Birthmarks

Birthmarks are common, but each birthmark has unique features that distinguish it from any other. While there are different types of birthmarks, they do have some common features too, one of which is that the owner of the birthmark may find it to be an unsightly discoloration of the skin that they would like to reduce or remove. If you are not happy with your birthmark, Glendale Dermatology can help.

What Is a Birthmark?

Birthmarks are abnormal skin colorations in spots that are either present at birth or appear shortly thereafter. They can be flat or slightly raised from the skin. People can have a black birthmark, a tan or brown birthmark, red birthmarks, even pink, white, or purple birthmarks. These marks are not painful or dangerous, but those who have them may not be happy with their appearance.

Birthmark Types

There are two major categories of birthmarks: pigmented and red birthmarks.

Pigmented marks can grow anywhere on the skin and at any time. They are usually black, brown, or skin-colored and appear singly or in groups. They can be moles (congenital nevi) that are present at birth, Mongolian spots, which look like bluish bruises and appear more frequently on people with dark skin, or café-au-lait spots that are flat, light brown, or tan and roughly form an oval shape.

Red marks (also known as macular stains) develop before or shortly after birth and are related to the vascular (blood vessel) system. There are a number of different types of red birthmarks, including:

  • Angel kisses, which usually appear on the forehead and eyelids.
  • Stork bites, which appear on the back of the neck, between the eyebrows on the forehead, or on the eyelids of newborns. They may fade away as the child grows but often persist into adulthood.
  • Port-wine stains, which are flat deep-red or purple marks made up of dilated blood capillaries (small blood vessels). They often appear on the face and are permanent.
  • Strawberry hemangiomas, composed of small, closely packed blood vessels that grow rapidly and can appear anywhere on the body. They usually disappear by age nine.
  • Cavernous hemangiomas are similar to strawberry hemangiomas but go more deeply into the layers of the skin. These can often be characterized by a bluish-purple color. They also tend to disappear naturally around school age.

Getting Rid of Birthmarks

As people grow into adulthood, those marks that don’t fade away or disappear over time can be construed as an unsightly blemish that one would like to see removed. If this is your situation, please contact us at Glendale Dermatology. We have many effective treatments that rejuvenate skin and can give you a much more even skin tone, such as:

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Birthmark Reduction in Queens

If you have a very dark or noticeable birthmark and you want it reduced, we at Glendale Dermatology can definitely help, and without surgery or any very invasive treatment requiring a lot of downtime. It starts with your customized consultation with our highly experienced board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Brezel. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Brezel, simply submit the following form online now.

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