Mongoloid spot - a patch of skin with altered pigmentation, from gray-blue to bluish-black. They are detected immediately after the birth of the baby. In most cases, they are located in the sacral and lumbar, often go to the buttocks. Less commonly, spots or multiple marks can be found on other parts of the body.
The Mongoloid spot in children received such a name for the simple reason that it is found only in newborns belonging to the Mongoloid race. Japanese, Mongols, Indonesians, Eskimos and other peoples with yellow skin color give birth to children with such spots.
Europeans do not have these spots. Only 1% of newborns of the white race had similar marks. However, this only means that one of the ancestors was yellow-skinned.
According to statistics, every two hundredth Asian carrier of a special gene. This gene belongs to one person who lived around the 12th century. He was called the “Genghis Khan gene”, because it is believed that today there are about 16 million people who are distant descendants of this great conqueror.
Curiously, the Mongoloid spot does not matter. It can be considered only as a hint to scientists involved in the study of the mysteries of evolution. It has no effect on health, physiology, or physical characteristics of a person.
Different peoples perceive the presence of these spots differently. Most consider this a divine mark confirming that the child really belongs to his people. But there are those for which such marks are considered a shame.
Causes
Skin color directly depends on pigment cells called melanocytes. These cells are responsible for the coloring of human skin. It is estimated that for every square millimeter of the epidermis there are about 2 thousand melanocytes. But color does not depend on the number of cells, but only on their activity. The improper functioning of melanocytes leads to a number of diseases, such as halonevus, vitiligo, and others like that.
In people belonging to the white race, the production of melanin is very small, the activation of cells occurs only with strong exposure to sunlight. The result of this activity is a tan. Black and yellow skin produces pigment all the time, and this is why the people of Africa, Australia and Asia have a color that characterizes their race.
As a human embryo develops, melanocytes migrate from the deeper layers of the skin to the surface. Scientists suggest that the appearance of the spot is due to the unfinished process of migration. Probably, some of the melanocytes does not come to the surface, but remains in the depths of the skin. The pigment produced by them forms a Mongoloid spot.
Thus, it becomes clear that the cause of the marks is the pathology of the development of the embryo, which, in turn, is due to the presence of a special gene.
Appearance
Dark mark - congenital nevus. In most cases, the Mongoloid spot in the newborn has a blue-gray color resembling a bruise. Sometimes these spots are blue-black or blue-brown. A distinctive feature of these spots is considered uniform staining throughout the area with altered pigmentation.
The shape of the spot can be completely different, mostly irregular in shape. The sizes also do not have standards - there are from specks not exceeding the size of a coin to large spots covering the entire back.
The Mongoloid spot in the newborn is most often concentrated on the lower back or sacrum. But other places of manifestation are quite likely: the appearance of spots on the legs, back, forearms and even hands is known. Very rarely there are even migrating spots, gradually moving, for example, from the buttocks to the lower back and back.
Most often, the spot is in a single copy, but there are also manifestations of multiple marks.
Immediately after birth, the "blots" darken, but over time they become paler and smaller. In almost all children, by the age of 5, the skin acquires a uniform color. Rarely marks can be found in adolescents. Mongoloid spots in an adult remain only if there were a lot of them in childhood, and in atypical places.
Diagnostics
Having found an incomprehensible spot on the skin of a child, it is worth contacting a dermatologist. The doctor will conduct a special examination to make sure that these are not pathological pigmented nevuses, since some of their varieties may be melanoma hazardous. If one of these options is found, it is necessary to constantly be observed by a dermatologist and oncologist.
To distinguish a mongoloid spot from other types of nevus, siakopia and dermatoscopy are performed. If the diagnosis needs to be clarified, the doctor may prescribe a biopsy of the pigmented area.
Treatment
If the examination by a dermatologist is completed and he is confident in the diagnosis, the stain does not need treatment. There is no need to register with specialists. The Mongoloid spot does not cause any inconvenience and passes through several years.
Prevention
Since the "mark of God" is not a disease, there is no prevention from it. The prognosis for such a nevus is positive. For all the time of observation of these spots, not a single case of its degeneration into melanoma was recorded. For this reason, there is no need for medical supervision.
In most cases, the stain disappears on its own by five years. But even in those rare cases when it remains for life, it does not have any effect on the health or function of the body.
Attitude
The Mongoloid spot, the photo of which accompanies this article, has different meanings among different peoples. For example, in Brazil they consider it a shame to have such marks, parents carefully hide this fact even from their closest relatives, not to mention strangers. In addition, the color of the spot in Brazilians is close to greenish, so if a nevus is suddenly found in an adult, they will tease him with "green-eyed".
For most of the nations, the stain is the "slap of the Buddha," the "kiss of God." It is believed that a child with such a mark will be happy, since God (Buddha, Allah) is watching over him. And, of course, this is an extra opportunity to make sure that the child is a representative of a certain people.