What is a birthmark?
Angel kisses, strawberry marks and stork bites. Is this a line from your favorite nursery rhyme? Believe it or not, these phrases are nicknames for birthmarks! But what exactly is a birthmark?
A birthmark is an area of the skin that is a different color from the skin around it. Some appear on a baby's skin at birth while others show up soon after a baby is born. There are many different types of birthmarks, and they come in a variety of colors, including red, purple and brown.
Some birthmarks are flat while others are puffy. Some are small like freckles while others look like patches on the skin. Some grow lighter and disappear over time while others grow larger and darker. Most birthmarks are harmless, but it's a good idea to have a doctor check them out when they first appear and if there are changes in the way they look. Do you have any birthmarks? What color are they?!
by Mya Kagan (Whyzz writer)
Further Information
Some birthmarks are caused by differences in blood vessels, which are tubes that carry blood throughout your body. When these blood vessels are wider than usual or closely packed together, they can cause red birthmarks to appear. Other birthmarks called pigment birthmarks can form when darker skin cells group together.
