Halo Formation Around Cherry Angiomas: A Rare But Substantial Finding

BACKGROUND: There are conflicting reports on the prevalence of a pale halo around cherry angiomas. The aim of this study was to determine the actual frequency. MATERIAL/METHODS: I meticulously inspected trunks of 488 patients aged 40 years or older who had at least 1 truncal cherry angioma. RESULTS: The median number of truncal cherry angiomas was 4. Their median size was 3 millimeters. A pale halo around cherry angiomas was seen in 5.1% of the patients or in 2.0% of the lesions. It was more prevalent in patients aged 60 years or older and in patients having more than 4 lesions. A pale halo was found more frequently around lesions larger than 3 millimeters. CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that halo formation around cherry angiomas is a rare but substantial change, especially in the late phase of their natural course. However, these findings should be confirmed in more comprehensive studies, including patients in all age groups and examining the whole skin surface.