Risks Factors and Causes of Birthmarks

Birthmarks are quite common — research shows that 10% of babies born have the birthmark known as hemangioma. This type goes away on its own by the time the child is 10 years old, but it can be earlier than that.

Babies who are at risks of hemangioma are:

• Premature babies
• Babies born with a sibling example are twin, triplets, etc.
• Female babies
• Babies less than 5 ½ pounds at birth
• White babies

Moles and café-au-lait which cause brown marks on the skin are also very common, about 1 in a hundred babies have a small mole, larger ones are not that common, and babies of all race can have this type of birthmark.

Another common birthmark is the Mongolian spot. Asians are more prone to having this birthmark than others as they are less common in other races.

There is no way you can know if your baby will have a birthmark or not and some babies have higher risks of having some birthmarks.

It is advisable to reach out to a dermatology clinic London if you notice a birthmark so that the birthmark will be diagnosed if it is a birthmark or skin condition.

At Clear Skin Clinic, our dermatologist London can help with information on birthmark types and treatment for any skin condition and proffer a suitable treatment method if necessary. Reach out to us on 020 71833648 to get this started!

Causes of birthmarks

There are lots of superstitious believes about birthmarks, and we will clear some of them before proceeding with the causes of birthmarks.

Birthmarks cannot form when a pregnant woman ignores a food craving, or eat certain food, or touch her belly when worried. These are myths and hold no water.

The exact reasons why birthmarks develop is not known, but scientists have learned somethings so far. Different birthmarks have different causes, and some are formed when blood vessels are formed improperly.

This can lead to the formation of any of the following birthmark on your baby:

• Salmon patch
• Port-wine stain
• Deep hemangioma
• Strawberry hemangioma

Other birthmarks are formed when the cells responsible for giving the skin its colour (melanocytes) clump together. That’s why some newborn babies develop café-au-lait and moles.

When part of the skin overgrows, a nevus sebaceous birthmark develops.