Strawberry Marks

Hi, sounds similar to a 'strawberry mark' my daughter has. Hers is on the back of her head/neck. I asked her ped and she told me they are known as 'the kiss from the stork' and it does go away. My daughter is now 5 months and it is still there but definitely fading and getting smaller.

C.

I have a strawberry on my upper chest, and have had it since I was a baby. It was worse when I was younger, but as I grew it faded. You can barely see it now.

My advice would be to stop worrying about it because your baby can pick up on that. Keep an eye on it, and if it gets worse or you feel it would be good to do something about it by the time he, say, goes to preschool, then do something then. Set a timeline, and then make your decision.

My son had several strawberry marks when he was born...it was a tough delivery. He is now 4 years old and there is no trace of them. They do go away, they just need time.

My neice had one on her lip and it went away after a few years. My Son has one on his shoulder and they told me to do the same thing... wait. I was worried when it hadnt done anything as well but now hes 20 months and its gotten lighter and isnt as puffy anymore.

Hi A.,

Your son has a 'strawberry birthmark', otherwise known as a hemangioma. This is a benign growth that appears shortly after birth, rapidly grows to its maximum size in the first year or so, and then slowly shrinks on its own.

Plastic Surgeons are classically taught that 50% of hemangiomas are gone by 5 years, and 70% by 7 years of age.

As long as this birthmark is not in an area of the body where it would obstruct a vital function (eyes, ears, nose, etc), it will be observed and followed forward in time.

I am happy to talk to you about this further or to see you in my office.

Yours sincerely,

K. M. H., MD
Women's Plastic Surgery
www.womensplasticsurgery.com

Trust your pediatrician!! Our daughter had 2-one on top of her head and one on her shoulder. They both faded completely by 2 years old. A friend's daughter had a port wine birthmark on her face and that too faded (took a little longer, though). Enjoy your healthy son!

I hope you feel comfortable to ask your Dr. more questions. It could be a Hemangioma. My son has one on his side. At birth it looked like a small red freckle and then it grew large and puffy. I was told that it grows the 1st year of life and then stops and gets smaller the following years. My son is now five and it is much smaller, but still raised. I also have a friend who son has several. She has taken him to a specialist at Stanford. For now they are doing nothing. Check out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemangioma
for more information. I hope this helps and I hope you get some more answers from your Dr.

Just read the response of the other person and it could be a "kiss of the stork" too. The difference will be that a hemangioma will grow and become raised and a stork kiss will not. My daughter has a stork kiss on the back of her neck at the hairline and on top of her eyelids. She is 3 and they are both still faintly there.

A.,
My daughter has one too. Her's happened at about two weeks old, and grew huge, covering her left nostril completely. I was sooo worried about it. I thought that everyone was going to tease her for her whole life. Now that she is 7 years old, you can bearly tell that it was their. Still a tiny bit puffy, but nothing like the huge cherry shape that was there as an infant.

The doctor called it a hermangioma. He said that it was similar to a hemroid...blood vessels forming in one place. I was soooo worried about it that I even asked the dumbest question on the planet to him.

I said "Well, if it is like a hemroid, can I get some preperation H for it?" He laughed.

But he did tell me that steroids can reduce the size a tiny bit, or plastic surgery is an option, but he said give it till she turns 5, before we do anything at all first.

In my observations, the babies with strawberry marks tend to be the most physically beautiful of all - in fact, I find them most fascinating! Love and enjoy the beauty of your baby, inside and out, including the blessing of a strawberry mark! It might just be one of the things that makes your child extra-special!

My daughter has an agioma on her nose which I hate but it stopped growing probably around 6months and it too showed up when she was a few weeks old. She is now almost 10mo old and the only sign that it is getting better is that the color has faded ... a little.

I've been told that her body should absorb it by the time she is three. I've had peers say their son/daughter had one and it shrunk to a freckle but never disappeared. My mom tells me my brother had something similar and she got it removed when he was 3 or 4 and no scars. I'm sure it's easy but I would say wait a few years to be safe.

I know it doesn't bother my daughter - more me so I know what you're feeling and I think it's ok to be a little vain about your baby :)

Hi A., did his pediatrician diagnose it as portwine staining? I have info for that if it is. Let me know.
C.

My daughter had a really deep red one on her shoulder and the doc said it'll fade, no worries. She is now 5 and it's pretty much all gone. I don't think you need to worry.

My kids are old now, but my son (20) had a strawberry mark on his side when he was born. It took a couple of years to go away. My niece had a large mark on her lip and it also took a couple of years to vanish. They shrink gradually. She is now 13 and beautiful, no sign of the mark at all.