Diagnosis | Stork bite in the neck

Diagnosis

The diagnosis can usually be made immediately after birth. For this, a gaze diagnosis is sufficient, a tissue sample is not necessary. In rare cases, the stork bite only becomes visible after a few days, which is why it is sometimes only noticed during the first examinations of the newborn.

During the physical examination, the blood vessels can be squeezed out with a transparent spatula – the red coloration then disappears briefly. The test can provide an indication of the diagnosis. If the changes occur on the face or very large areas on only one side of the body, a further examination for certain genetic syndromes should be carried out.

Therapy

If the stork bite is the only symptom, it is a frequently occurring change in the skin which does not need to be treated. In most children, the changes in the skin fade after a few months to years and are hardly or no longer visible. If the stork bite occurs as part of a genetic syndrome, it is important to treat it as well as possible and, if necessary, to have medication available for acute symptomatic therapy.

If the stork bite does not fade after a few years and is cosmetically disturbing due to its location, the skin change can be removed. In most cases a specific laser technique is used, which can achieve a cosmetic removal of the skin change. However, the treatment often takes several years.

A treatment with cold (cryotherapy) is also possible in principle, but is often accompanied by less beautiful results.Coverage with special cosmetics is also possible, but this is usually relatively costly. The removal of the stork bite is especially recommended if it appears on the face and has not faded after a few years. The removal of the stork bite can strengthen the own aesthetic sensation.

Prognosis

Although a stork bite occurs in up to 50% of newborns, significantly fewer adults are affected by the skin changes. This is due to the frequent spontaneous regression of the skin symptoms. Within the first few years, a stork bite fades away in many children.

Removal by laser or cold therapy should therefore only be considered after the second year of life to wait for a possible spontaneous improvement. If the stork bite is still clearly visible after the third year of life, it is likely that it will remain more or less visible for the rest of your life. Over the years, however, the spot may fade further.