Birth Marks

Hi A., I am someone who grew up w/ a birthmark on the face. I have a shadowed birthmark right below my left eye. It's about 1/2 wide and 3 inches long. I used to be self-conscious about it, but I rarely ever got made fun of. I can seriously only remember 2 people say something (to my face anyways) when I was defending a girl who had a large mole on her face (I tried to take the spotlight off her). Mine isn't every dark either. Just don't be worried about it, kids are cruel and they always will be. You can't protect her if something happens, BUT there are also a lot of wonderful people that won't even notice something so minor. Even with a birthmark in such a prominent place I had a great childhood, decent adolescence and teen years (not too many people really enjoy those years anyways), and a great adulthood. I have a wonderful husband and 2 gorgeous children! I hope this helps a little bit...well I hope a LOT! =)

One of my bonus children has a birth mark from the middle of his cheek down his neck. It has lightened over the years and I am use to it that I don't even notice it. He isn't bothered by it. The only time it is really noticeable is when he gets imbarressed it turns red. Its kinda funny. But they adjust and get use to it. You shouldn't worry about it. It might fade and it probably looks more noticeable to you because your her mother. There isn't anything you can do so don't be upset that it is on her face just look at your beautiful child and love her birth mark and all.

Hi A.,

My daughter has a very large birthmark on her inner thigh and I was wondering too if it would fade. I asked her doctor a while back and he said that for half of kids it will be completely gone by age 5 and for 90 percent it will be gone by age 10. I think it depends on the type of birthmark that it is though because I think I read somewhere that some types will fade away in the first year. My daughter is three and I think hers has faded quite a bit. Hopefully your daughter's is the kind that goes away quickly. Ask her doctor, they should know what kind it is and be able to tell if it is likely to go away. Good luck!

My daughter has what's called a cafe o'le. It developed within days of her being born and covers 1/2 of her forehead from the eyebrow to the mid line of her forehead all the way back to the rear of her skull. These spots are common. They're a milky brown, usually just a shade or so darker than the natural skin tone. There's usually nothing wrong, but if a child develops more than 3 doctors suggest having the child checked with a blue light for more spots (many aren't visible to the naked eye and the light is needed to see them.) Multiple cafe o'le spots can indicate a brain disorder, but it's VERY RARE so I wouldn't worry yourself with it. As long as your daughter only has one spot, it's just a birth mark. My daughter only has one spot, but due to it's size the doctors check her anyways. There are fade creams but my daughter's doctor said not to use them, they are harmful to the skin and also carcinogenic usually. The best thing to do is help her to accept the birth mark as part of who she is as she grows up, explain that just because she has a birth mark on her face doesn't make her any different, ugly, or anything negative, but that she's beautiful. My daughter feels her cafe o'le is part of what makes her beautiful because no one else has one like hers. It all comes down to a self esteem thing. There's always makeup if you really want to cover it up. Mineral based powders seem to stay the best and look the most natural, my sister has tried everything to cover her facial marks and swears by the stuff. I understand that you hate that she has a mark on her face like this. I was dreading how people would react to my daughter when she was little, before I saw that most people could care less and the ones that do question it.. well they're usually not worth the time of day anyway. If you build her self esteem it's not going to matter, she'll be very self assured and know she's beautiful no matter what. Heck, she could end up seeing it as something that makes her unique like my daughter does, she's nearly 10 and the spot hasn't changed since she was around a year old.

sorry to say but i dont think that they fad or you can do much to make them lighter. My mom says it is where the doctor touches them. my son had a thumb print behind his leg but it is lighter then the rest of his skin

My daughter's birthmark did fade- She was born with what is known as a "stork bite" a red V shaped marking in the middle of her forehead and her's extends under her nose- but not on her nose. She does have some makings on the back of her head as well which is covered by her hair. Looking at her baby/toddler pictures you can tell that it faded considerably- The obly time it's rally noticeable now (she is 5 now) is when she cries or holds her breath or something like that. Hope this is helpful !

I have a birthmark on my leg, about 3 inches long/2 inches across so it's not huge, but it has almost faded completely over the years.

Like the other mom said, it's probably more noticeable to you than anyone else. I wouldn't worry about or make a big deal out of it.

I'm not sure, but I don't think there's anything you can do to make it lighter except cover it up with makeup, but you certainly don't want to do that.

Hi A.,
I have, what is called, a port wine stain on my face. It starts at the corner of my left eye and nose and extends to the tip of my nose. I have had it since I was born. It was very light when I was young, but as I got older it got darker.The tissue in that area also changed. It went from smooth to very bumpy and tough. When I was about 25 it was almost purple. I went to the dermatologist and had laser surgery on it. Ive had 24 treatments and its almost gone.
What I learned through this experience, is that there are all forms of birthmarks. Some will change over time, some will stay the same, some disapear all together. It was difficult for me to deal with as a child because mine got worse. Having something on your face is hard. I would keep an eye on it and see if it changes. Take pictures of it every few months and just compare them to previous ones. I would have a specialist look at it and tell you what they think. There are so many options in procedures these days. Im not saying that you need to take her and have it removed by any means.... but at least you have options... if you notice that its getting darker or changing you may want to consider having something done while she is young and wont remember it. Or before she goes to school. But if it stays very light it may not be something that even needs to be addressed...
From someone who grew up with a very dark red large blob on the side of her face, I can say I wished their were options for me when I was young so i didnt have to go through some of the stuff I did.... Just my opinon.

I had a birthmark on my arm when I was born. I was a tiny little thing, a little smaller than a dime and dark. The doctors on the army base told my mother to let it be and it should go away.

As I got older, it got bigger and the hair in that part of my arm was very dark and long. Since it had always been there, it never bothered me and I never had any self esteem issues with it.

I did get it removed when I was 18, but only because I was getting a fatty tumor excised from my back and the doctor said he'd take it off for an extra $100. To this day, I wish I had left it on.

I say keep an eye on it over time and see if it appears to get larger or darker. If it does, I'd take her to see a dermatologist and see what kind of treatments they would offer for it.

My oldest daughter was born with a pinkish-red "stork bite" between her eyebrows. It wasn't terribly noticeable, but it would get darker when she cried. She is now almost 8, and it has pretty much disappeared. In fact, I had kind of forgotten about it until I saw your posting.

Try googling "birthmark" to learn more about the type of birthmark your daughter has, and whether it will fade...or if there are treatments for it.

Either way, I suspect the birth mark is far more noticeable to you than anyone else. Embrace it as a special beauty feature!

Hi A....
There is a great article about all sorts of birthmarks in the current issue of Parents magazine. It might help answer some of your questions.

E.

Dear A.,

It sounds like a hemanginoma. They can fade over time, my daughter has one on her right ankle. There was an article in this months Parents magazine, July issue, on page 44. It gives some information about the different types. I would also talk to your pediatrician. Here are also some websites to check out: The Hermangioma Treatment Foundation (hemangiomatreatment.org), National Organization of Vascular Anomalies (novanews.org), and Vascular Birthmarks Foundation (birthmark.org). Hope this helps!