Red Moles (Cherry Angiomas): Causes, Symptoms and When to Worry

Noticing small red spots appearing on your skin is unsettling, particularly when there are several of them and you have no idea where they came from. In most cases they are cherry angiomas — harmless red moles that almost everyone develops with age. But “most cases” is not “all cases”, and a few types of red spot mean something quite different and need seeing today rather than whenever it suits.

This guide explains what red moles are, why they appear, and — most importantly — how to tell an ordinary cherry angioma from the red spots that warrant urgent attention. It is written to answer the question, not to sell you a procedure — red moles are one of many common skin lumps and bumps, and most need nothing done at all. If you decide later that you want them removed, our cherry angioma removal page covers the treatment itself in detail.

What are red moles?

“Red mole” is the everyday name for a cherry angioma — known medically as a cherry haemangioma, and historically as a Campbell de Morgan spot after the Victorian surgeon who first described them. Despite the name, they are not really moles at all. A true mole — the brown kind covered in our guide to flat moles vs raised moles — is made of pigment cells. A cherry angioma is a small cluster of dilated capillaries — tiny blood vessels — sitting close to the skin surface. That is why they are red: you are looking at blood through thin skin.

They are extremely common. Most people develop their first from around the age of 30, and by later life the majority of adults have at least a few. Some people accumulate dozens over decades, particularly across the chest, back and abdomen. This is entirely normal.

A typical red mole is:

• Small — usually 1 to 5mm across, occasionally larger
• Bright red to deep red-purple, and — importantly — the same colour throughout
• Round and well defined, with a clear edge
• Smooth and often slightly raised, sometimes dome-shaped, sometimes flat
• Painless — they do not hurt, itch, or feel tender
• Stable — once formed, an individual lesion stays much the same size and colour for years

Why am I getting red moles?

This is the question most people actually want answered, and the honest reply is that nobody fully knows the mechanism. What is well established are the factors involved.

Age is by far the strongest. Cherry angiomas are essentially a feature of adult skin, becoming steadily more common from 30 onwards. If you have started noticing them in your thirties or forties, you are exactly on schedule.

Genetics matter a great deal. They run in families. If your mother or father had a chest full of them, you probably will too, and there is not much to be done about that.

Hormones play a part. New cherry angiomas commonly appear during pregnancy and may persist afterwards, which points to hormonal influence.

And a short list of things that, contrary to popular belief, do not cause them:

• Not sun damage — unlike most age-related skin lesions, cherry angiomas appear on sun-protected skin just as readily
• Not a virus — they are not contagious and you cannot pass them to anyone
• Not poor hygiene, diet, or skincare — nothing you have done or failed to do caused them
• Not a sign of liver disease — that is a different lesion, the spider naevus, which we come to below

Red moles, or something else? Red spots on skin explained

This is where it matters to be careful, because “red spots on skin” covers several quite different things — and while cherry angiomas are harmless, a couple of the alternatives are not.

Cherry angioma (red mole)

Uniform red, round, small, smooth, painless, appearing gradually over years, usually several scattered across the trunk. Presses partially paler and refills quickly. Harmless.

Petechiae and purpura — the ones that matter

Petechiae are tiny (under 2mm) flat red or purple pinpoints caused by bleeding under the skin. Purpura are the same thing, larger. Unlike cherry angiomas, these are not vessels you are seeing through the skin — they are blood that has leaked out of them, which is why they behave completely differently under pressure.

They usually appear in crops — a scattering of many spots arriving together over hours or days — rather than one at a time over years. Causes range from the trivial (straining, violent coughing or vomiting can produce them above the neckline) to the serious: a low platelet count, a clotting problem, certain medications, and — critically — meningococcal infection and sepsis.

Spider naevus (spider angioma)

A central red dot with fine red lines radiating outward like spider legs. Blanches completely from the centre when pressed and refills from the middle. A single one is common and usually harmless. Many appearing in an adult can be associated with liver disease, pregnancy or hormonal change, and is worth a GP conversation.

Other common red spots

• Heat rash — clusters of tiny red bumps in hot weather or after sweating, often itchy or prickly, settling within days
• Blood blisters — dark red-purple, appearing suddenly after a pinch or knock; distinct from a cyst, which is flesh-coloured and deeper
• Folliculitis — small red spots each centred on a hair, often after shaving or waxing
• Allergic reactions and hives — raised, itchy, often moving around the body and changing within hours
• Pyogenic granuloma — a bright red lump that grows fast over weeks and bleeds readily. Not dangerous, but distinctly different from a cherry angioma and treated differently — see our pyogenic granuloma removal page

The glass test: when red spots are an emergency

If you take one thing from this page, take this.

The single most useful distinction between a harmless red mole and a red spot that needs urgent attention is whether it blanches — fades when you press on it.

The glass test: press the side of a clear drinking glass firmly against the spots and look through the glass.

• The spots fade or disappear under pressure — blood is being pushed out of vessels that are still intact. Cherry angiomas go partially paler and refill quickly.
• The spots stay visible through the glass — they do not fade at all. This is a non-blanching rash, meaning blood has leaked out of the vessels into the skin.

A non-blanching rash in someone who is unwell is a medical emergency. Call 999 or go to A&E immediately if a non-blanching rash appears alongside any of:

• Fever
• Severe headache, a stiff neck, or dislike of bright light
• Confusion, drowsiness, or difficulty waking
• Cold hands and feet, mottled or very pale skin
• Rapid breathing, severe muscle or joint pain
• Vomiting

Do not wait to see whether the rash spreads. Do not wait for a GP appointment. The NHS guidance on this is unambiguous — see the NHS page on meningitis.

Even without those symptoms, new non-blanching spots appearing in crops — particularly with unexplained bruising, bleeding gums, or nosebleeds — should be assessed by a GP promptly. They can indicate a low platelet count that needs investigating.

The reassuring news: a cherry angioma is a single, stable, gradually-appearing lesion in an otherwise well person. It does not arrive in crops overnight, and you are not unwell with it. If that describes what you have, this section does not apply to you.

Are red moles dangerous?

No. Cherry angiomas are entirely benign. They cannot turn into skin cancer, they carry no health risk, and having a lot of them does not mean anything is wrong with you — it usually means you are over 40 and your parents had them too.

The only caveats worth knowing:

A red lesion that is not behaving like a cherry angioma should be checked. Very rarely, an amelanotic (non-pigmented) melanoma can present as a red bump. The features that separate it from a red mole are the ones that separate any concerning lesion from a harmless one: it changes, it grows, it is irregular or asymmetrical, it has more than one colour within it, or it bleeds without being knocked — the same warning signs that matter for an itchy or bleeding mole. Our guide on the difference between a mole and a melanoma covers the warning signs in full.

The “ugly duckling” principle applies. If you have twenty red moles and nineteen look like siblings and one looks like it wandered in from somewhere else, it is the odd one out that deserves a look.

Sudden eruption of many new red moles — dozens appearing over weeks rather than accumulating over years — is uncommon and worth mentioning to your GP. Usually the explanation is benign (pregnancy, a medication), but it is a pattern that merits a general health review rather than a trip straight to a cosmetic clinic.

When should you see a doctor about red moles?

Most red moles never need anyone to look at them. Book an appointment if:

• A red lesion is growing, particularly quickly over weeks
• It bleeds repeatedly without being caught or scratched
• It is irregular, asymmetrical, or multi-coloured
• It looks different from your other red moles
• You have developed many new spots suddenly
• You are simply not sure what it is — this is a perfectly good reason on its own

And seek help the same day — 999 or A&E — for a non-blanching rash with fever or feeling unwell, as above.

A GP can diagnose most red lesions on sight. For anything uncertain, a specialist — and there are good reasons to choose a plastic surgeon for skin lesion work — can examine it with a dermatoscope, which magnifies and illuminates the lesion’s internal structure and settles the great majority of questions in a couple of minutes.

Can red moles be removed?

Yes — though it is worth saying clearly that there is no medical need to. Cherry angiomas are harmless and leaving them alone is a perfectly sensible choice. People choose removal for cosmetic reasons, or because a raised lesion keeps catching on clothing, a bra strap, or a razor and bleeding.

If you do want them dealt with, they respond well to laser, which targets the blood within the vessels and seals them without cutting the skin. Our cherry angioma removal page sets out the technique, what a session involves, recovery and current pricing, and our guide on whether laser removes cherry angiomas permanently answers the question people ask most often.

One thing we would say regardless of where you go: do not have any red lesion lasered until someone has confirmed what it is. Laser destroys the tissue, which means nothing can be sent to a laboratory afterwards. For a typical cherry angioma that does not matter. For the rare red lesion that turns out to be something else, it matters a great deal.

Red moles: frequently asked questions

Red moles at Centre for Surgery

Centre for Surgery is an independent clinic at 95–97 Baker Street in London, rated “Good” overall by the Care Quality Commission. Our medical content is reviewed by Specialist Plastic Surgeon Dr Spyridon Vlachos (GMC 7522950).

If you have a red lesion you are unsure about, a consultation with a GMC-registered specialist will tell you what it is — with dermoscopic examination where useful — before any decision about treatment is made. We will also tell you honestly when a lesion does not need anything doing to it, which is most of the time.

For anything you would like removed, see our cherry angioma removal page, or our wider skin lesion removal service for other lumps and bumps. To arrange an assessment, book a consultation, call 020 7993 4849, or email contact@centreforsurgery.com.

Related Articles

• Can Laser Treatment Remove Cherry Angiomas Permanently?
• What Is the Difference Between a Mole and a Melanoma?
• Common Skin Lumps and Bumps: A Plastic Surgeon’s Guide