From the Research
Umbilical granulomas should be treated as soon as they are identified, typically within the first few weeks of life, with the most effective treatment being topical steroid application, as shown in a recent study 1. The ideal time for treatment is between 1-4 weeks after birth, once the condition is diagnosed. Some key points to consider when treating umbilical granulomas include:
- The most common first-line treatment is silver nitrate application, which is performed by a healthcare provider who applies the chemical to the granuloma for 30 seconds to cauterize the tissue, but this may need to be repeated 2-3 times, with treatments spaced about 2-3 days apart 2.
- Alternative treatments include salt application (placing table salt on the granuloma for 30 minutes twice daily for 3 days) or topical antibiotic ointment application, with salt application appearing to be simple and effective, with minimal complications 3.
- For persistent granulomas that don't respond to these methods, surgical removal under local anesthesia may be necessary. Early treatment is important because umbilical granulomas can grow larger over time, become infected, or cause persistent drainage, and these small, pink, moist tissue growths develop when the umbilical cord stump doesn't heal properly, and prompt treatment typically results in complete resolution with minimal complications 4. It's also worth noting that the healing rates during the initial treatment period were 91% for silver nitrate cauterization, 97.7% for betamethasone application, 60% for ethanol disinfection, and 88% for ligation, with these rates being significantly different (p < 0.001) 1.