A woman with a red birthmark that covers nearly half of her face reveals the port wine stain is now growing inside of her mouth – and medics say there is nothing they can do.
25-year-old Reagan Baylee Campbell from Los Angeles was born with a vascular birthmark known as a port wine stain and despite enduring bullying comments about her face being compared to spaghetti sauce.
Nevertheless, Reagan was brave and refused to cover up her birthmark with makeup to hide it from the outside world. Instead, she wore her birthmark proudly because it was part of who she was.
This condition results in capillary inflammation along the skin, which causes dark spots to appear on the body – but this condition occurs most commonly on the face where the birthmark can be easily seen, with an average of about sixty-seven percent of these marks appearing on the face or neck.
“I receive negative comments about my birthmark on a daily basis,” Reagan said. “This is not to overshadow the outpouring of support from my followers and strangers all over the world. However, it is still extremely prevalent. There are a few stand-out comments that tend to bother me most, including the following: ‘you looked better before,’ ‘you should cover that,’ and ‘makeup exists for a reason.’”
The only problem is that the birthmark did not stop growing in size. That’s why Reagan has undergone laser surgery to get the birthmark’s size reduced. It works by shooting a narrow beam of light that absorbs the color into the blood vessels by shutting them down. Although it never removes the mark completely, it does lighten the color.
Reagan has undergone a total of eight laser surgeries in hopes of lightening her birthmark. Six of her surgeries were done before the age of five to prevent tissue growth and sagging of the skin in later life.
“For females, hormones can have a large impact on the appearance and hue of your birthmark. I turned 25 last year and began noticing a few slight changes in my port wine stain. I was experiencing puffiness, and the birthmark itself had darkened significantly,” Reagan said.
Regan added, “After visiting a PWS specialist, it was revealed that I had nodules (clumps of abnormal cells) that had formed. If left untreated, they can further progress my birthmark and alter its appearance permanently. Aside from the puffiness and change in hue, I also experience regular bleeding in my mouth due to my birthmark extending into my gums and the roof of my mouth. While this is an unpleasant experience, there is no cure or treatment.”
Source: AWM
