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| Main > Infant > Common Infant Problems
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Birthmarks
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| Birthmarks are common in children and can include: |
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Stork Bites
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| Stork bites (also called angel's kisses or salmon patches) are common birthmarks in children and usually begin as a flat, pink or red area on the skin on the back of the neck, forehead, eyelids, or around the nose. Stork bites usually fade as your child gets older, but faint remnants may persist. |
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Mongolian Spots
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| Mongolian spots are dark flat bluish-black areas on the lower back or buttocks. These birthmarks will darken at first and then fade with by the time he is six to seven years old. |
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Cafe au lait spots
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| Cafe au lait spots are flat light brown oval shaped patches of skin that can occur anywhere on the body. They do not fade and may even increase in number as your child gets older, especially around adolescence. If your child has more than 6 cafe au lait spots that are larger than half a centimeter in diameter, you should discuss it with your pediatrician, as this can be associated with some medical problems. |
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Strawberry hemangioma
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| Another common type of birthmark that affects ten percent of babies is the strawberry hemangioma. These are soft, firm, raised red areas that can occur anywhere on the body. They may be present at birth as a small red spot or they may appear later in the first month of life. They usually grow rapidly during the first six to twelve months, remain unchanged until your child is about eighteen months old and then slowly become smaller and fade by the time your child is five to ten years old. Fifty percent of hemangiomas will fade by the time your child is five years old and seventy-five percent will fade by the time he is seven years old. Hemangiomas will usually become pale in the center and turn a more purple and then grayish color just before starting to get smaller.
Unless a strawberry is in an area that can interfere with your babies normal development (for example by blocking his vision or causing difficulty breathing or hearing), no treatment is necessary. If it begins bleeding, you should apply firm pressure as you would for any other area of the skin that was bleeding. About 5% of hemangiomas become ulcerated, especially if they are in an area that is under pressure or touched a lot. Other complications, including congestive heart failure from very large lesions and Kasabach-Merritt syndrome are rare.
You may consider treatment if it is not showing any improvement by the time your child is four years old. Treatments for hemangiomas include the use of high doses of steroids (either orally or injected into the lesion) to stop their growth (keep in mind that steroids only keep them from growing, they don't make the hemangioma any smaller), interferon alpha, laser therapy and surgical removal. But remember that most hemangiomas do not require treatment. |
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Port wine stains
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Port wine stains are deep red or purple flat areas on the skin of the face or extremities. They are present at birth and grow at the same rate as the child. They usually occur on one side of the body only and do not fade with time. However, they can usually be treated with laser therapy to help them fade. Port wine stains that are on the face, especially around the eye can be associated with Sturge-Weber Syndrome, in which children can also have seizures and mental retardation.
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