Some of the common variations in skin color and birthmarks are described below. These are small pink or red patches often found on a baby s eyelids, between the eyes, upper lip, and back of the neck. The name comes from the marks on the back of the neck where, as the myth goes, a stork may have picked up the baby. They are caused by a concentration of immature blood vessels and may be the most visible when the baby is crying. Most of these fade and disappear completely.
Mongolian spots are blue or purple-colored splotches on the baby s lower back and buttocks.
The spots are caused by a concentration of pigmented cells. They usually disappear in the first four years of life. This is a bright or dark red, raised or swollen, bumpy area that looks like a strawberry. Hemangiomas are formed by a concentration of tiny, immature blood vessels. Most of these occur on the head.