Stork Bite, Angel Kiss, Salmon Patch: Causes & Treatment (2024)

FAQs

Stork Bite, Angel Kiss, Salmon Patch: Causes & Treatment? ›

Stork bites are harmless birthmarks that form on your child's neck or on the back of their head and are present when they are born. There is no need to worry because stork bites do not need treatment and they may go away on their own.

Salmon patches are birthmarks caused by expansions (dilations) in tiny blood vessels in the skin called capillaries. When a salmon patch occurs on the face, it is often called an angel's kiss, and when it occurs on the back of the neck, it is commonly known as a stork bite.

What are the treatment options for salmon patches? ​Most salmon patches on the face go away within 18 months while some on the back of the neck may not go away. If a salmon patch lasts longer than three years and you wish it to be removed, it may be treated with pulsed dye laser therapy.

Angel kisses and stork bites are the most common type of vascular birthmark: Angel's kisses. Marks located on the forehead, nose, upper lip, and eyelids that usually disappear with age.

A stork bite is also called a salmon patch. A stork bite is a vascular lesion quite common in newborns consisting of one or more pale red patches of skin. Most often stork bites appear on the forehead, eyelids, tip of the nose, upper lip or back of the neck. They are usually gone within 18 months of birth.

Management and Treatment

Since stork bites are harmless, they do not need treatment and may begin to fade as your child grows. If your child's stork bite is not fading as they grow older, especially as they reach adulthood, your healthcare provider can remove the stork bite with a laser for cosmetic reasons.

Salmon patches usually fade within the first year of life. Hemangiomas can get larger for 6 to 12 months, sometimes rapidly. Then the growth stops and the hemangioma eventually shrinks and disappears. Most hemangiomas disappear by the time children are 9 years old.

The “Salmon-Patch” of Conjunctival Lymphoma. Most patients notice the reddish discoloration of the surface of the eyeball (conjunctiva). As the tumor enlarges, patients seek medical attention. Conjunctival lymphomas can become large enough to displace the eyeball, and restrict eye movement.

Nevus simplex is a very common harmless rash in newborns that usually fades away as your child grows. Rarely the rash persists, and when it does, a dermatologist can usually remove it using laser therapy.

An angel kiss birthmark is a type of vascular birthmark that looks like a light red or pink splotch on your baby's face. According to superstition, babies get these marks from an angel's kiss which can mean they're blessed, are marked by a past life, or have divine protection.

What does a stork bite indicate? ›

Stork bites are not a sign of any underlying condition and are relatively common in newborns. They develop due to the dilation of blood vessels. They are harmless and usually go away within the first few years of life without treatment.

Many birthmarks change, grow, shrink, or disappear. There are many types of birthmarks, and some are more common than others. Salmon patches (also called stork bites, angel kisses, or macular stains) are the most common type of birthmark.

For example, vascular birthmarks like hemangiomas occur in 5 to 10 percent of newborns. A stork mark is another common type of vascular birthmark. Other birthmarks occur less often. Port-wine stains are rather rare, with an estimated incidence of 0.3 percent.

Typically with syphilis and occasionally with other causes, the entire cornea develops a ground-glass appearance, obscuring the iris. New blood vessels grow in from the limbus (neovascularization) and cause orange-red areas (salmon patches).

Causes of birthmarks

The occurrence of birthmarks may be inherited. Some marks may be similar to marks on other family members, but most are not. Red birthmarks are caused by an overgrowth of blood vessels. Blue or brown birthmarks are caused by pigment cells (melanocytes).