After the newborn is born, some spots or papules with different colors from the skin itself may appear on the skin or mucous membrane, which is called birthmark of the newborn, also called "birthmark", and medically called "pigmented nevus". Birthmarks mostly occur in the baby's waist, buttocks, chest, back and limbs, and are generally blue or blue-gray patches. Most birthmarks don't matter, and many of them will disappear by themselves within a few years of the baby's birth, and no treatment is needed. The incidence of birthmarks in newborns is about 10%, which can be said to be very common. Most birthmarks only affect the appearance and do not need special treatment. However, some birthmarks may be combined with abnormalities of body organs, and even have the possibility of malignant changes, which must be actively treated. For example, some cavernous hemangioma proliferates too fast, which will cause limb deformity, not only ugly appearance, but also dysfunction. Even when hemangioma expands too fast, it will form tissue necrosis, excessively consume platelets and make coagulation function low, and bleeding will not stop. Some fur-like moles may become malignant melanoma in the future, which will lead to death after metastasis.

Types of birthmarks

Black birthmark: melanocyte nevus, congenital hairy melanin mother spot, animal skin-like nevus, spotted nevus;

Blue birthmark: Mongolian spot, Ota mother spot, Ito mother spot, blue mother spot;

Brown birthmark: coffee milk spot, Baker's mother spot;

Red birthmark: wine stain, flame nevus, strawberry hemangioma.

Purple birthmark: cutaneous venous tumor, hemangioma cavernosum;

Skin birthmark: epidermal mother spot, sebum mother spot, connective tissue nevus.

Incidence rate of birthmark

The incidence of birthmarks in newborns is about 10%, which can be said to be very common. Most birthmarks only affect the appearance and do not need special treatment. However, some birthmarks may be combined with abnormalities of body organs, and even have the possibility of malignant changes, which must be actively treated. For example, some cavernous hemangioma proliferates too fast, which will cause limb deformity, not only ugly appearance, but also dysfunction. Even when hemangioma expands too fast, it will form tissue necrosis, excessively consume platelets and make coagulation function low, and bleeding will not stop. Some fur-like moles may become malignant melanoma in the future, which will lead to death after metastasis.

Types of birthmarks

Mainly divided into nine kinds, there are Mongolian spots, coffee and milk spots, Ota nevus, pigmented nevus, hairy nevus, sebaceous nevus, capillary hemangioma, cavernous hemangioma and port wine nevus (wine spots).

1, orange-red spots (or salmon erythema). About13 of newborns will have this birthmark. It is a small, reddish plaque, usually spread flat on the skin. Most of them appear on the back neck, between the eyes, forehead and eyelids. As children grow up, most of them will gradually disappear.

2. Mongolian spots. This kind of birthmark is flat and smooth, and it is found at birth, and it is common in the buttocks or waist. They are mostly light blue, and may also be blue-gray, blue-black. This birthmark looks like a bruise, which is common among yellow people and usually disappears gradually before school.

3, strawberry hemangioma (capillary hemangioma). This birthmark usually appears on the face, scalp, back or chest, mostly red or purple. Strawberry hemangioma usually forms a few weeks after birth, which may not protrude from the skin, or it may be a strawberry-like soft lump slightly higher than the skin. Although it will not disappear, it has no effect on health.

4. Cavernous hemangioma. It's like a light blue sponge full of blood. It usually appears under the skin of the head or neck. If it grows deeper, the skin covered on it looks normal and will disappear before puberty.

5, dark red spots (wine spots). At birth, this erythema is pink, but with the increase of age, its color will become darker and darker, becoming lavender. Most of them appear on the face and neck, and the area is relatively large. Dark red spots are caused by telangiectasia, and most of them will become bigger and bigger. If they grow on the eyelids, they will increase the risk of glaucoma. Need treatment.

6, coffee milk spots. Its color is like coffee with milk, which is brown. This kind of birthmark is mostly oval, mostly appearing on the trunk, buttocks and legs. It will gradually get bigger and darker with age, and generally will not bring health problems. If there are several birthmarks larger than coins at the same time, it is likely to be related to neurofibroma, so consult a doctor immediately.

7. Congenital nevus. About 1% of newborns will develop this kind of nevus. Its shape is irregular, the small diameter is about 2 cm, and the big one can invade the whole back, neck or limb. This kind of nevus may develop into skin cancer. If it is large, it should be treated.

Complications of birthmark

1, wine-colored nevus near eyes and cheeks: sometimes it is related to vision problems such as glaucoma or seizures and developmental retardation (known as Svay-Weiss syndrome, trigeminal angiomatosis).

2, larger hemangioma: according to different growth positions, it may hinder eating, vision and breathing. Sometimes hemangioma grows inside the body, which may threaten the health of some organs.

3. The birthmark located in the lower part of the spine may extend under the skin and affect the nerve and blood flow.

4. More than 6 coffee and milk stains may be the signal of neurofibroma, which is a genetic disorder. Children with this disease usually have plaques at birth or within two years of age, and the number of plaques may increase when they are even older in childhood. About 50% people with neurofibroma may have learning disabilities.

5, some birthmarks, especially the big moles at birth, have a great risk of cancer in the future.

Treatment of birthmark

Generally speaking, red and black are easy to remove, and cyan birthmarks are not easy to remove. The method of removing birthmarks is also related to the size, shape and position of birthmarks. Generally, small birthmarks do not need skin grafting, but if the area is large, skin flap method can be used in addition to skin grafting now, but the operation time is longer. The birthmark in the delicate skin is not easy to remove, the scar is not easy to heal, and it is difficult to find the same delicate skin in other parts of the body after skin grafting. Laser treatment of birthmarks is also effective. For superficial skin lesions such as freckles and telangiectasia, laser can be used to remove them quickly, and the effect is obvious. For some black birthmarks, generally 4-6 times of laser treatment can make the patient's skin return to normal. Laser therapy is also very effective in the treatment of skin vascular diseases such as port wine nevus. However, it should be reminded that no matter what technology is used, scars can not be completely avoided, so postoperative care must be done after treatment. Attention should be paid to protect the wound surface and avoid sun exposure, otherwise it will affect the effect of the operation.

Matters needing attention in laser birthmark removal

1 Keep the birthmark removed by laser clean to avoid infection and friction.

2. In addition to the stupid skin on the birthmark, the laser needs to fall off by itself. Do not remove it by hand, otherwise there will be pigmentation.

3. After the scab skin falls off, there may be temporary pigmentation locally, so sunscreen and freckle removing products can be used reasonably.

4. After removing the birthmark by laser, there will be slight burning sensation and slight redness of the skin at the treatment site, which is a normal reaction. If necessary, local cold compress can be done to alleviate or eliminate the phenomenon of red heat.

Nursing care of the wound after laser removal of birthmark

1 If honey is directly applied to skin or wound, it has the functions of diminishing inflammation, relieving pain, stopping bleeding, relieving edema and promoting wound healing.

2. Increasing the intake of vitamin C can prevent arteriosclerosis in the elderly, promote iron absorption, enhance the body's disease resistance and promote wound healing to a certain extent. In our daily life, there are many foods containing vitamin C. For example, fresh vegetables and fruits: such as peppers, spinach, tomatoes, cauliflower, bitter gourd and so on.

3. Aloe leaves are rich in sticky liquid, which can prevent and treat ulcers, promote wound healing, stimulate cell growth and stop bleeding. Food suitable for wound healing.

Best age for birthmark treatment

The best age for birthmark treatment should be in the preschool age of children, so that children will not be treated differently at school, ridiculed by others and feel inferior and unconfident. Of course, early childhood treatment is also very ideal. Experts say that birthmarks must be treated as soon as possible. Laser treatment of birthmarks is the most ideal method. In fact, the pigment particles of birthmark are disintegrated and vaporized by laser energy, then absorbed by the body, and then discharged from the body with its own circulatory system, and the pigment also fades. Because the laser of a certain wavelength is only absorbed by the pigment of the corresponding color, only the diseased cells absorb the specific laser, and the normal skin tissue is not damaged, so there will be no scars.

How is the birthmark formed?

Birthmark is an abnormal proliferation of skin tissue during development, and there are abnormal shapes and colors on the skin surface. Mainly due to the serious lack of trace elements such as zinc, copper, calcium and magnesium, phenylalanine and tyrosine in human serum, the biochemical process of pigment synthesis is affected, which leads to the abnormal increase of pigment cells and the gradual spread of epidermis through nerve transmission, forming plaques; However, birthmarks with neat edges spread slowly.

The most common birthmarks of babies are stork bite marks on the back neck and eyelids, which are caused by the expansion of blood vessels and will gradually disappear in the first year. About 10% of newborns will have strawberry birthmarks in the first four weeks-a kind of raised, red and dotted birthmarks, which usually disappear within two years. If the birthmark does not disappear after 2 years, you can do laser elimination. But it must be done in a regular hospital and on the advice of a doctor. About 2‰ of newborns will have wine marks, which are flat red birthmarks and generally will not recede.