What's a Mongolian blue spot?

Mongolian blue spots are flat bluish- to bluish-gray skin markings commonly appearing at birth or shortly thereafter. They appear commonly at the base of the spine, on the buttocks and back and also can appear on the shoulders. Mongolian spots are benign and are not associated with any conditions or illnesses.

What causes Mongolian spots in babies?

What causes Mongolian blue spots? Mongolian blue spots appear on the skin at or shortly after birth. The spots appear when melanocytes (cells that produce pigment, or melanin) remain in the deeper skin layer during embryonic development.

What race has Mongolian spots?

Mongolian spots (MS) are congenital birthmarks seen most commonly over the lumbosacral area. They are bluish-green to black in color and oval to irregular in shape. They are most commonly found in individuals of African or Asian ethnic background.

Are Mongolian blue spots rare?

On average, only about 10% of Caucasian infants have Mongolian blue spots. Blue spots are found in about 50% of Latinos, and 90% to 100% of Asian and African populations.

Do all mixed race babies have a Mongolian blue spot?

A child may have one or several. At least one Mongolian spot is present on over 90% of Native Americans and people of African descent, over 80% of Asians, over 70% of Hispanics, and just under 10% of fair-skinned infants (Clinical Pediatric Dermatology, 1993).

What is a "Mongolian Blue Spot"? The Vanishing Birthmark #TheHalfieProjectPodcast

Do white babies get Mongolian spots?

How common are they? According to a 2013 review , slate gray nevi affect about 10% of white babies, 50% of Hispanic babies, and 90–100% of Black and Asian babies.

Do Native Americans have Mongolian spots?

Mongolian Spots:

They occur in over 90 percent of Native American, Asian, Hispanic, and African American babies. They are also seen in 10 percent of Caucasians, especially those of Mediterranean descent. They occur most commonly over the back and buttocks.

Are Mongolian birthmarks hereditary?

Mongolian spot is a hereditary developmental condition caused by entrapment of melanocytes in the dermis during their migration from the neural crest into the epidermis.

What does it mean if you have a blue birthmark?

The term congenital dermal melanocytosis refers to one or more birthmarks. They are flat blue or blue/grey spots with an irregular shape that commonly appear at birth or soon after. Congenital dermal melanocytosis are most common at the base of the spine, on the buttocks, back and shoulders.

Do Mongolian spots get bigger?

The typical Mongolian spot is noted at birth and size may vary from a few millimeters to more than 10 cm. They may increase in size for 1 to 2 years and peak in color intensity at 1 year. They become less noticeable and eventually fade during the first few years of life but they occasionally persist.

Why do Hispanic babies have Mongolian spots?

Dermal melanocytosis is common among people of Asian, Native American, Hispanic, East Indian, and African descent. The color of the birth mark is from a collection of melanocytes in the deeper layers of the skin. Melanocytes are cells that make the pigment (color) in the skin.

Why is it called a Mongolian birthmark?

They can be present at birth or develop within the first few weeks of life. These 'birth marks' can appear in all racial groups, but as the name Mongolian implies, they are most common in Asian and Native American infants. These are typically flat, and blue-grey, green-blue or brown in color.

Can adults get Mongolian spots?

Mongolian spots can occur in anyone, but they are most common among dark-skinned infants of African and Asian population followed by those of Native American, Hispanic and East Indian descent.

What age do Mongolian spots disappear?

Congenital dermal melanocytosis tends to be short-lived, usually fading away by the time your little one reaches her second birthday. Occasionally, they can stick around longer, even into adulthood. When that happens, laser treatments can help get rid of a spot if your child is bothered by it.

How do you get rid of Mongolian spots on a baby?

These birthmarks appear right during infancy- precisely around the time of birth and there are no ways to prevent them, one can opt for a laser treatment. Alexandrite laser is usually one of the most recommended methods and can be performed before an individual touches 20 years of age.

What does a stork bite mean?

A stork bite, also known as a salmon patch, is a cluster of pink to reddish-purple blood vessels (capillaries) that appear on a newborn's skin on the back of their head or neck. A stork bite is a type of birthmark. Stork bites are harmless and may fade over time. About 50% of adults still have stork bites.

Do Chinese babies have Mongolian spots?

Mongolian spots were present in all newborns and disappeared slowly until 6 years of age when the rate of disappearance increased. At 10 years of age, none were found. The overall incidence regardless of age was 58% in boys and 53.3% in girls.

Why do I have a Mongolian spot?

Mongolian spots or slate gray nevi are a kind of birthmarks that are flat, blue, or blue-gray. They appear at birth or in the first few weeks of life. Most birthmarks go away with time, although some will persist until puberty. In such a case, it is likely that the person will remain with the mark for life.

What are strawberries on a baby?

Hemangiomas are clusters of extra blood vessels on a baby's skin. They may be there when a baby is born, or form within a few weeks or months of birth. Some may look like rubbery, bumpy red "strawberry" patches while others resemble deep bruises.

What does a Mongolian birthmark look like?

Congenital melanocytosis, previously known as Mongolian spots, is a very common condition in any part of the body of dark-skinned babies. The spots are flat, gray-blue in color (almost looking like a bruise), and can be small or large.

Do Chinese people have Mongolian spots?

Mongolian spots are frequent among the Mongolian and Negroid children, but relatively rare in whites.

What is the meaning of having a birthmark?

Throughout history, birthmarks were feared by superstitious, paranoid, and religious fanatics. But in the present day, many believe birthmarks are lucky omens with special meanings indicating reincarnation, life purpose, or destiny.

Which race has the most birthmarks?

The percentages of different ethnicities in our whole referral cohort revealed a substantial preponderance of white ethnicity in all birthmark groups, as would be expected for our geographical referral population, except for PPV and EDM (Fig. ​ 2a).

Why do neurologists ask about birthmarks?

One of the main things that we need to screen for with birthmarks is something called neurocutaneous disorders: “Neuro” for brain and “cutaneous” for skin, meaning that sometimes when birthmarks are present, they may indicate a greater syndrome that could involve the brain.

What Causes Strawberry birthmarks?

It's a myth that foods or stress cause any type of birthmark. Strawberry hemangiomas form when blood vessels and cells close to the skin don't develop as they should. Instead, the vessels clump together into a noncancerous mass or tumor.