[Susan-M27467]

Are all Asian babies born with bruising or dark discoloration on their bottoms? I once cared for a baby who I mistakenly thought was being abused. I was told dark discoloration is quite normal for Asian children. What causes it?

User Detail :  

Name : Susan-M27467, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 57, City : Cedar Park, State : TX, Country : United States, Occupation : Cashier, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Jen30979]

Yes, most Asian babies have dark, bruise-like spots near the small of their back. This is also true for Native Americans and half-Asian children. I think they’re called Mongolian spots. And yes, many poeple may think it is due to abuse. These spots do go away as the child ages. I know this in part because I am Asian, and also because I have read about it.

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Name : Jen30979, Gender : F, Race : Asian, Age : 28, City : Colorado Springs, State : CO, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Sanae]

I don’t know if all Asian babies have this. I heard once by some news a long time ago that Japanese and Mogorian have this phenomenon. I am a Japanese and had the blue mark on my butt. I still have a mark on my shoulder that looks like a bruise. I think, it is to do with melanin.

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Name : Sanae, Race : Asian, City : Elmont, State : NY, Country : United States, 

[Karl-H]

What you have witnessed is what anthropologists call the ‘Mongolian blue spot,’ an indicator, like shovel-shaped incisors, of East Asian ancestry. It’s a perfectly normal phenomenon that, if I’m not mistaken, occurs in nearly 70 percent of people whose ancestors came from China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and Mongolia. Many of Mayan Indian descent also have the blue spot. It may eventually disappear. My Chinese wife from Taiwan has apparently lost hers; my daughter has one in the center of her back; my son doesn’t have one.

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Name : Karl-H, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Unitarian, Age : 45, City : Pasadena, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Fred-B]

It’s called a Mongolian Blue Spot and is a common birth mark. It fades with age.

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Name : Fred-B, Gender : M, City : Tiksi, State : NA, Country : Russia, 

[Dan27366]

I’ve been told that American Indians have a similar darkening on their lower backs. Most Mexicans also have this darkening, so I’m told, because they are more Indian than Spanish. I can’t seem to find mine, probably because I’m nearly half Scotsman. I can’t think of any reasons why it’d be there, though. It could be any number of reasons. Since it doesn’t aid survival, it’s probably just genetic randomness, like knuckle hair or something.

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Name : Dan27366, Gender : M, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Pentecostal Christian, Age : 21, City : Los Angeles, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : student/dishwasher, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Hallie]

Apparently, it’s not just Asians. It also occurs among South American Hispanics, and whites. My brother and my mother had the blue marks, and they’re both Caucasian.

User Detail :  

Name : Hallie, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Age : 16, City : Frankfort, State : KY, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, 

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