South African doctors and dermatology experts were left baffled by a baby who was born with a clear number 12 birthmark right in the middle of his forehead.
When Hanru van Niekerk was born to his proud parents in Johannesburg, South Africa, on November 11 last year, people thought he had come a day early, judging by the birthmark.
When Hanru was born, his family didn’t even notice the unique birthmark on the baby, the boy’s great-grandmother Catherine Jooste told reporters at the time of his birth.
“My youngest daughter was the first one to see it and she said there is a 1 and a 2 on his forehead. We did not worry about it, his doctor said it will fade as he gets older,” she said.
The family love their son and have said that his slightly strange birthmark makes no difference to them at all. They claim it just makes him all the more special to them.
Dermatologist Patrice Hyde spoke about birthmarks and the way they develop in babies in the womb and once born.
“Hemangiomas are a bunch of tiny blood vessels that grow in a specific area on the skin — that’s why they usually look red or purple. Blood vessels are tiny tubes that carry blood through the body. No one knows what causes blood vessels to group together, but it’s good to know that most birthmarks aren’t a sign of any kind of illness and usually don’t hurt at all.”
According to Hyde, these types of birthmarks, while strange looking, tend to fade as the baby enters his or her toddler years, despite the fact there are remedies which can help hide less-than-sightly birthmarks.
Another way of removing or hiding birthmarks is to use Corticosteroids, which can be injected into the birthmark or taken orally.
Laser therapy and full surgical removal are also viable options.
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