Birthmarks

Birthmarks are red, pink, purple, brown or bluish-gray colored marks on the skin that are present as of a person’s birth or shortly thereafter. These can include moles, port wine stains, hemangiomas and other lesions made by the body’s natural pigmentation or from the blood vessels, and most of the time they aren’t harmful. However, every birthmark should be evaluated by a qualified physician to ensure that there is no reason for concern both immediately after birth and anytime thereafter when the mark changes in appearance, texture or size. There are multiple treatment options for troublesome or cosmetically unappealing birthmarks – particularly hemangiomas and port wine stains. However, other vascular types of birthmarks like salmon patches will often fade on their own over several years. Port wine stains can be addressed via multiple laser treatments, while hemangiomas may be resolved with laser treatment and/or topical and oral medications.