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Your baby may have rashes and birthmarks. Most will fade quickly without treatment, but some may be permanent. These are the most common newborn rashes and birthmarks:

Salmon Patches

Salmon patches, or "stork bites," are patches of deep pink, usually located on the bridge of the nose, lower forehead, upper eyelids, back of the head or neck. The most common birthmark, especially in light-skinned babies, they disappear over the first few months.

Mongolian Spots

Mongolian spots are large, flat areas containing extra pigment, which appear green or blue (like a bruise) on the back or buttocks. Very common, especially in dark-skinned babies, they usually disappear by school age and are of no significance.

Pustular Melanosis

Pustular melanosis cause small blisters that quickly dry and peel away, leaving dark spots like freckles. Some babies have only the spots, indicating that they had the rash before birth. The spots disappear in several weeks.

Milia

Milia are tiny white bumps or yellow spots across the tip of the nose or chin, caused by skin gland secretion. They appear raised but are nearly flat and smooth to the touch. They disappear in the first two to three weeks of life.

Miliaria

Miliaria causes a raised rash consisting of small fluid-filled blisters. The fluid is normal skin secretion and may be clear or milky-white. Miliaria usually disappears with normal skin cleansing.

Erythema Toxicum

Erythema toxicum is a rash of red splotches with yellowish-white bumps in the centers. They generally appear only during the first day after birth and disappear without treatment within the first week or so.

Capillary or Strawberry Hemangiomas

Capillary or strawberry hemangiomas are raised red spots with a rough texture. For the first week or so, they may appear white or pale, then turn red later. Caused by dilated blood vessels in the top layers of the skin, they enlarge during the first few months, then gradually shrink and disappear without treatment.

Port Wine Stain

Large, flat, irregularly shaped red or purple areas, port wine stains are caused by a surplus of blood vessels under the skin. They won't disappear without treatment, which can be performed by either a plastic surgeon or a pediatric dermatologist when the child is older.

Forceps Marks

When forceps are used to help during a delivery, the baby may have red marks or even superficial scrapes on the face and head where the metal pressed against the skin. These should disappear within a few days. Sometimes a firm, flat lump develops in one of these areas because of minor damage to the tissue under the skin, but this, too, usually will go away within two months.