An Aussie mum has revealed she was called a ‘monster’ by cruel trolls for choosing to laser off her baby’s facial birthmark – but claims she did it to help her child.
Stay-at-home mum Brooke Atkins, 33, from Gold Coast, welcomed her second child, a baby boy named Kingsley six months ago. But soon after he was born, Brooke and her partner Kewene Wallace, 27, noticed a large ‘port wine’ mark covering half of his face. Kinngsley is pitctured after his laser treatment.
Port-wine stain birthmarks are usually harmless, but if on the face – particularly over the eye – they can be linked to glaucoma and Sturge Weber Syndrome.
Birth mark can cause can cause seizures and other disabilities while glaucoma which can cause blindness.Kingsley is pictured after the laser treatmetn.
Port-wine stain birthmarks are usually harmless, but if on the face – particularly over the eye – they can be linked to glaucoma and Sturge Weber Syndrome. This can cause seizures and other disabilities while glaucoma which can cause blindness.
Kingsley was diagnosed with both.
‘The thing with port wine stains is that they are progressive, meaning they will change and darken over time,’ Brooke, who is also mum to Amarni, two, said.
Mum speaks about getting laser surgery for her baby’s birthmark
‘The thing with port wine stains is that they are progressive, meaning they will change and darken over time,’ Brooke (pictured), who is also mum to Amarni, two, said.
Treatment usually involves laser treatment to remove some of the dark colour from the mark, or camouflaging the discolouring using a special type of make-up.
‘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 family are currently going through the treatment with Kingsley and are amazed with him every day.
