What is an Angel's Kiss Birthmark?

Ever wondered where an angel’s kiss birthmark comes from? Does it have any meaning? Will it ever go away? We’ll explain all. Ahh, an angel’s kiss birthmark—can you hear the fluttering of wings?

Perhaps the gentle strum of a harp? It all sounds so enchanting, doesn’t it?

If your new arrival has a pink or reddish birthmark between their eyebrows that can look a little like a rash, you might hear your relatives and friends coo that an angel has kissed them.

And it’s also very common for those marks to be found elsewhere too.

When they do crop up in other places, those birthmarks can be called "stork bites", hemangioma or even "salmon patches".

What do all these terms mean?

And, while we’re at it, what is a birthmark anyway?

Is it permanent?

Or will your little one ever lose their angel’s kiss?

In this article: 📝

What is a birthmark?

Before we start getting into the nitty gritty of angel’s kisses, stork bites, and salmon patches, we should probably talk about what a birthmark is in the first place.

A birthmark is a mark on the skin (no surprises there!) that tends to be present when a baby is born, but some appear just after.

So yep, as the name suggests, a birthmark is a mark you have from birth.

Birthmarks are divided into two main types: pigmented and vascular:

• Pigmented birthmarks have more color than the skin surrounding them. Moles, café au lait spots, and so-called Mongolian spots all fall under this category.
• Vascular birthmarks, on the other hand, come from blood vessels that didn’t quite form properly during development. Angel’s kisses fall under this category.

What is an angel’s kiss on a newborn?

The technical term for an angel’s kiss is a macular stain or nevus simplex.

A macular stain is the most common type of vascular birthmark and is light red or pink in color.

These marks don’t tend to cause issues from a medical perspective, so they don’t usually need treatment.

Macular stains are sometimes called angel’s kisses if they appear on the forehead or eyelids.

It’s just as if some divine being blew your baby a special kiss to welcome them to earth.

What an entrance!

Interestingly enough, you may notice that your little one’s angel kiss birthmark gets more noticeable when they cry.

And while it might be nice to consider that this is because their angel is comforting them, scientifically, it’s due to increased circulation in the area.

What is a stork bite?

A stork bite is just a macular stain that’s in a different place than an angel’s kiss.

Stork bites tend to occur at the back of the head or neck.

A stork bite birthmark is sometimes called a salmon patch.

Does the angel’s kiss birthmark have a meaning?

Throughout history, birthmarks have been associated with everything from lucky omens to past lives.

They’ve even been considered to be marks from the devil!

An angel's kiss, of course, has much more heavenly associations—and some believe they are gifts from the divine.

When do angel kiss birthmarks go away?

Macular stains tend to fade by the time your little one has become a toddler.

Macular stains on the neck (aka stork bites) have more of a habit of sticking around—potentially into adulthood.

If your little cherub finds them a source of distress when they grow into adulthood, there are options like laser treatments that lighten the appearance of the mark.

So, what is an angel's kiss birthmark?

If your little cherub has an angel’s kiss, don’t worry, mama—they’re harmless, and many newborns have them.

As they grow older, their angel kisses will likely fade.

But, either way, we think they’re just another way that your little peanut is totally unique!