剛出生不久的嬰兒身上往往可以看到藍色或者紅色的胎記。媽媽們常說“有了胎記就丟不了了”。這些胎記有的會隨著嬰兒長大而漸漸消失，而有的會一直留在那里，甚至擴散成疾。胎記究竟是什么呢，看完這篇小短文，你就會對它了解一二。

Many babies have birthmarks when they are born. Some birthmarks appear in the first few weeks of life. These marks can be red, pink, brown, tan or blue.There is no way to prevent birthmarks. Most are benign and fade in early childhood.

Some birthmarks, however, may be more dramatic and cause cosmetic problems, or even be precursors to cancer.There are two major categories of birthmarks: red and pigmented.

Red birthmarks can range from tiny, pink dots to large, deep-red marks. Red birthmarks are caused by blood vessels very close to the surface of the skin, and are also called vascular birthmarks.

There are two types of vascular birthmarks: macular and hemangioma. Macular birthmarks or stains are sometimes known as stork bites or angel's kisses. They are extremely common in newborns and are caused by capillaries that are visible through the skin.

These tiny, pink marks are most often found on the forehead, eyelids and back of the neck. They require no treatment and usually fade as the baby grows. Hemangiomas, known as strawberry birthmarks, are also very common. Most are small and harmless.

The red color and slightly raised appearance are caused by a large number of blood vessels that are closely packed at the surface of the skin. They usually appear around the face, neck, scalp or chest, and are more common in females.

Nearly all strawberry birthmarks disappear by age 9.

Pigmented birthmarks are areas of skin where the color is different from the color of the rest of the skin. These are normal birthmarks and are usually not indicative of other problems.

However, if you have several red spots that are very large, they might indicate neurofibromatosis -- a genetic disease that causes abnormal cell growth of nerve tissues -- and should be examined by a doctor.

Children with darker skin coloration may have a birthmark called Mongolian spots. These are bluish spots, usually on the lower back or buttocks, that look like (and are sometimes mistaken for) bruises. They usually fade over time.

birthmark: 胎記

pigmented: 由色素沉著而著色的

vascular:血管的

macular：有斑點的

hemangioma：血管瘤

capillary: 毛細管

neurofibromatosis: 多發性神經纖維瘤

（英語點津meggie編輯）