Skin problems health centre

Skin conditions: Red birthmarks

Birthmarks are coloured skin spots that either are present at birth or develop shortly after birth. Birthmarks can be many different colours, including brown, light brown, black, pale blue, pink, white, red, or purple. Some birthmarks are only colourations of the surface of the skin; others are raised above the surface of the skin or extend into the tissues under the skin.

What causes birthmarks?

The cause of most birthmarks is unknown. Most birthmarks are not inherited. Many old wives’ tales and myths exist about the causes of birthmarks, but none of these stories have been proven to explain the true causes of birthmarks.

Do birthmarks need to be treated?

Most birthmarks need no treatment. They often fade as a child grows older. However, some birthmarks may need treatment because of their location. For example, a raised birthmark near a child's eye may interfere with the ability to see. In rare cases, birthmarks are associated with other conditions, such as growths on the liver, lungs, stomach, or intestines.

Types of birthmarks

There are two main categories of birthmarks - red birthmarks and pigmented birthmarks. Red birthmarks are coloured, vascular (having to do with blood vessels) skin markings that develop before or shortly after birth. Pigmented birthmarks are skin markings that are present at birth. The marks may range from brown or black to bluish or blue-grey in colour.

Red birthmarks

The haemangioma is a common type of vascular birthmark. It is usually painless and harmless and its cause is not known. Colour from the birthmark comes from the extensive development of blood vessels at the site.

Types of haemangiomas include:

Strawberry haemangiomas (also called strawberry mark, nevus vascularis, capillary haemangioma, haemangioma simplex) may appear anywhere on the body, but are most common on the face, scalp, back, or chest. They consist of small, closely packed blood vessels. They may be absent at birth, and develop after several weeks. They usually grow rapidly, remain a fixed size, and then subside. In most cases, strawberry haemangiomas disappear by the time a child is 9 years old. Some slight discolouration or puckering of the skin may remain at the site of the haemangioma.

Cavernous haemangiomas (also called angioma cavernosum or cavernoma) are similar to strawberry haemangiomas but are more deeply situated. They may appear as a red-blue spongy mass of tissue filled with blood. Some of these lesions may disappear on their own - usually as a child approaches school age.

Port-wine stains are flat purple-to-red birthmarks made of dilated blood capillaries. These birthmarks occur most often on the face and may vary in size. Port-wine stains are often permanent (unless treated).

Salmon patches (also called stork bites) appear on 30%-50% of newborn babies. These marks are small blood vessels (capillaries) that are visible through the skin. They are most common on the forehead, eyelids, upper lip, between the eyebrows, and the back of the neck. Often, these marks fade as the infant grows.