Parent and Baby

All nine months of hoping and expecting all boils down to the time of birth of your little one. We all wish for a perfect little bundle of joy with ten perfect fingers and toes but some babies come with a little bit more. These are the birthmarks but some birthmarks appear slowly as the baby grows.

There are many types of birthmarks which can appear in almost any part of the body. Some can be as normal as a mole while some can cause embarrassment and self-consciousness like a big port wine stain birthmark on half of the baby’s face. Birthmarks are common and are usually harmless. Science can not explain why some babies have birthmarks and some don’t and some are apparent from birth while some develop after. Birthmarks are not the fault of the mother nor is it the result of something that the mother ate during pregnancy. It is not also due to a traumatic birth and they are not contagious and appear at random.

There are two types of birthmarks, pigmented and vascular. Pigmented birthmarks are due to overgrowth of melanocytes which are the cells that gives our skin its pigmentation. Some common pigmented birthmarks are café-au-lait spots, moles, and Mongolian blue spots. Café au lait spots are spots that are coffee-colored, smooth and rounded and usually found on the torso or lower body. Mongolian blue spots are flat, bruise-like spots that most often than not appear on the baby’s buttocks. Mongolian blue spots can be blue, black or grey and almost always fade within a few years and most often appear on dark-skinned babies. Among the birthmarks, moles are the most common of pigmented birthmarks. Some moles can be abnormally large but it can be removed by a surgeon.

Vascular birthmarks are malformations of blood vessels and capillaries near the skin surface. The blood vessels are large, wide and there are many of them and deliver a large volume of blood to the affected area which causes the mark to be more pronounced and distorted. Examples of vascular birthmarks are macular stains, hemangiomas and port wine stains. Macular stains are sometimes called salmon patches, angel kisses, or stork bites. They are flat and range from pink to red in color and comprise the majority of vascular birthmarks. These marks most often appear on the face, head and nape. Hemangiomas can grow as a raised mark on top of the skin or they can grow inwards. They are bright red and usually raised or bumpy and most disappear after childhood. Although hemangiomas are not usually dangerous, marks that occur near the face or head can interfere with breathing or vision, and should be monitored by a doctor. Port wine stains are the most severe of the birthmarks, are dark red or purple and very visible. Many people with port wine stains choose to undergo laser therapy to shrink the stain, since with age, the mark can take on a pebbled texture or affect vision and speech.

Birthmarks are usually harmless and painless but some can cause anxiety and shame. Surgery can be done on some birthmarks in order to remove it especially if it interferes with vision and breathing and some can be faded out with laser. Any birthmark, once removed, can come back, so often the easiest thing to do is to leave it alone. Any birthmark that begins hurting, itching, bleeding, or becomes infected should always be examined by a doctor right away.