Stork bite
Stork bite
Neonate
Neonate


Stork bite

Definition:
Stork bites are common vascular lesions of the newborn consisting of one or more pale red patch(es), most often seen in the midline on the forehead, eyelids, tip of the nose, upper lip, and at the hairline on the back of the neck.

Alternative Names:
Salmon patch; Nevus simplex

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Stork bites (also called salmon patches) occur in about one third of all newborn infants. They are flat, pink lesions with irregular borders, and they may become darker with crying or room temperature changes.

They fade with pressure, but when the pressure is removed, the reddish appearance returns. Stork bites clear spontaneously over a period of months and are universally gone by 18 months -- with the exception of those on the back of the neck. These may persist for years, but are generally covered by hair.




Review Date: 1/31/2002
Reviewed By: Michael Lehrer, M.D., Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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