During or shortly after birth, a baby may develop birthmarks on his or
her skin. There are different types of birthmarks for boys and girls,
including those with flat, raised, irregular, and regular borders and
those colored tan, brown, black, or pale blue to red, pink, or purple.
There is no need to worry about birthmarks as most are harmless and
even disappear on their own. However, there are times when
birthmarks are connected to other health issues. The cause of most
birthmarks remains unknown. It is impossible to prevent them, nor
can anything has been done during pregnancy cause them. A lot of
them are not caused by the trauma of childbirth. There may be a
genetic cause for some kinds, but none has been identified.
Macular stains. In general, there are two types of birthmarks, each
with a different underlying cause: Vascular birthmarks result from
abnormal blood vessel formation. Either there are too many, or they
are more significant than average. Pigmented Birthmarks: An
overgrowth of cells that create pigments (colours) in the skin results
in pigmented birthmarks. Birthmarks of the blood vessels commonly
found in vascular (blood vessel) include macular stains, hemangiomas,
and port-wine stains. The most common vascular birthmarks are
salmon patches, angel kisses, and stork bites. Typically, macular
lesions appear on the back of the neck, the eyelids or forehead, the
upper lip or nose, or on the back of the head. Macular lesions are
more apparent when the baby is crying. Most children lose them on
their own when they are between one and two years old, although
some stay until adulthood.
In most cases, macular stains disappear on their own without any
treatment. Those at the back of the neck may last a lot longer, but
they are hardly noticeable. Many other vascular birthmarks can be
treated. Hemangiomas and port-wine stains are disfiguring and
upsetting for children. Most small hemangiomas can be ignored
because they shrink back into themselves by ten years. Different
types of medicine can be used to treat more significant or more
visible hemangiomas. Some can be injected directly into a vein;
others can be taken by mouth (oral). Children with port-wine stains
can be treated with lasers. With several pulsed-dye laser treatments,
some stains become lighter. Other stains may reappear and need to
be treated again. It is common for laser treatment to begin during
early childhood when the blood vessels and stains are smaller.
Treatment of head and neck marks is particularly successful. Port-
wine stains can also be less noticeable with unique makeup.
Pigmented birthmarks are usually left alone except for congenital
moles and sometimes café-au-lait spots. In the case of large or giant
congenital nevi, surgeons can remove them with surgery, though
large ones may be more challenging to remove. Café-au-lait spots
can be removed by laser treatment, but they often return.
References
Kinsler, V. A., & Larue, L. (2018). The patterns of birthmarks suggest a
novel population of melanocyte precursors arising around the time of
gastrulation. Pigment cell & melanoma research, 31(1), 95-109.
Saleh, Z. M. M., Mahmood, Y. A., & Aldeen, B. D. (2019). Assessment
of the Effect of Some Social Factors on the Occurrence of Birth
Marks in Neonates Attending Salahaldeen General Hospital. The
Medical Journal of Tikrit University, 25(2).
