Two U.K. parents were concerned about their baby boy who was born with a purple mark covering part of his left arm and hand. Shannon Smith, 27, and Ayrton Hall, 29, told Newsweek their son, Reuben, was born via C-section. The parents wondered if the mark had been caused by the surgery.
For reassurance, Shannon and Ayrton sought a second opinion and consulted a pediatrician. There, they were told that the mark on Reuben’s arm was a port wine stain birthmark, and then referred to a dermatologist for further investigation. A port wine stain is a vascular birthmark caused by abnormal blood vessels beneath the skin, typically appearing as a flat red or purple mark which appears from birth.
As the weeks went by, Shannon and Ayrton spent a lot of time observing Reuben’s arm. Greives, MD, MS, FACS, Thomas D. Cronin chair of plastic surgery at UT Health and director of the vascular anomalies team at Memorial Hermann Health System, told Newsweek that if a baby is born with a port wine stain birthmark, parents should have them evaluated and monitored by a vascular anomalies team.
Port wine stain birthmarks are benign lesions but can become thickened and bumpy over time if left untreated. These changes can trigger abnormal blood vessel growth in affected tissue, sometimes leading to overgrowth of a limb. In some cases, targeted treatments designed to block specific genes or cellular pathways may help slow the progression of the condition.
Shannon shared the progress of the mark in a post on TikTok (@raisingreu) where she calls it his “iron fist.” Dozens of TikTok users left comments, with some calling the mark “beautiful” and “perfect.” One user said they had a similar birthmark to Reuben's as a baby that gradually faded over time, although a red vein-like mark is still visible on part of their lower arm. As Reuben grows up, Shannon and Ayrton want him to feel proud of the birthmark, as it makes him unique.
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