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{{Infobox medical condition (new)
| name = Birthmark
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| image = File:RIAN archive 850809 General Secretary of the CPSU CC M. Gorbachev (crop).jpg
| caption = A pink-ish birthmark on the head of [[Mikhail Gorbachev]]
| field = [[Dermatology]]
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A '''birthmark''' is a [[congenital]], [[benignity|benign]] irregularity on the skin which is present at birth or appears shortly after birth—usually in the first month. Birthmarks can occur anywhere on the skin.<ref>{{DorlandsDict|one/000012925|birthmark}}</ref> They are caused by overgrowth of [[blood vessel]]s, [[melanocyte]]s, [[smooth muscle]], [[fat]], [[fibroblast]]s, or [[keratinocyte]]s.
[[Dermatologist]]s divide birthmarks into two types: pigmented birthmarks and vascular birthmarks. Pigmented birthmarks caused by excess [[skin pigment]] cells include: [[melanocytic nevus|moles]], [[café au lait spot]]s, and [[Mongolian spots]]. Vascular birthmarks, also called red birthmarks, are caused by increased blood vessels and include [[macular stain]]s (salmon patches), [[hemangioma]]s, and [[port-wine stain]]s. A little over 1 in 10 babies have a [[Blood vessel|vascular]] birthmark present by age 1.<ref name="add.org">{{Cite web |url = http://www.kidsskinhealth.org/GrownUps/birthmarks.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091108165023/http://www.kidsskinhealth.org/GrownUps/birthmarks.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = 2009-11-08 |title = Birthmarks |access-date = 2011-06-20 |publisher = [[American Academy of Dermatology]]}}</ref> Several birthmark types are part of the group of skin [[lesion]]s known as [[Nevus|nevi]] or naevi, which is [[Latin]] for "birthmarks".
Birthmarks occur as a result of a localized imbalance in factors controlling the development and [[cell migration|migration]] of [[skin cell]]s. In addition, it is known that most vascular birthmarks are not [[hereditary]].<ref name="add.org" /><ref name="seattle_children">{{Cite web|url=http://www.seattlechildrens.org/medical-conditions/common-childhood-conditions/birthmarks/|title=Birthmarks|access-date=2008-08-02|publisher=[[Seattle Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center]]|archive-date=2017-02-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202081602/http://www.seattlechildrens.org/medical-conditions/common-childhood-conditions/birthmarks/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Pigmented types==
===Mole===
{{Main article|Congenital melanocytic nevus}}
[[Congenital melanocytic nevus]] is a type of [[melanocytic nevus]], the medical term for what is colloquially called a "mole", found in [[infant]]s at birth. Occurring in about 1% of infants in the [[United States]], it is located in the area of the [[human head|head]] and [[neck]] 15% of the time, but may occur anywhere on the body. It may appear as light brown in fair-skinned people, to almost black in people with darker skin. Coming in a variety of sizes and appearances, they may be irregular in shape and flat, or raised and lumpy in appearance and feel. Such naevi can also manifest themselves as [[beauty marks]], which most commonly appear on the [[face]], [[neck]] or [[arm]]s.
===Café au lait spot===
{{Main article|Café au lait spot}}
Café au lait spot [[macule]]s may occur anywhere on the body. They are most commonly oval in shape and light brown, or milk coffee, in color. These birthmarks may be present at birth, or appear in early childhood, and do not fade much with age.<ref name=parenting_child_health/> One or two on an individual is common;<ref name=parenting_child_health/> however, four or more may be an indicator of [[neurofibromatosis]].<ref name=parenting_child_health/> In the event of weight gain, the birthmark can stretch with the skin and become larger.
===Mongolian spot ===
{{Main article|Mongolian spot}}
A Mongolian blue spot (dermal melanocytosis) is a [[benign]] flat [[Congenital disorder|congenital]] birthmark with wavy borders and irregular shape, most common among [[East Asia]]ns and [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] people (excluding [[Turkish people|Turks]] of [[Asia Minor]]), and named after [[Mongols|Mongolians]]. It is also extremely prevalent among [[East Africa]]ns and [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]].<ref name=tokyo>[http://www.tokyo-med.ac.jp/genet/msp/about.htm About Mongolian Spot]</ref><ref name=skin>[http://skin-care.health-cares.net/Mongolian-blue-spots.php Mongolian blue spots] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119081851/http://skin-care.health-cares.net/Mongolian-blue-spots.php |date=2017-01-19 }} - Health care guide discussing the Mongolian blue spot.</ref> It normally disappears three to five years after birth and almost always by [[puberty]]. The most common color is blue, although they can be blue-gray, blue-black or even deep brown.
The Mongolian spot is a [[Congenital disorder|congenital]] developmental condition exclusively involving the [[Human skin|skin]]. The blue colour is caused by [[melanocyte]]s, [[melanin]]-containing cells, that are deep under the skin.<ref name=skin /> Usually, as multiple spots or one large patch, it covers one or more of the lumbosacral area (lower [[Human back|back]]), the [[buttock]]s, sides, and [[shoulder]]s.<ref name=skin /> It results from the entrapment of melanocytes in the [[dermis]] during their migration from the [[neural crest]] to the [[epidermis (skin)|epidermis]] during [[embryo]]nic development.<ref name=skin />
Among those who are not aware of the background of the Mongolian spots, it may sometimes be mistaken for a bruise indicative of child abuse.<ref>[http://www.tokyo-med.ac.jp/genet/msp/index.htm Mongolian Spot] - English information of Mongolian spot, written by Hironao NUMABE, M.D., Tokyo Medical University.</ref>
==Vascular types==
===Stork bite===
{{Main article|Nevus flammeus nuchae}}
[[File:Nevus flammeus nuchae ("stork bite" "Storchenbiss").JPG|thumb|Stork bite]]
Colloquially called a "[[stork]] bite", "[[angel]]'s kiss" or "[[salmon]] patch", [[telangiectatic nevus]] appears as a pink or tanned, flat, irregularly shaped mark on the [[knee]], back of the neck, and/or the [[forehead]], [[eyelid]]s and, sometimes, the top [[lip]]. The skin is not thickened and feels no different from anywhere else on the body; the only difference is in appearance. Nearly half of all babies have such a birthmark.<ref name=parenting_child_health>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=304&id=1589|title=Parenting and Child Health - Health Topics - Birthmarks|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723123659/http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=304&id=1589|archive-date=2008-07-23}}</ref>
===Strawberry mark===
{{Main article|Hemangioma}}
An [[infantile hemangioma]], colloquially called a [[strawberry]] mark, is a [[benign]] self-[[involution (medicine)|involuting]] [[tumor]] (swelling or growth) of [[endothelium|endothelial]] cells, the cells that line [[blood vessel]]s. It usually appears during the first weeks of life and resolves by age 10. It is the most common [[tumor]] of [[infancy]].<ref name="pmid16950977">{{cite journal |vauthors=Haggstrom AN, Drolet BA, Baselga E |title=Prospective study of infantile hemangiomas: clinical characteristics predicting complications and treatment |journal=Pediatrics |volume=118 |issue=3 |pages=882–7 |date=September 2006 |pmid=16950977 |doi=10.1542/peds.2006-0413 |s2cid=31052666 |url=http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=16950977|display-authors=etal|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
[[PHACES Syndrome]], a rare condition that often involves [[Human brain|brain]], [[heart]], and [[artery|arterial]] abnormalities, is generally accompanied by the presence of large facial hemangiomas. In such cases, what appears to be a small [[bruise]] or birthmark may grow rapidly and take on a puffy appearance in the first days or weeks of life.
===Port-wine stain===
{{Main article|Port-wine stain|l1=Nevus flammeus}}
[[File:RIAN archive 359290 Mikhail Gorbachev.jpg|thumb|right|Port-wine stain visible on the head of [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], one of the most famous individuals with such a birthmark]]
[[Port wine|Port-wine]] stains, also known as nevus flammeus and sometimes mistaken for strawberry marks, are present at birth and range from a pale pink in color, to a deep wine-red. Irregular in appearance, they are usually quite large, and caused by a deficiency or absence in the [[nerve]] supply to [[blood vessel]]s. This causes [[vasodilation]], the dilation of blood vessels, causing blood to pool or collect in the affected area.<ref name=vascular_port>{{Cite web|url=http://www.birthmark.org/port_wine_stains.php|title=Port Wine Stain Information|access-date=2008-08-02|publisher=[[Vascular Birthmark Foundation]]}}</ref> Over time, port-wine stains may become thick or develop small ridges or bumps, and do not fade with age.<ref name=add.org/> Such birthmarks may have emotional or social repercussions.<ref name=add.org/> Port-wine stains occur in 0.3% of the population, equally among males and females.<ref name=add.org/><ref name=vascular_port/> They frequently express unilaterally, i.e., on only one side, not crossing the midline of the body. Often on the face, marks on the upper eyelid or forehead may be indicative of a condition called [[Sturge–Weber syndrome]]. Additionally, port-wine stains in these locations may be associated with [[glaucoma]] and [[seizure]]s.<ref name=add.org/>
==Treatment==
Most birthmarks are harmless and do not require treatment. Pigmented marks can resolve on their own over time in some cases. Vascular birthmarks may require reduction or removal for [[cosmesis|cosmetic]] reasons. Treatments include administering oral or injected [[steroid]]s, [[laser medicine|dermatological lasers]] to reduce size and/or color, or [[dermatologic surgery]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/birthmarks-treatment | title=Birthmarks: Diagnosis and treatment }}</ref>
==Historical explanations==
Many explanations were given to explain the origin of birthmarks. Occasionally, it was said that children could be 'marked' or 'imprinted' upon by scares or frights given to the mother during the pregnancy, which draws on the outdated theory of [[maternal impression]]:
{{blockquote|Children are also said to be marked by some sudden fright or unpleasant experience of the mother, and I have myself seen a pop-eyed, big-mouthed idiot whose condition is ascribed to the fact that his mother stepped on a toad several months before his birth. In another case, a large red mark on a baby's cheek was caused by the mother seeing a man shot down at her side, when the discharge of the gun threw some of the blood and brains into her face.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Randolph |first=Vance |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=khx-CgAAQBAJ&dq=ozarks+Children+are+also+said+to+be+marked+by+some+sudden+fright+or+unpleasant+experience+of+the+mother%2C+and+I+have+myself+seen+a+pop-eyed%2C+big-mouthed+idiot+whose+condition+is+ascribed+to+the+fact+that+his+mother+stepped+on+a+toad+several+months+before+his+birth.+In+another+case%2C+a+large+red+mark+on+a+baby%E2%80%99s+cheek+was+caused+by+the+mother+seeing+a+man+shot+down+at+her+side%2C+when+the+discharge+of+the+gun+threw+some+of+the+blood+and+brains+into+her+face.&pg=PT170 |title=Ozark Superstitions |date=2013-06-18 |publisher=Read Books Ltd |isbn=978-1-4733-8824-6 |language=en}}</ref>}}
Other explanations claimed that birthmarks shaped like food were the direct result of the mother's [[pregnancy cravings]], or the mother touching a certain part of her body during a [[solar eclipse]] – her child's birthmark will be in the same ___location.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Egger |first1=Andjela N. |last2=Chowdhury |first2=Aneesa R. |last3=Espinal |first3=Maria C. |last4=Maddy |first4=Austin J. |date=2020 |title=Birthmarks: Tradition, Culture, Myths, and Folklore |url=https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/501273 |journal=Dermatology |language=english |volume=236 |issue=3 |pages=216–218 |doi=10.1159/000501273 |issn=1018-8665 |pmid=31362285|s2cid=198999685 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
{{Medical resources
| DiseasesDB =
| ICD11 = {{ICD11|2F20.2}}
| ICD10 = {{ICD10|Q|82|5|q|80}}
| ICD9 = {{ICD9|757.32}}
| ICDO =
| OMIM =
| MedlinePlus =
| eMedicineSubj =
| eMedicineTopic =
| MeshID =
| SNOMED CT = 51089004
}}
*[http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/birthmark/hic_birthmarks.aspx Birthmarks] via the [[Cleveland Clinic]]
*[http://www.birthmark.org/ Vascular Birthmarks Foundation]
*[https://medlineplus.gov/birthmarks.html Birthmarks] via [[MedlinePlus]]
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Skin]]
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