This article is about what to do about dangerous birthmarks. Birthmarks are also called hemangiomas and only thirty percent are visible at birth and usually get bigger as the baby grows. Little girls are five times more likely to be born with hemangiomas and White more than any other race. Eighty-three percent of all hemangiomas are on the head, face, and neck of the child at birth.
Now that we know the statistics of dangerous birthmarks let us discuss them further. Hemangiomas are also known as strawberry marks or nevuses. These are an abnormal build-up of blood vessels close to the surface of the skin of an unknown origin. Most are present at the time of birth, but some are insidious and wait a few months before showing themselves.
Believe it or not some hemangiomas are present at birth but are unseen. That is because they are on an internal organ. This is the most dangerous type of hemangioma. Injury or rupture can cause severe internal bleeding and unless immediate medical intervention is obtained the life of the child is in serious jeopardy.
Other types of hemangiomas like the capillary hemangioma are red lesions on the skin that involve the capillaries in the area. Cavernous hemangiomas are huge, soft cavities beneath the skin filled with blood. Some other hemangiomas are called compound hemangiomas. These types have both capillary and cavernous aspects to them.
Most hemangiomas have a typical and predictable life cycle. The first phase is the rapid growth phase, which can last up to 18 months, then there is a rest period. During the rapid growth phase, the size of the lesion can increase exponentially. After the rest period, the overgrown lesion can start to disappear. This phase is called the involution phase and can take anywhere from 3 months to 10 years.
Some mildly superficial lesions do tend to be the type to disappear completely without a trace, but the large cavernous type can disappear on its own, too but can be disfiguring and distorting to the skin that surrounds them.
The very real problems that can arise if your child is born with one of these on his or her face is the social consequences. Your child will probably get teased and will come home crying on more than one occasion. Try to be as sympathetic as you can and try to reaffirm the fact that God put the birthmark there because they were special and he wanted to let everyone know that he picked them personally. Telling the bullies this may even get them to leave your child alone. Everyone wants to be special, especially in God’s eyes.
The most dangerous birthmarks are the ones that occur on the internal organs or if they interfere with the normal development of normal functions like vision. Say that the birthmark is one of the face and eyelids, then the area could become, so blood filled that the child would not be able to see normally. This would probably need to be surgically corrected to let the child see as she should.
