Newborn babies very often have birthmarks. These can appear as small, flat and red marks on the skin, often on the forehead, neck or eyelids. These are caused by the enlargement of tiny blood vessels and usually disappear over the first year. A strawberry mark is raised and red and soft, it usually grows bigger as the child grows. It can be unsightly but it will fade eventually and should disappear altogether without medical assistance. Darker skinned babies sometimes get Mongolian blue spots which are uneven blotches, bluish in colouring a bit like a bruise. They are harmless and will fade also. Birthmarks are formed before birth, some are hereditary and some are probably caused by cellular damage in the womb. They shouldn't be worried about as apart from cosmetic effects they really are harmless. A port wine stain looks exactly like that and this mark does not fade. It can however be treated by laser surgery which is very often effective. This happens to three in one thousand births and are often found on the face.
