Should You Leave or Remove Birthmarks?
We all aspire to see our children having glowing, flawless skin. With the time however, skin marks such as freckles, moles, and birthmarks give skin uneven appearance.
While these skin pigmentation flows may seem harmless on the surface, they may grow to a gigantic size and be a health hazard. They also attract unneeded attention thus affecting your child’s self-esteem and well being. Let’s take you through a journey on birthmarks, their causes and, most importantly the benefits and dangers of removing them.
Causes and fun facts about birthmarks
Birthmarks, affectionately known as angel’s kiss, can either result from abnormality of facial blood vessels or clustering of pigment cells. Vascular birthmarks often have a reddish, pink, or purple shade appearance and can grow in size and affect blood flow in the facial zone. Pigmented birth marks have a brownish appearance and result due to pigment cells clustering out. The most common type of a pigmented birthmark is the mole, otherwise known as congenital nevi.
Birthmarks often appear in different places and for some communities and spiritualists, the different placements have different connotations. Here are three associations that will tickle you:
Birthmark on the forehead- to some, this is a sign of spontaneity and super intelligence and such people often stand out from the crowd.
Stork bites on the neck- people often view these birthmarks as hallmarks of beauty and success in life.
Breasts- oh my! If you are superstitious and you have a birthmark on your breast, consider yourself lucky as they signal triumph. You will easily get whatever you aspire to.
The big question…
Should you remove those birthmarks on your body? What are the benefits and the dangers? While a vast majority of skin pigmentation abnormalities pose no danger, birthmarks such as the vascular ones can be a health hazard and may call for surgical removal.
Below are key benefits of removing the unsightly marks and the dangers of the whole process.
Gains of removing/treating the birthmarks
Improved self esteem
As enumerated, birthmarks can appear in different places; under your eye, on your forehead, and even on your lovely thighs. If they are large enough, they can make you feel awkward amongst people and this would lower your self-perception.
Stemming injuries or cancerous growth
Some variants of birthmarks, like the strawberry birthmarks, can easily turn to a wound if scratched. Melanocytic nevi marks have been known to develop into cancerous growth. By removing such birthmarks, you minimize possibilities of infections and the dull cancerous growth.
Prevents vascular malformations
Vascular birth marks can have a profound effect on the facial nerves in the affected areas. Choosing to remove them will safeguards your nerves from this detrimental health hazard.
Surgical processes of removing birthmarks
Laser Removal & Reduction
Nowadays, laser treatment for birthmarks has become rather common procedure. The principle of the laser surgery is in using a narrow beam of light that is absorbed by the red blood corpuscles in the blood vessels. It makes the pigmented skin become lighter over time.
Surgical shave
This is rather short procedure and is administered if a mole appears on a cosmetically sensitive area such as the forehand. Basically, the doctor will shave off the mole as well as its borderline.
Surgical incision
Administered to remove raised moles. The doctor just shaves the mole using a scalpel. Often times, this procedure is used when the doctors want to use the slashed part for further analysis.
Dangers of birthmark removal
Vascular and pigmentation birthmarks can be removed through a surgical processes which has its dangers. It’s advisable to acquaint yourself with the health risks of the process.
Potential damage of neighboring organs
Birthmarks located close to organs such as the eye and the nose can cause the damage of the organ. After, the process entails removing some tissues on the affected part.
Infection
As you’ll agree, the incision area id exposed to a flurry of elements such as bacteria. The child may also develop complications such as body aches, chills, and fever after the operation.
Always consult a doctor
Birthmarks are beautiful in their variations and they do add us more charm and charisma. However, some of them that can become a real hazard. So, although it is sometimes dangerous to remove nevus, when a birthmark impedes the functioning of an organ or affects your self-esteem, it may help to seek the view of a professional to guide you through the process.
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