When Reagan Baylee Campbell was born, her face was heavily marked. The vascular birthmark, sometimes known as a port-wine stain, is an irregularly shaped scarring on the skin that appears as a crimson stain. Capillary inflammation develops along the skin, resulting in dark patches appearing on the body – but these spots are most commonly seen on the face and neck, where around sixty-seven percent of these marks occur.
For the majority of her life, Reagan, 25, had to deal with hateful kids who didn’t understand her port-wine stain birthmark. Some of these monsters made belittling remarks about her mark, comparing it to spaghetti sauce. Nonetheless, Reagan was brave and refused to hide her birthmark with cosmetics so that others may not see it. Instead, she embraced her birthmark since it was a part of who she was.
“I receive negative comments about my birthmark on a daily basis,” Reagan stated. “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 birthmark, on the other hand, continued to expand in size. As a result, Reagan has had laser therapy to reduce the growth in size. In an attempt to lighten the color of the birthmark, doctors use a laser technique that involves eight lasers firing light beams at it. Laser surgery, despite its ability to make the mark seem less apparent, does not remove it entirely.
“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 stated.
Reagan has had eight laser treatments in total. Before the age of five, she had six operations. These were used to avoid the spread of her birthmark or sagging skin as she grew older. However, despite their best efforts, surgeons were unable to utilize surgery to significantly decrease the color of her birthmark, which is still very apparent today.
Regan continued, “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.”
What do you think about this young lady’s experience with a port-wine stain birthmark?
