Trauma-induced Skin Lesions in Newborns – an Overlooked Problem

Abstract

Newborns are more likely to develop bruises due to mechanical trauma during birth. Establishing the correct diagnosis in newborns presenting with different skin lesions is not an easy task, and besides the well-known pathology, one must not forget simple posttraumatic injuries. We present three cases that raised questions before establishing that the lesions had been induced by simple mechanical trauma during birth. Trauma-induced skin lesions in newborns may represent an overlooked problem. The three cases presented here are meant to draw attention to the possibility of trauma-induced lesions in newborns, which require only close follow-up and surveillance instead of exhaustive clinical and laboratory investigations, which are inevitably accompanied by anxiety.

Keywords

• skin lesions
• trauma
• newborns