bunch of other types of skin growths—including the harmful ones.

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