Birthmark

A birthmark is a congenital, benign irregularity on the skin which is present at birth or appears shortly after birth. They can occur anywhere on the skin. Birthmarks are caused by overgrowth of blood vessels, melanocytes, smooth muscle, fat, fibroblasts, or keratinocytes. Birthmarks are permanent blemishes on the skin that are present since birth. Birthmarks range greatly in size, shape and colour: they can have regular or irregular shapes, be flat or raised, or range from being black or brown to being blue or red.

HOW CAN IT BE TREATED?

Laser treatment is the only treatment for a port wine stain. It lightens the affected area of skin. The most common type of laser treatment is pulsed dye laser treatment. The laser passes through a fibreoptic cable. On the end of the cable is a device that looks like a pen. It's gently held against the surface of your child's skin and a button is pressed, which sends a beam of light to the skin.

The light goes less than 1mm into the skin. It's absorbed by the blood vessel just beneath the surface, causing it to heat up. The heat damages the blood vessel, which creates a bruise that will fade.

There are 2 main types of birthmarks:

Pigmented birthmarks – caused by an excess of pigment cells under the skin
These are commonly known as café au lait spots, Mongolian spots, Becker’s nevus, or nevus of ota due to the appearance of such birthmarks.
Vascular birthmarks – caused by an excess of blood vessels under the skin. These are commonly known as port wine stains or strawberry marks due to the appearance of such birthmarks.