Birthmarks rarely call for medical treatment. The great majority disappears spontaneously or can be camouflaged with masking cosmetics.
Vascular birthmarks result from improper development of small blood vesselsof the outer skin surface, and may be visible at birth or soon after.
The exact cause of birthmarks remains unknown. But one thing is sure: They are not caused by a pregnant woman’s having a nightmare, or being frightened by an animal, or taking medication, or being injured in the process of childbirth. The old wives tales have long been disapproved.
The major types of vascular birthmarks are:
Port-wine stain, the most common, usually appears at birth. It is usually lifelong, seldom fading or disappearing with age. Perhaps one out of three newborns may have a pale form of such a birthmark on the back of the scalp or neck; this form usual disappears.
The stains are flat and usually some shade of the red that gives them their name. They can be as small as quarter of an inch, or large enough to cover a whole arm of half of the face. If the mark covers a large area, a physician may try to be determining whether there is abnormal development of underlying large blood vessels.
Strawberry hemangioma has a distinct border around a reddish, soft, compressible swelling that looks like a strawberry. The hemangiomas can occur anyplace on the body. They are usually 1 or 2 inches in diameter but have been known to cover an entire arm or leg.
Cavernous hemangioma has an elevated surface and bluish color. It feels like a mass of dough beneath the skin, only partly compressible and without sharply defined borders. It is usually from 1 to 3 inches in diameter.