Birthmarks - red Health Article

Definition

Red birthmarks are colored, blood vessel (vascular) skin markings that develop before or shortly after birth.

Alternative Names

Strawberry mark; Vascular skin changes; Angioma cavernosum; Capillary hemangioma; Hemangioma simplex

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

There are two main categories of birthmarks.

• Red birthmarks are made up of blood vessels close to the skin surface, and are called vascular birthmarks.
• Pigmented birthmarks are areas in which the color of the birthmark is different from the color of the rest of the skin.

Hemangiomas are a common vascular birthmark. Their cause is unknown. The color results from the development of blood vessels at the site.

Strawberry hemangiomas (strawberry mark, nevus vascularis, capillary hemangioma, hemangioma simplex) may develop several weeks after birth.

Cavernous hemangiomas (angioma cavernosum, cavernoma) are similar to strawberry hemangiomas but they are deeper.

Salmon patches (stork bites) are extremely common, appearing on 30-50% of newborns.

A port-wine stain is a flat hemangioma made of dilated blood capillaries. Port wine stains on the face may be associated with Sturge-Weber syndrome.

Symptoms

• Skin markings that look like blood vessels
• Skin rash or lesion that is red

The different types of birthmark have their own appearance and typical location:

• Cavernous hemangiomas may appear as a red-blue spongy mass of tissue filled with blood.
• Port-wine stains are most often located on the face. The size varies from very small to over half of the body surface.
• Salmon patches are small, pink, flat spots. They are small blood vessels (capillaries) that are visible through the skin. They are most common on the forehead, eyelids, upper lip, between the eyebrows, and on the back of the neck. Salmon patches may be more noticeable when the infant cries or during temperature changes.
• Strawberry hemangiomas may appear anywhere on the body, but are most common on the neck and face. They consist of small, closely packed blood vessels.

Signs and tests

A health care provider should examine all birthmarks. Diagnosis is based primarily on the appearance of the skin lesion.

Tests to confirm deeper birthmarks include:

• Biopsy
• CT scan
• MRI of the area