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Birthmarks - red
Definition:
Red birthmarks are colored, vascular (blood vessel) skin markings that develop before or shortly after birth. Alternative Names:
Strawberry mark; Vascular skin changes; Angioma cavernosum; Capillary hemangioma; Hemangioma simplex
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Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
There are 2 main categories of birthmarks. Red birthmarks are made up of blood vessels close to the skin surface, and are called vascular birthmarks. Pigmented birthmarks are areas in which the color of the birthmark is different from the color of the rest of the skin. Hemangiomas are a common vascular birthmark. They are usually painless and harmless. The cause of hemangioma is unknown. The color results from the extensive development of blood vessels at the site.
Strawberry hemangiomas (strawberry mark, nevus vascularis, capillary hemangioma, hemangioma simplex) may appear anywhere on the body, but are most common on the face, scalp, back, or chest. They consist of small, closely packed blood vessels. They may be absent at birth, and develop at several weeks. They usually grow rapidly, remain a fixed size, and then subside. 95% of strawberry hemangiomas disappear by the time the child is 9 years old, although there may be some slight discoloration or puckering of the skin where a strawberry hemangioma existed.
Cavernous hemangiomas (angioma cavernosum, cavernoma) are similar to strawberry hemangiomas but are more deeply situated. They may appear as a red-blue spongy mass of tissue filled with blood. Some of these lesions disappear on their own, usually as a child approaches school age.
A port-wine stain is a flat hemangioma made of dilated blood capillaries. The face is the most common location. The size varies from very small to over half of the body surface. This is often a permanent defect, sometimes causing significant emotional distress. Port wine stains on the face may be associated with Sturge-Weber syndrome.
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