Birthmarks And Beauty Spots: Why Do They Occur?

It is not uncommon for newborns to have rashes and pimples that appear a few weeks after they are born. However, some birthmarks and beauty spots become and may even become more apparent as the baby grows up.

In most cases,  birthmarks do not pose a health hazard. However, they affect the person’s appearance, for better or worse, depending on their character traits. Only very rarely do they increase the risk of skin cancer or other skin conditions.

Overall, there are many myths about birthmarks. Some people believe that they are the result of what the expectant mother wanted to eat during pregnancy or perhaps because of something she ate. However, there is no scientific basis for these kinds of claims.

Birthmarks, freckles and beauty spots, oh god!

Birthmarks are changes in the color of the skin in a newborn. Sometimes these spots form during pregnancy, but other times they appear a few days or weeks after birth. Scientists believe that about 80% of people are born with a birthmark, a beauty spot or some kind of spot.

Some of them stay through life and others disappear over time. The truth is that one should always talk to a pediatrician, regardless of size, location, color and shape so that they can evaluate them and determine if they are harmless or not.

Many spots, especially the brown ones, are not visible on a baby right after birth. They have a lighter tone in the first months of the baby’s life, which is why they go unnoticed. However, they typically get darker with time.

Overall, there are different types of fashion brands with different character traits.

Pigment stains

There are  two types of birthmarks: pigment spots and vascular birthmarks.

There are also some subgroups with different characteristics within these two major groups. When it comes to pigment spots, there are:

• Freckles. These are the most common and can appear anywhere on the body. Sometimes more come when the child gets older. However, if there are many and they are larger than 3 mm, it could be due to neurofibromatosis.
• Mongolian spots. These are blue-gray and are often located on the buttocks or lower back. They are more common in people with dark skin and almost always disappear when the child reaches school age.
• Beauty spots. These are present at birth. They are permanent. They can either be flat or bulge out and contain hair and can be brown or black. The very large ones can be malignant.

Vascular birthmarks

The primary characteristics of vascular spots are that they have colors that can range from pink to violet, depending on the subtype. The most common are:

• Macula. They are the most common vascular spots and usually occur around the eyelids, nose, upper lip and in the neck. They have a faint red color and almost always disappear within two years.
• Hemangiomas. They can be superficial or deep. The superficial ones are a bright red color and the deep ones have a bluish tone. They typically disappear between the ages of 5 and 9 years. They typically show up in the head or neck.
• Port wine stains. These appear primarily on the face, neck, arms or legs. They are reminiscent of the color of port wine, from which the name has come, and will become darker and thicker as time goes on if left untreated. They never go away on their own.

What causes birthmarks and beauty spots?

Scientists still do not know the exact reason  why birthmarks occur or why they stay or disappear.

As for pigment spots, however, we know that they are due to an accumulation of melanocytes in a specific area of ​​the skin. In these cases, there is more melanin than there should be. The skin makes this accumulation visible. In general, the different shapes depend on the depth of the layer of skin where they are located.

As a rule,  vascular spots are due to improper formation of blood vessels. There are often several of these in a particular area or they are wider than usual.

When in doubt, of course, talk to a pediatrician. They will be able to tell you if the birthmarks require further analysis or not. Only in a few cases will they be too complex to make a diagnosis.