Red Birthmarks Causes, on Face, Head, Neck, Arm, Baby & Red Raised Birthmarks

Some people view birthmarks as tiny little cute things that they would not let go. This though is not the same when the mark is large enough to alter a person’s looks. This post provides information on red birthmarks found on face, arm and head of newborns.

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What Causes Red Birthmarks?

Red birthmarks are also known as vascular birthmarks. These are caused by an abnormality of the blood vessels. When the blood capillaries nerves become inefficient in carrying out their role in blood circulation, there is constant flow of blood to the skin. This malfunction could also cause blood capillaries to concentrate on a given area thus resulting to a birthmark on a baby.

Red Birthmark on Face

Red birthmark on face will most of the time be a port wine birthmark. This is a birth mark that leaves ones face with a red colored patch that results from the swelling up of blood vessels around the area in which it appears.

This birthmark is permanent. It does not fade away with time. Where a red birthmark on eyelid is experienced, visual development of the baby may be affected. This will necessitate use of a medical procedure to get rid of it. One could opt for laser therapy to treat red wine birthmark. A pulsed dye laser involves passing light through a dye in order to restore and even out skin color. This technology helps to achieve a seamlessly even tone. The method is effective and a lot cheaper than a surgical process. It is also safe for use with children.

Where laser therapy has failed to be effective, surgical grafting could be done. Skin from a part of the body that has a perfect tone is taken and grafted into the area where there is a blemish.

Red Birthmark on Head

Birthmarks do occur on the head. These are normally easy to deal with since they will be covered up by the hair unless they are quite huge. This though does not always apply as red birthmark on forehead may be difficult to conceal with hair. The various types of birthmarks that could be found on the head are discussed below.

Salmon Patches: These when found on the neck are known as stork bites and are normally red in color. They cause no danger to the baby. These birthmarks are barely visible and tend to be covered up by the hair. They do not require any treatment since they disappear with time.

Port wine stains: These are yet another type of vascular birthmarks. They vary in size and have irregular shapes. The marks always remain if they are not treated. In case they are too big, they may be indicative of sturge weber syndrome. This health condition may affect intellectual development of a kid and can result in seizures. Treatment should be sought early enough to prevent this.

Red Raised Birthmark

Strawberry hemangiomas are a collection blood vessels that are closely packed and found raised on the skin’s surface. They are found on the

face, scalp, skin, chest or the back. Every 2 in a 1000 babies is born with one. They occur in the form of bright red strawberry lumps. The red coloration is caused by clustering of numerous blood vessels located close to the skin’s surface.

Strawberry birthmarks tend to grow at a rapid rate during the first months after the birth of a baby. They then cease to grow by the time they are one year after which they start shrinking. As such, they normally do not require removal.

However, in case they are situated in a position in which they are likely to impair the functioning of the body, medical intervention may be sought. In addition, if they are situated in locations which are prone to infections and bleeding they may have to be removed. It is also important to see a doctor in case the strawberry birthmark starts bleeding.

This type of birthmarks is associated with a number of risks though these are rarely experienced. These include:

Excessive bleeding in case of an injury.
Development of open sores or ulcers.
Interference with the normal functioning of structures near where they are found. These could be the mouth or eyes.

Red Birthmark on Arm

Red birthmarks also occur on the arm though rarely. It is possible to have a port wine stain on the arm. Some strawberry birthmarks also form on the hands.

Red Birthmark on Baby

A red birthmark on baby could be either of the vascular birthmarks. A bright red birthmark that is found on a baby when they are born is known as a port wine stain. This may start off as pink but grow to become red with time. Port wine stains are mostly found on the neck and the face. If left untreated, these are permanent. Even after removal with medical procedures, they never completely disappear but fade in appearance.

Another bright red birthmark on baby could be a strawberry birthmark. This is quite distinctive in appearance. It is found raised above the skin and has the texture and look like that of a strawberry fruit. These tend to disappear with time.

Red Birthmark on Back of Neck

Among the red birthmarks found on the back of the skin are:

Port-wine Stains: Port wine stains could be found on the back of the neck. These are usually very large and do not fade with time like some birthmarks do. They are therefore permanent unless treated. Port wine stains come in different sizes and shapes.

Salmon patches: These are formed when patches of blood form on the skin. They are usually flat and found on various parts of the body. When they occur on the neck, they are known as stork bites. While they tend to fade away if located on other parts, those found on the neck do not fade away. They are harmless and usually require no treatment.

Red Birthmark on Face, Head, Arm & Neck of Baby