There is no specific set of characteristics that comes with birthmarks. They can come in all shapes, sizes and colors, including white, black, red, purple, blue and even pink. One such birthmark is called the strawberry nevus, a red mark that appears at birth or childhood and usually fades away within nine years.
If your child has a strawberry nevus mark, you do not need to worry about any harmful side effects. However, if you notice that he feels uncomfortable about his appearance, you can try pressing and kneading his birthmark to help make it fade more quickly. Your physician can also use laser removal, steroid injections and cryotherapy to get rid of the mark, especially when it is rooted deep into the skin, but these surgical procedures can leave painful scars afterwards.
Do not worry if your child happens to have birthmarks, as they are not cancerous, nor do they increase the chances of cancer. In fact, birthmarks have not been known to cause any kind of health concerns. However, if your child’s marks obstruct his sight, hearing or breathing, you may want to approach his doctor, so he can receive oral medication or laser removal.
Strawberry marks are usually smaller than a quarter and can be either raised or flat. They are also soft and smooth, and they can easily be identified through an ocular inspection by a pediatrician because they have a very distinct appearance. Nonetheless, the doctor can also conduct a blood test to be certain about the nature of your child’s red marking.
Strawberry birthmarks are a kind of hemangioma, which is a type of tumor that is benign and formed when vascular tissues accumulate in one area. The name “strawberry nevus” comes from the mark’s deep red color, which is also found in the fruit of the same name. This birthmark does not always manifest itself at birth, it can also form sometime during your child’s first year.
In most cases, a strawberry mark simply fades away naturally without any sort of treatment. It will become larger before finally receding into the skin and disappearing. During this stage, the mark might turn gray or look like it is breaking up. If this does not happen by the time your child reaches 10, check with your doctor to confirm that the mark is not indicative of an underlying condition.
These birthmarks should not be painful or uncomfortable, even when scratched or touched. In the rare instances that they bleed, the bleeding can be stopped when pressure is applied, just as with any other cut. If you have any concerns about the bleeding of your child’s nevus, feel free to consult your pediatrician.
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Birthmarks |
Description |
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Salmon Patches
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Otherwise called capillary nevus simplex or stork bites, these are vascular malformations at the back of the head and neck. They do not usually fade away but are harmless and do not need treatment. |
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Port-Wine Stains |
These vascular malformations are named due to their purplish-red color. They appear most commonly in the face and neck area and may be an indication of brain and eye problems. They can disfigure your child’s appearance and may even worsen with age. |
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Mongolian Spots |
These are bluish-gray spots often found on the torso and legs of babies with darker skin. They are produced by accumulations of melanin in the deeper layers of the skin, but usually disappear within a year of birth. |
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Cafe-Au-Lait Spots |
These marks have the color of coffee and milk, hence the name. One or two of these marks may not pose any significant health threats, but more than six may indicate that the child is carrying a heritable genetic disease. |
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Venous Malformation
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These are clumps of venous structures that appear anywhere on the body. Less threatening marks may grow to an unusually large size, while more serious ones may be connected to the body’s network of arteries and veins. There are a number of procedures, including surgery, that may be employed to get rid of these malformations. |
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Cavernous Hemangiomas
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The difference between capillary and cavernous hemangiomas lies on the vessels that make up the tumor, which can be determined via biopsy. This may pose a challenge, as it is difficult to identify whether a lesion is a tumor, a vascular malformation or a hemangioma. |
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Congenital Nevi |
These are unusual accumulations of cells in skins’ deep layers. These cells can produce pigments and are sometimes associated with hair growth. Although the risk is small, very large lesions may develop melanoma which is a threatening kind of skin cancer. |
