Cause And Treatment Of Strawberry Birthmarks

Strawberry birthmarks are raised red soft lumps on the skin and are found on the baby’s body. These marks are more common in premature babies. They appear after birth usually in the first month.

They do not bleed or become infected. They can occur anywhere on the skin and become important if they affect the face or the nappy area. They are not sign of ill health nor associated with cancer. They develop from left over groups of cells in the baby’s skin.

These birthmarks are more of a problem when they affect the face. The cause of the birthmarks is not known. They are a benign outgrowth of blood vessels in the skin. They are made up of cells that are normally part of the inner lining of the blood vessels. They affect one in ten Caucasian babies and only one in hundred Asian or black babies. As per the folklore it is caused by the unsatisfied wishes of the mother during the pregnancy. But there is no scientific basis for this. These marks are more common in girls than boys.

The birthmarks continue to grow for 3 to 6 months and then they start to shrink slowly. They fade away on their own by the time the child is 3 year old in 30 percent of the cases and the fading starts later in others and in 70 percent of the cases the birthmarks fade away by the time child is 7 year old.

Usually no treatment is needed as the birthmark fades on its own in majority of the cases. However, there are cases that require medical help to get rid of them. If there are some troublesome marks near the eyes, then these have to be attended to. Steroid medicines or injections are generally used to shrink these birthmarks. Laser treatment also is used to speed up the healing.

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