birthmark

Other Definitions
birthmark (dict)

A birthmark, also known as a Naevus, is a blemish on the skin formed before birth. The cause of birthmarks is unknown, but may include cellular damage due to radiation or chemicals. Some types of birth marks seem to run in families. In Italian they're called voglie (wishes), because they are believed, in popular wisdom, to be caused by unsatisfied wishes of the mother during pregnancy. For example, if a pregnant woman has a sudden wish for strawberries, it's believed that not satisfying it could give the infant a strawberry mark. A number of different birthmarks are known. They include Stork bite mark, Mongolian blue spot, Strawberry mark, Cafe au lait spot, Congenital melanocytic naevus, and Port wine stain

'Stork bite' mark

Also known as: almon patch or Telangiectatic naevus.
Colour: ink.
Shape: rregular and flat.
Texture: ike unaffected skin.
Size :
Location: Neck, forehead or top-lip.
Frequency: early half of newborns have a stork bite.
Prognosis: ost fade by the end of the first year. There no known health problems.
Treatment: one.

Mongolian blue spots

Also known as: lue bum.
Colour: luish, bruise-like.
Shape: rregular and flat.
Texture: ike unaffected skin.
Size: bout ten centimetres across.
Location: ower back and bottom.
Frequency: ost common in darker skinned people, especially noticeable in East Asian people.
Prognosis: ay not appear until sometime after birth, but gradually fade. No health problems, but they have been mistaken for abuse bruises by over-zealous social workers or medical staff.
Treatment: one.

Strawberry mark

Also known as: apillary haemangioma.
Colour: ed.
Shape: aised and lumpy.
Texture :
Size :
Location: an appear anywhere on the body.
Frequency: One in twenty births.
Prognosis: he mark usually appears between one and four weeks, it can then grow rapidly, before stopping and slowly fading. Sixty percent of marks have vanished by five years, and ninety percent have gone by age ten.
Treatment: urgery or laser treatment is not generally recommended, unless the mark is blocking vision or breathing, because of the risk of scarring.

Caf au lait spots

Also known as :
Colour: ight brown, milk coffee colour.
Shape: val.
Texture :
Size :
Location: an appear anywhere on the body.
Frequency: Having one or two spots is common.
Prognosis: here are no health problems associated with one or two spots, although three or more can be an indicator of neurofibromatosis. The spots do not fade with age.
Treatment: osmetic

Congenital melanocytic naevus

Also known as :
Colour: ight brown (in fair skinned people) to almost black (in darker skinned people).
Shape: rregular, small marks usually flat, large ones can be raised and lumpy.
Texture: ometimes hairy.
Size: From under a centimeter to over 30 centimeters.
Location: an appear anywhere on the body
Frequency: About one in a hundred births.
Prognosis: ome, but not all, studies have suggested a cancer risk is associated with large marks. Some marks are associated with a build up of melanin in the spinal cord, a condition called neurocutaneous melanosis. Naevi close to the eye are associated with glaucoma. Large visible marks can have a psychological impact.
Treatment: urgical removal is an option, but will usually lead to scarring. The marks should be watched as sudden changes can be a sign of cancer.

Port wine stain

Also known as: Naevus Flammus
Colour: ale pink at birth, becoming darker with age to a deep wine red.
Shape: Irregular.
Texture: Can become lumpy with age.
Size: Usually large, more than ten centimeters across.
Location: ften on the face
Frequency: Three in one thousand births.
Prognosis: The mark does not fade. Marks around the eye are associated with glaucoma. There can be a psychological impact.
Treatment: aser treatment is usually effective.