What is a Mongolian mark?
Mongolian blue spots, also known as slate gray nevi, are a type of pigmented birthmark. They’re formally called congenital dermal melanocytosis. These marks are flat and blue-gray. They typically appear on the buttocks or lower back, but may also be found on the arms or legs.
How long does a Mongolian spot last?
Also known as blue-gray spots and congenital dermal melanocytosis, the marks are often present at birth but may also appear during the first weeks of life. They usually disappear by the age of about 3–5 years, but they can remain into adulthood.
What is a Mongolian spot on a baby?
Mongolian blue spots are flat bluish- to bluish-gray skin markings commonly appearing at birth or shortly thereafter. They appear commonly at the base of the spine, on the buttocks and back and also can appear on the shoulders. Mongolian spots are benign and are not associated with any conditions or illnesses.
Why do they call it a Mongolian spot?
Despite the name, Mongolian spots have no known anthropologic significance, except for being more common in darker-skinned infants. Mongolian spots are nothing more than dense collections of melanocytes, the skin cells which contain melanin, the normal pigment of the skin.
Can Caucasian babies have Mongolian spots?
Mongolian spots are gray-blue to brown macules or patches located in the lumbosacral/gluteal region. They affect a majority of Asians, African Americans, and American Indians but are rare in Caucasians. The lesions are present at birth but often spontaneously regress within a few years.
What race has Mongolian spots?
Mongolian spots (MS) are congenital birthmarks seen most commonly over the lumbosacral area. They are bluish-green to black in color and oval to irregular in shape. They are most commonly found in individuals of African or Asian ethnic background.
Do Hispanic babies get Mongolian spots?
Although named after a country in Asia, Mongolian spots can be found in any baby with relatively dark skin, including the majority of babies of Native American, Asian, Hispanic or African-American descent. In contrast, fewer than 10% of Caucasian infants have Mongolian spots.
Why do Japanese babies have blue butts?
Science tells us that melanin-containing cells trapped in the deeper dermis during embryonic development cause our strange coloring. The result is a blue birthmark, often found on the bottoms of East Asian babies, that dissipates by age five.
Where to look for bruises in a baby?
Bruises are more suspicious in locations in which there are no bony prominences underneath. “That means marks around their ears, neck, around eyes, abdomen, buttocks, and soft area of the cheeks. Especially in pre-mobile children, injuries to the frenulum are also suspicious.
What kind of bruises look like tiny dots?
These spots, called purpura, are common in older adults but may be a sign of inflamed blood vessels in younger people. 3. Bruises look like tiny dots. These bruises are called petechiae and appear when tiny blood vessels called capillaries break.
What causes bruises on the head of a newborn?
Bruises on the head and face of a newborn baby are a common sight. In most cases, bruises on a newborn are nothing to worry about and they go away on their own within a few days. Bruises occur when damaged blood vessels leave dark blood spots beneath the skin.
What do bruises look like in older adults?
Bruises look like big purple spots with clear edges, and you’re younger than 65. These spots, called purpura, are common in older adults but may be a sign of inflamed blood vessels in younger people.