Ms. Qian recently encountered an embarrassing and worrying situation. She has a congenital mole on her left cheek, which has accompanied her for more than thirty years. Because it is not on the front of the face, she didn’t pay much attention to it. A few days ago, that mole suddenly burst, and Ms. Qian searched online and found many posts saying that this could be a sign of some kind of lesion. Frightened, Ms. Qian hurried to the hospital for a pathological examination, and the result showed no lesions, but the doctor told her that the sudden bursting of the mole could indeed be a sign of some kind of lesion.

Ms. Qian was very scared, so she came to us hoping to remove that mole using surgical cosmetic methods, and also requested to remove a larger birthmark on her abdomen. We have methods to remove certain birthmarks, but not all birthmarks can be removed, and some birthmarks do not need to be removed. Taking Ms. Qian’s experience as an example, I will briefly introduce birthmarks. Knowledge about birthmarks is not easy to see in daily life. Compared with some large birthmarks, Ms. Qian’s small mole really doesn’t need to be overly worried, because some birthmarks are truly astonishing.

Birthmarks are abnormal hyperplasia of skin tissues during development, which appear as abnormal shapes and colors on the skin surface. Birthmarks can be found at birth or may gradually appear a few months after birth. Birthmarks can generally be divided into pigmented and vascular types. Common pigmented types include Tan’s nevus, congenital melanotic macules, coffee and milk spots, etc., while vascular types include port-wine stains, strawberry hemangiomas, etc.

The incidence of birthmarks

The incidence of birthmarks in newborns is about 10%, which can be said to be very common. Most birthmarks only affect appearance and do not require special treatment. However, some birthmarks may be associated with abnormal body organs, and even have the potential for malignant changes, which must be treated actively. For example, some rapidly growing cavernous hemangiomas can cause limb deformities, not only affecting appearance but also causing functional disorders. Even when the expansion speed of hemangiomas is too fast, it can lead to tissue necrosis, excessive consumption of platelets, and reduced coagulation function, resulting in uncontrolled bleeding. Some hairy moles resembling skin may develop into malignant melanoma in the future, and the metastasis of cancer cells can lead to death.

Salmon red birthmark

About 1/3 of newborns will have this kind of birthmark. It is a small, pale red patch that usually lies flat on the skin. It often appears on the back of the neck, between the eyes, forehead, and eyelids, and most will gradually disappear as the child grows up.

Port-wine stains

Port-wine stains, also known as nevus flammeus, are common on the head, face, and neck, presenting as dark red irregular spots, not protruding from the skin, easy to fade under pressure, can increase with the growth of the body, most lifelong, and can be treated with photodynamic therapy, usually causing no harm to the body.

Mongolian spots

Mongolian spots are the most common birthmarks in newborns, belonging to congenital type, especially common in people of Mongolian descent. They often appear on the baby’s waist, buttocks, and back, presenting as pale gray or dark blue spots, mostly single and circular or elliptical in shape, with unclear boundaries. Mongolian spots are caused by some melanocytes remaining in the dermis during the process of embryonic development, leading to delayed disappearance.

Mongolian spots

Apart from the palms and soles, this kind of mole can appear on any part of the body, mostly occurs in infants and young children under the age of five, with an incidence rate of about 1%. If only a few spots appear, there is usually no adverse effect, but if there are more than six spots, and each spot has a diameter greater than 1.5 cm
There is a significantly increased chance of having neurofibromatosis. Neurofibromatosis is a genetic disease that affects both the skin and the nervous system at the same time and may affect the baby’s intellectual development.

Strawberry hemangioma

Capillary hemangioma, also known as strawberry hemangioma, appears at birth or in the neonatal period, often occurs on the head, face, and neck, and occurs within 2 to 6 months after birth.
month, grows rapidly, forming a soft strawberry-like swelling that protrudes above the skin surface, although it will not disappear, it has no effect on health.

Cavernous hemangioma

It is like a light blue spongy tissue filled with blood. It usually appears under the skin on the head or neck, and if it grows deeper, the skin covering it looks normal, and it will disappear before puberty.

Venous malformations

Venous malformations cause venous dilatation, which may not have too obvious features at birth but will become more and more obvious with age. About 1% to 4% of infants will have venous malformations. They are often found on the chin, cheeks, tongue, and lips and can be treated with sclerosing agents or surgical methods.

Congenital melanocytic nevus

Congenital melanocytic nevus, also known as a mole, is a black mole that exists at birth, varying in size, and can be as large as covering the entire back, neck, or entire limb. The small diameter is usually between 0.6 to 2 cm.
The range is mostly dark in color and may have black coarse hair. This type of mole tends to grow larger with the baby’s growth and has a certain tendency to become malignant.