Birthmark - Spotting the Mongolian Spot

Описание: Bruise or birthmark? The classic Mongolian spot has likely given many parents cause for concern.

“It used to be one of the reasons folks would get child protection services called, because they look just like a bruise on a baby,” says Dr. Eric Jones, who is a pediatrician on medical staff of Lee Memorial Health System.

Truth is, these purplish, or blue-black marks are very common in babies with darker complexions. Despite their appearance, there are several distinctions that set these spots apart, one being their staying power.

“They don’t fade over the course of a couple weeks like a bruise would, most times with a bruise there’s an edge or a margin you can see and with Mongolian spots they tend to fade in a little bit,” says Dr. Jones.

Location is also telling- these birthmarks are the result of pigment that didn’t disperse fully. They occur in specific places.

“Places that curve basically- for whatever reason. We see them sometimes on backs, buttock, the curve of the shoulder, the back of the arm; those kind of places,” says Dr. Jones.

These marks are more common than you might think. At least one Mongolian spot is present in over 90% of Native Americans and people of African descent. While more than 80% of Asians and 70% of Hispanics were born with one. However, most babies are not marked for life.

“Depending on where they are it’ll change the chance of how quickly it will go away. A lot of times the ones on the buttocks will stick around for a while. The ones on the rest of the body tend to fade a little bit quicker,” says Dr. Jones.

Most spots are completely gone by age five. They don’t predispose someone to cancer or future health issues. For the most part, the only thing a Mongolian spot leaves behind is a memory.

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Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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