Hello, I’m Lauren and I’m proud to show you my birthmark. In 1989, I was born with a very extensive birthmark called a Port Wine Stain. A Port Wine Stain is a rare vascular haemangioma caused by malformation in the capillaries. It covers about 85% of the left side of my body including my cheek, chest, neck, arm, leg and both feet.
When I was born, my parents were only told that I had a big birthmark. It was 1989 and knowledge for a condition like mine was rare. I was also born with hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain) which they were told would calcify, thank goodness it didn’t, and I managed to escape a lot more complications.
My mum did her very best to give me an inclusive, well rounded, healthy childhood and I will always be thankful to her for my strength.
As the weeks went on it became apparent through professors and Great Ormond Street Hospital in London that this wasn’t just a birthmark. Within weeks of being born, I was diagnosed with Sturge Weber Syndrome and Klippel Trenaunay Syndrome. Both are extremely rare vascular conditions. The prognosis was bleak. It definitely wasn’t just a birthmark.
I was taunted at school, college, and even work. All my life I’ve been called names like Two-Face from Batman, Scar Face, and Pinky.
At one point, my mother was told I had hypotrophy in my limbs, and that I may become blind and deaf. Luckily, this never happened. However, I have faced my fair share of problems, such as blood clots in the lungs, flare ups of lymphedema, bleeding gums, and a pyogenic granuloma on my head. I’ve also got a cyst in my brain from drainage as a baby and have seizures because of the Sturge Weber Syndrome. I’ve also got an enlarged spleen, glaucoma in my eyes, low blood pressure and three occluded veins behind my calf so I wear grade three compression.
Lauren doesn’t want to hide her birthmark
A lot to take on right? I tell myself every day that I am so lucky because I know deep down that this could have been a lot worse. My mum did her very best to give me an inclusive, well rounded, healthy childhood and I will always be thankful to her for my strength. I still get stares, of course – some laser treatment made a small difference, but I stopped the sessions for personal reasons because I knew deep down it would never go away completely.
I’m 36 years old now and a mother of two healthy boys. If I’m completely honest, it’s taken me those 36 years to become fully accepting of my birthmark and other conditions. I spent many years hating myself and struggling to come to terms with looking “different”.
I would love to make even a small difference in how young women see themselves in today’s society.
I’ve always enjoyed make up and skincare and my Port Wine Stain made me feel like I stood out for the wrong reasons. Fortunately, I’m surrounded by amazing people. My friends, brother, sons and boyfriend all encouraged me to be myself and after I lost my mum in 2022 very suddenly, it gave me the push I needed to realise that you get one life, one chance. I don’t need to cover up, this is who I am, and I should be proud of my birthmark.
I would love to see more influencers, celebrities and models with an “imperfect” aesthetic. Birthmarks and other visible differences should be celebrated, because they are more common than people think, but not spoken about enough! If I had the platform, I would love to make even a small difference in how young women see themselves in today’s society, with or without make up. Hopefully sharing my story can help someone. Together we can be stronger than ever!
