Definition
A stork bite on the nose is also called a “lateral naevus flammeus” in the technical terminology. It is a kind of benign birthmark, which shows a reddish to violet coloration. It is benign and occurs in varying degrees in up to 70% of newborns.
Usually such a stork bite disappears again in the course of the first years of life. Other common names for the stork bite of the nose are Naevus Unna, Naevus vinosus, Feuermal or Portweinnaevus. The treatment of stork bite of the nose consists of dermatological laser therapy.
Causes
The cause of a stork bite on the nose is a malformation of the smallest blood vessels. These blood vessels are called capillaries. They are located directly below the uppermost layer of skin, the epidermis.
A dilation of these capillaries leads to the reddish, violet discoloration that shimmers through the thin epidermis and appears as a mole. However, one should not be confused by the term malformation at this point: stork bites are caused by minimal “errors” in the embryonic development of the baby. However, these “mistakes” have no effect on the health of the child.
Therefore, stork bites have absolutely no disease value and are classified as benign. An accumulation of such stork bites on the nose is found in children with a so-called phacomatosis. The term phacomatosis is a collective term for various illnesses that mainly affect the skin and nervous system. However, stork bites on the nose have no disease value in detail. They can only be a cosmetic problem if they do not regress.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of a stork bite on the nose is made as a so-called gaze diagnosis. This means that the doctor knows what it is by the appearance of the disease alone. Further diagnostic means such as taking a sample or similar are not necessary.
Typical for the findings is a light to dark red, violet discoloration of the skin of different sizes. The most common localization is the neck, forehead and nose. If a phacomatosis is suspected, special examinations are performed to define the individual clinical pictures in more detail.
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