Vascular birthmarks are birthmarks that are normally red in color due to the vascular nature of them. This means that an overabundance of blood vessels or capillaries have congregated all in one place under the skin. Birthmarks affect one in ten children and are either present at birth or show up shortly thereafter.
There is no damage noted to the skin to underlying tissue and they cause no pain. If there is pain associated with the birthmark then take the child to see their pediatrician and get them checked out. Usually, though, these birthmarks do not adversely affect a child's health. There are a few common types of vascular birthmarks.
The first I would like to discuss is called a macular stain. a macular stain is characterized by the tiny pink or red blood vessels that form on the skin. Nicknamed, "angel kisses" they are not dangerous. How could anything named "angel kisses" be dangerous? Normally found on the eyelids and forehead they may fade a bit when the child ages.
Other places they have been seen are the lips and neck area of the body. Some newborns have them on the backs of their necks when they are born. This is called affectionately, "stork bites". These will eventually get covered up by normal hair growth. If they become a concern these "stork bites" can be successfully treated with a single laser treatment.
Port wine stains are usually darker in color than the macular stains and can be as dark as a deep purple. Port wine stains may also fade as the child ages but this type of birthmark typically does not fade much and grows as the child grows. Port wine stains can be seen on any part of the body but generally show up on the face or head. Size varies also, they can be small or cover a large area. Lasers may be able to lighten the port wine stains with several treatments needed.
Hemangiomas are the third type. Hemangiomas come in three different types: strawberry, or capillary, cavernous, and cherry. The strawberry hemangioma is red and has a raised appearance that makes it look like a strawberry that has been smashed on the skin. Any of these birthmarks can occur any where on the body.
Cavernous birthmarks are dark red and filled with blood. Most likely they are not dangerous unless they are on an internal organ and no one knows about them. If they are not found and do happen to rupture then the person who has it can get in some serious trouble in short order. For the most part these birthmarks can and do get smaller as the child ages but some may need treatment.
Lasers are not recommended for this type of birthmark because they are blood filled. Surgical intervention is needed and may cause severe scarring. If this occurs then lasers may help diminish the scars somewhat. Cavernous hemangiomas undermine the underlying tissue and even though lasers are not recommended they may be able to be used around the edges and decrease the chance that the birthmark gets bigger.
Cherry birthmarks are tiny red to purple tags on the skin. More common in adults than children they also can be treated with lasers. Vascular birthmarks do not have to be permanent any longer with treatment with lasers gaining in popularity.
