An Australian mother reveals how she has been called a “monster” online since she lasers her baby’s large facial birthmark. However, she believes she did it to assist her child.
Stay-at-home mum Brooke Atkins, 33, from Gold Coast, welcomed her second child, a baby boy named Kingsley six months ago.
Brooke and her partner Kewene Wallace, 27, saw a big ‘port wine’ mark spanning half of his face immediately after he was born, reports Daily Mail. “Port-wine stains are birthmarks that look like someone spilled wine on the skin. About 3 out of every 1,000 children are born with this pink-to-reddish mark.”, according to Web MD. These red stains are rarely hazardous and are typically not indicative of a severe health condition. The most common fear is whether a port-wine birthmark would upset a youngster or harm their self-esteem when they grow up.
Glaucoma, which can result in blindness, can be caused by port-wine stains around the eye or on the eyelid along with Sturge Weber Syndrome. Unfortunately, Kingsley was diagnosed with both these conditions. “The thing with port wine stains is that they are progressive, meaning they will change and darken over time.”, the mum to Amarni, two, said.
‘They can develop a “cobblestone” appearance, with raised bumps, ridges and the risk of vascular blebs, where they dangerously bleed.
‘Once a port wine stain gets to this stage, it is often very difficult to treat and laser barely has any affect, as the skin is already far too damaged.’
She then decided to use a laser treatment on Kingsley’s mark.
‘The only way to treat a port wine stain is through laser treatments and the most effective laser for a it is called a Pulsed Dye Laser.
‘When he was first born, we were referred to the Queensland Children’s Hospital dermatology and vascular department, where they organise the first treatment and explain in further details why laser would be important.
‘The purpose of the laser treatments are not to ‘remove’ the birthmark but instead keep the skin healthy, to prevent any further damage to the area.’
The family is now undergoing therapy with Kingsley and is always amazed by him.
But the choice to treat the mark has been slammed by trolls on TikTok, who Brooke says called her a ‘monster’ after she shared a post about it.
‘Don’t think I could laser my baby.’, one person said.
Another commented: ‘That birthmark is barely visible, what you’re doing to him is horrible, it’s more for you than him.’
A third person commented, “Brainwashed mother making her kid insecure the second he gets out the womb.”
However, there were still several people who completely supported her decision. A user said, “You’re the mom and you know what is the best for him.”
Of the reception she has received online, Brooke said: ‘Honestly, when I first started reading the negative comments, I sat there for a good half an hour and cried to myself.
‘I had a whole heap of mum guilt and it made me question my decision, even though I knew I was doing the right thing, the cruel words still played in my head.”
She added, “I just wish these people had known about the health issues connected to these types of birthmarks before writing these things, that this wasn’t for cosmetic reasons and that as parents, this was the hardest decision we have had to make.”
However, she said, “Although I constantly worry about my son’s future and what it will be like, he continues to hit all his milestones. This journey for our family has just started and there is a long road ahead but we will push through!”
References: dailymail.co.uk, daily.lessonslearnedinlife.com, webmd.com
