Mole and Birthmark

Moles and birthmarks appear on our skin and there is nothing that can be done by our parents to prevent them. The birthmarks are the discolour areas on the skin that appear as different colours as the major skin part.
Different kinds of birthmarks
There are two main types of birthmarks which one is the pigmented birthmarks (moles) and one is vascular birthmarks. The pigmented birthmarks or so called mole, by its name comes to its understanding is an overproduction of pigment in the skin that appearing darker in colour. The vascular birthmark is caused by an overgrowth of blood vessels in the skin.

Moles
If the baby was born with the ‘moles’ on the body, it is considered one of the birthmark type. But not all moles are birthmarks. Moles are usually small on the skin, appearing as round brown spots. Sometimes the moles can get larger as we age, and it can be of different colours. They can be pink, skin-coloured or black.

They are some which are flat and smooth whereas some are raised on the skin. they can grow on anywhere of the body. When the person gets older the number of moles can grow more.
If you notice a mole that itches or bleeds, or if it looks a lot different than your other moles, ask your parents to take you to the doctor. It is important to have it checked out and make sure it’s OK.

Cafe-au-lait spot
Cafe-au-lait is French for “coffee with milk,” that is the color of these flat, oval light brown birthmarks when they’re on light skin. On dark skin they can be the color of black coffee. They can be small or big but usually in oval-shaped in look and gets larger as we grow older.
The colour of the spot can get lighter and faded but it will not get away totally in future.
In some studies that show numerous café-au-lait spots may be a sign of a disease called neurofibromatosis.
These babies were needed to be evaluated by a neurologist as it is a rare inherited disease that causes tumors to grow on nerve tissue and influence the mental development.

Mongolian spots

Mongolian spots are the pigmented birthmarks that appear commonly in babies born with the darker skin. They are kind of gray-blue in appearance and mostly turn up on the backs or the buttocks of babies with darker skin.
They can be looking like flat bruises on the back.
Sometimes they fade away and usually fade by the time as the baby reach school age. This birthmark is harmless and do not require to seek for any treatment.

Vascular birthmarks
This type of birthmark is related to heart and blood vessels which are involved in blood circulation. Sometimes a bunch of extra blood vessels will clump together and this can be seen as the birthmark that the blood vessels clumped in the skin.
Salmon patches

This is a blood-vessel type of birthmark and it appears flat, pink or red that looks like salmon patch on a person skin. They are tiny blood vessels that are visible through the skin. It was given a few names as if it is on the face it is called ‘angel’s kisses.’ If it is on the back of the neck, it is called as stork bites.
These birthmarks appear on up to 50 percent of babies and sometimes they fade away within a year and sometimes they remain. These patches are harmless and do not need any treatment.

Hemangiomas
Hemangiomas are growth of tiny blood vessels and it appear at birth or shortly after birth. These birthmarks are usually harmless and there are two types: the one that raise on top of skin is called strawberry hemangiomas and they are bright red and look like fruit; the other one is deep in the skin.
Both types can grow bigger when the kids grow. However, most of the hemangiomas become flat by age of 10 but leaving a light mark behind and it does not need treatment

Port wine stains
These birthmarks normally grow on the face and they are pink and purple in colours. These blood vessel birthmarks have a deeper red to purple color. This stain happen in about 3/1000 infants.
As the kid grows, the birthmarks can become thick and bumpy with age. If the birthmark is grown near the eyes, they should consult an eye specialist. Since this type of birthmark does not fade away, the treatment of laser may be recommended

Exams and Tests
Normally the doctor will examine the person skin and the birthmarks to make further diagnosis. This is to make sure some of the skin changes are not sign of the cancer. The doctors may have a biopsy test to further confirm the test. The growth of size and colour changes will be noticed from time to time by having records of photos.