Difference Between Port Wine Stains and Stork Bites in New Borns
Port wine stains, also called nevus flammeus, and stork bites, also known as salmon patches and macular stains, are both types of vascular birthmarks. Vascular birthmarks form when a lack of nerve fibers allows small capillaries to expand and cause a stain underneath the skin.
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Identification
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Port wine stains look like red wine was splashed or spilled onto the newborn's skin. Stork bites appear as smaller, light pink spots.
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Features
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Port wine stains frequently appear pink and smooth on newborns, but become thicker and darker as the infant grows. Stork bites frequently fade on their own before a child reaches two years of age.
Location
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Port wine stains are primarily found on the legs, arms, neck and face of newborn babies. Stork bites typically form on the eyelids, forehead, upper lip, nose or the back of the neck.
Effects
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Neither port wine stains or stork bites cause the newborn any type of pain or suffering. Older individuals might consider their port wine stains embarrassing and disfiguring.
Treatment
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Laser therapies are frequently used on birthmarks to make them less noticeable. Plastic surgeons and dermatologists typically lighten dark port wine stains with a yellow pulsed-dye laser.
Considerations
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KidsHealth.org reports that approximately three out of every 1,000 newborns have port wine stains. Stork bites are more common, appearing on 30 to 50 percent of babies, according to MedlinePlus.gov.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Nina
