Holy Mole-y! Bare Naked Birthmarks
By Allison Ford
There are many different types of birthmarks, which can appear on almost every part of the body. I sometimes felt self-conscious about my own, but growing up, very few of my friends didn’t have some sort of birthmark, whether it was a brown smear on an arm, a red port wine stain on the face, or in one friend’s case, a single purple toe. Birthmarks are extremely common, and luckily, they’re usually harmless. It’s not clear why some people get them and some don’t, but they occur most often in Caucasian children and up to five times more often in girls. They are sometimes apparent at birth, but some types of birthmarks develop soon after.
Café au lait spots are coffee-colored spots that can appear anywhere on the body, although the smooth, rounded marks are usually found on the torso or lower body.
Mongolian blue spots are curious, flat, bruise-like spots that often appear on a baby’s buttocks or lower body.
Moles are a very common form of pigmented birthmark. Many fair-skinned people have a multitude of moles, usually brown or black in color. People with many moles have a slightly higher chance of developing skin cancer and should take precautions when in the sun.
Vascular birthmarks are malformations of blood vessels and capillaries near the skin.
Macular stains are also sometimes called salmon patches, angel kisses, or stork bites. They are flat-pink or red marks that comprise the bulk of vascular birthmarks.
Do you have a birthmark?