What Are These Brown Marks and Bumps?

Updated on May 04, 2018
D.R. asks from McDonough, GA
7 answers

My son, who is now 5, was born with these little brown bumps on his chest and stomach. I would ask his doctor what they were, but she told me they were baby acne and would go away. As he grew older I would still ask, but was reassured it was nothing, as they don’t itch or aren't painful. Fast forward to now and I still don’t know what they are. I can not find any answers. They almost look like acne. My 5 year old son is noticing them and is starting to be self conscious about them. I am completely lost and don’t know how to get rid of them or what they are. I have a dermatologist appointment already set up (so please dont say the obvious) I’m looking for anyone who has run across something similar. Not trying to be rude.

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S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

i'm at a loss to imagine why you think that non-doctors who haven't seen your kid will know better than your pediatrician.

yes, it's substandard that your doctor has been blowing it off for 5 years, and good that you've finally decided to involve an actual medical professional, but thinking you're going to get anything useful from a parenting advice board is........strange.

could be a super serious type of acne. scarring. tick bites. an infection. skin cancer. an allergic reaction. a hereditary condition. a curse. parasites. aliens.
khairete
S.

4 moms found this helpful

D.B.

answers from Boston on

I'm seeing a whole bunch of first-time questioners with these vague medical questions. It's kind of uncanny.

If you look at all the other ones and the answers, you'll see a consistent theme - that no one can even guess at these without seeing the patient or having way more info on top of a prior medical history. That's just not what Mamapedia is good for. Like you, I'm not trying to be rude either. I just want you to pursue avenues that will be much more likely to really help you. We aren't medical personnel, we cannot see your child's skin, we don't know how things may have changed over time, and we cannot possibly guess.

I get that you are frustrated. But if this has bothered you for five full years and the doctor has said, "It's nothing," then you can certainly wait a few more weeks/months until your appointment with a dermatologist who can actually see your son's bumps. I also think you should switch pediatricians to someone you trust, who will not take 5 years to send you for a second opinion if you keep asking, and who does not make you feel you aren't taken seriously.

4 moms found this helpful

T.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Ask your pediatrician for a referral to a dermatologist.

3 moms found this helpful
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N.K.

answers from Miami on

Forget the doctor, see the dermatologist. He/she will know what it is and what can be done about it, if it's abnormal or unsightly.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.G.

answers from Portland on

My kids had baby acne and it wasn't brown, nor was it on their chests nor stomachs, so I can't relate to that at all. It didn't last past infancy.

I find it kind of odd your son's pediatrician can't identify the bumps - ours can tell us with one look what our kids have, and we only see the dermatologist if the condition has been tied to an allergy or complicated to treat.

I'm sure the dermatologist will know and give you a product to remove them. No need to be lost :)

2 moms found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

Acne isn't brown.
Blackhead type zits can look black - but I've never heard of anyone born with blackheads.
Birth marks?
Beauty marks?
Moles?
Freckles?
Some people just have a few colored spots of skin sort of like leopard spots.
I have a patch of freckles on my back that I was born with that looks like a pickle.
The dermatologist will tell you.
If they are that much of a concern of yours why haven't you taken him to a dermatologist before now?
Probably keeping them out of the sun (keep his shirt on) would be a good thing.

1 mom found this helpful

T.D.

answers from New York on

when my son was almost 2 i noticed a brown spot that showed up on his back. i asked his dr about it. she took a picture with a ruler, noted it in his charts and is watching it for changes. it has not changed in 5 years.. shes not worried so i am not worried.
my daughter was born with a spot dead center of where her neck meets her chest.
i was born with a brown spot on my calf. its about 2 inches wide and resembles lips... we call these skin oddities that show up around birth ( sometimes before and sometimes after) Birthmarks. they are most often harmless. they are just there. they don't go away. you can opt to pay for removal, but that may leave you with a scar. with my kids i taught them to accept who they are and love the skin they are in. to look past the dots, birthmarks, freckles (of which we all have many of those!) and be happy that we wake up each morning and have a home and a family.

1 mom found this helpful
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