Brown marks, permanent dark or light brown flat patches which sometimes appear in clusters. Moles, which vary in size and may be raised or hairy. Bluish or greenish Mongolian spots on the back or buttocks, which usually disappear by school age. Light ones may fade, but most endure and enlarge as the child grows. Rather than seeing them as disfiguring or something to be removed, some parents consider birthmarks a sign of their child's uniqueness and find them attractive.
Most birthmarks are harmless.
However, it's wise to have your doctor check moles, especially large ones known as giant pigmented naevi , which are more likely than small moles to become cancerous over time. Your doctor will also want to keep a check on potentially problematic marks, such as port-wine stains which are near the eye, large haemangiomas on an arm, leg or near the eye, or large groups of brown marks. Port-wine stains on the face or neck, even small ones, may bother a child tremendously and may even be psychologically damaging. In that case, specialised make-up can be used to disguise the area. Parents are often tempted to have disfiguring birthmarks removed, but it's wise to leave them untreated unless they begin to interfere with the body's functions.