Skin Treatment: Birthmarks and Skincare

July 23, 2008 By: arlene Category: Beauty, Cosmetic, Facial, Fashion, Hair Care, Jewelry, Lips Care, Nail Care, Skin Care, Women

Birthmarks

It would be logical if all birthmarks were present at birth. This is not always the case. Some marks appear in the first few days of life but others can be delayed by months or years. In these cases it is thought that the fault resides in the skin from birth but only reveals itself when some other factor acts as a trigger. An example of this is the unusual problem called Becker’s nevus. It has the appearance, usually on the shoulder, of a large light brown patch, often with some coarse dark hair in it. It is first seen at puberty and is triggered by rising hormone levels. Salmon patches or stork bites derive their name from the old fable about babies being delivered down the chimney by a friendly stork whose beak has clasped the human bundle by the nape of the neck. These marks are seen in about a quarter of the population. Sometimes they are thought to have appeared in adult life but it is only that some new hair style or hair disease has revealed a patch that has really been present since birth.

The appearance of birthmarks in newborn children is deeply disturbing to the parents. There have always been individuals who see these marks as the sign of some maternal misconduct or in a biblical sense the sins of the father being visited on the child. This is not the medical viewpoint. We do know, however, that children born to alcoholic mothers, who have drunk heavily throughout pregnancy, are more likely to have birthmarks.

Stork-bite marks

Some birthmarks are caused by abnormalities in the blood vessels. If the capillaries (the smallest blood vessels of all) are wider than normal the skin will look red. Small red areas are very common on the back of the neck and, less often, on the forehead or upper eyelid. Fortunately those on the face usually disappear within a few months but on the back of the neck may remain throughout life.

Treatment is rarely required for these innocuous blemishes but if one persists in a visible area it is easy to cover with make-up.

Port wine stains

Individuals vary greatly in how they cope with a port wine stain. Almost everyone goes through a stage of trying to hide it and many people do this successfully for a lifetime. Others eventually leave it uncovered. A range of camouflage creams is available and one can be obtained on NHS prescription (Covermark). Your own skin colour will determine which shade of cover to use. Thicker preparations may be required if the mark is not quite flat. Clinique have a range called Continuous Coverage, which are water-resistant, so that they will not run when you are swimming or exercising. The Clinique staff are well trained and are happy to put the creams on for you in the shop so that you can decide how well they suit you. This range is not on prescription and is quite costly. Excellent advice on all aspects of port wine stains and their treatment can be acquired from the Disfigurement Guidance Centre.

The latest advance here has been with laser therapy and it is improving all the time. The problem with this form of treatment is getting the energy dose just right. Too low and nothing happens but too high can lead to scarring and it is more difficult to camouflage the stain if the surface has become lumpy. However, the tunable dye laser, which most people now use in preference to the argon laser, is unlikely to cause scarring and has the added advantage of being effective in the pinker stains of young children. These lasers are very expensive and treatment is not generally available. Within a few years it is likely that we will have them in a few major centres.

Strawberry marks

Another birthmark consisting of enlarged blood vessels is the strawberry mark. Although there was a vogue for removing them surgically whilst still large, most doctors now recommend no treatment. The exception to this is when a strawberry mark grows close to the eye and either obscures vision or pushes onto the eyeball. Treatment is then required to prevent permanent problems with sight. The other complication is bleeding from the surface: this can be dealt with by firm pressure over the birthmark with a dressing or clean handkerchief.

Moles

Some moles are present at birth but others appear later. The early ones are flat, brown marks with a well-defined but often irregular edge. Most are less than an inch in diameter but they can be much bigger. Very rarely one might cover much of the trunk or most of a limb. All these moles present from birth tend to be hairy. They grow with the child and do not disappear spontaneously.

The most common type of mole develops in childhood or less often in adult life. When examined under a microscope the mole shows an excessive number of melanocytes, the cells in the epidermis which produce pigment. Moles are so common that most people have between fifteen and twenty.

Most moles go through gradual changes. When we are children their commonest appearance is of a small flat, dark brown spot. During early adult life they have a tendency to become raised and for the shade of brown to change. They may stick out enough to get caught on clothes or jewelry. The surface may become warty or cauliflower-like. Eventually, when one has reached the mid-fifties most moles tend to get smaller again and to lose their color, so that in old age they are not a common sight. This description of the stages in the development of moles implies that a huge range of appearances may be compatible with a normal, harmless mole - e.g. they may be flat or raised, the shade can vary from skin-colored to black, the surface can be smooth or warty.

The range of normal moles has been stressed because people are becoming increasingly nervous about them. It is important to realize that most moles - even the odd-looking ones - are harmless. Having said that, it must not be forgotten that some moles can become cancerous, and that when a malignant melanoma starts to grow it can resemble a mole. There has been much publicity about this - telling people to keep a watchful eye on their moles. But please remember that this cancerous change only happens in about one person per 20,000 per year. What then are the important changes that suggest a mole is turning malignant? A rapid increase in size, obvious change in color and the edge becoming jagged are each sufficient to seek medical advice. Any of these may occur in a harmless mole but it is worth checking.

The doctor has to weigh up the odds when dealing with moles. If one is continually catching on clothing its removal may seem advisable. If there are obvious recent changes in a mole it may seem necessary to remove it to exclude an early cancer. Often doctors will be confident that there is nothing to worry about but if there is a nagging doubt they may take a photograph and recheck it a couple of months later to make sure there is no continuing growth or change.

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