white birthmarks?

[FondestBianca]

I can't find any info on white colored birthmarks what so ever! Does anyone know what birthmarks that are very fair, to white colored are called specifically? Small, roundish, flat, smooth, white marks.

I know smooth, flat, tan colored spots are caused by a buildup of pigmentation so I assume white spots are casued by a lack of pigmentation...? Anyway, dd has 2 of these in addition to her tan colored birthmark and I'm unable to find any info about them.

[ASusan]

Are you sure it isn't tinea versicolor?

It isn't usually that visible on white children until the summer. The fungus bleaches the pigmentation, and the sun further darkens the skin, but not the fungally-affected spots.

DS is mixed white and AA, which makes the tinea versicolor even all that much more visible. In addition, he possibly has ring-worm - ugh - he's a walking fungus factory, and his belly and calves are covered in white spots. We recently added "spots" to his growing vocabulary, as in, "It's time to put lotion on your spots!"

ETS - none of the first 4 pages of images of ringworm or tinea versicolor in Google images look anything like what my son has. They all are the most gory, worst-case images I have seen. I hope someone here can perhaps post a picture.

[FondestBianca]

Originally Posted by ASusan

Are you sure it isn't tinea versicolor?

I'll have to do a search on that. Her white spots (she has 2 of them) feel just the same as the rest of her skin, smooth and flat with no dryness or redness. One appeared sometime in the first year and is the same size now (a bit smaller than a dime) and the other just recently appeared on her upper thigh (same size and general shape). Neither are perfectly round, but circular-ish. The edge are a bit jagged and the shape slightly elongated however. There is no variation of color or tone within them, bumps, roughness, or ickiness of any kind within them either.

If it makes a difference dd is 1/4 mexican, 1/8 native american, and the rest is white (mostly english). She isn't overly dark without a tan (pretty much looks like a white kid 3/4 of the year) but her spots were white enough to be visible before her summer tan.

ETA: just did a search and the first 182 pics that came up did not look like what dd has. So I don't think thats probable at this point.

[snuffles]

One of my kids has a white "birthmark" on his thigh that showed up when he was a few months old. I thought it was odd as well.

[didelphus]

My dd has a white birth-mark spot on her ribcage. It's been there since she was a baby and she's nine, now. It's always the same shape and in the same spot so I don't think it's a fungus.
I've noticed that eczema patches don't tan, either. My friend's kid would have huge white patches on his legs from eczema even though the acutal eczema didn't show.

[JessicaS]

Yeah we get that in my family as well.

My sister's is probably the most noticable, she has a large one on her back.

She has had people try to tell her it is dry skin but it doesn't go away with regular moisturizing.

[FondestBianca]

good to know there are others with white marks that don't seem to be likely caused by a skin condition.

[operamommy]

Saw this on the main page. My youngest son (age 18 months) has had a white birthmark on the front/side of his head/scalp since birth. We call it his patch. It's in a pretty noticeable spot near the front and is about maybe 3 x 3 inches. His hair on it is white. The rest of his hair is brown. It should look pretty interesting once his hair grows in a bit more! My friends and I kid that all the other kids in school will want a patch of white hair too!

[tbone_kneegrabber]

my brother has one on his head that grows white hair. ds has one on the back of his neck. i just call it a "blank." its just a different kind of birthmark

[inkslinger]

Originally Posted by FondestBianca

I'll have to do a search on that. Her white spots (she has 2 of them) feel just the same as the rest of her skin, smooth and flat with no dryness or redness. One appeared sometime in the first year and is the same size now (a bit smaller than a dime) and the other just recently appeared on her upper thigh (same size and general shape). Neither are perfectly round, but circular-ish. The edge are a bit jagged and the shape slightly elongated however. There is no variation of color or tone within them, bumps, roughness, or ickiness of any kind within them either.

If it makes a difference dd is 1/4 mexican, 1/8 native american, and the rest is white (mostly english). She isn't overly dark without a tan (pretty much looks like a white kid 3/4 of the year) but her spots were white enough to be visible before her summer tan.

ETA: just did a search and the first 182 pics that came up did not look like what dd has. So I don't think thats probable at this point.

My 5 year old daughter has a small one on her shoulder. It is more pronounced when she's had sun exposure (tan) she's 1/2 white and 1/2 Mexican, I've seen a lot of Mexicans with similar birthmarks.

[FondestBianca]

Originally Posted by inkslinger

My 5 year old daughter has a small one on her shoulder. It is more pronounced when she's had sun exposure (tan) she's 1/2 white and 1/2 Mexican, I've seen a lot of Mexicans with similar birthmarks.

dh (1/2 mexican) has one also. Maybe it is a birthmark and there is just no information out there about negative pigmented birthmarks. If it's a typical thing for certain races I do wonder how there is no such mention of them in any serach I've done online reguarding birthmarks. ??

[inkslinger]

Originally Posted by FondestBianca

dh (1/2 mexican) has one also. Maybe it is a birthmark and there is just no information out there about negative pigmented birthmarks. If it's a typical thing for certain races I do wonder how there is no such mention of them in any serach I've done online reguarding birthmarks. ??

I know, it's strange. I've been trying to google it and haven't come up with anything!

Wait, the only thing I can find is that it is possibly 'nevus depigmentosus' which basically just means a spot with no pigment! It is more common in people of Hispanic and Mediterranean descent.

[jaimecruz1998]

I have a white birthmark as well! It bothers me a lot, its really emberassing. It is located right under my belly button. Is there any way of treating this?

[GracieAnn1996]

Hi! I know this is very old, but just in case anyone was still wondering, this is what i know. I have one of these birthmarks on the top of my left breast, it is almost a perfect circle and has no pigment. i went to a dermatologist about it about a year ago, and he told me it was the strangest thing he had ever seen. I have wanted it gone my whole life because 1. it's ugly, and 2. if i wear anything with a low neckline it gets burnt. even in the winter, because it has no pigment it will just turn bright read and sting and peel! it's awful in the summer, because i am constantly slathering it with spf 50 but it doesn't help. the dermatologist told me there is nothing they can really do about it other than a skin graft. Honestly, i am considering it because of the two things i listed above, mostly the later. however he told me that in the mean time i can cover it with a couple band aids if i wear something low cut, and i can use self tanner to cover it a little, however that won't help the burning problem. He also said birthmarks like this are very rare, so feel lucky you have one! haha