A woman with a large mole on her face has revealed she has undergone nine operations to avoid health complications but has now learned to love it.
Los Angeles native Reagan Baylee has used her social media platforms to shed light on the intriguing genetic phenomenon, amassing more than 456,500 followers in the process.
“My birthmark is mainly on my left cheek and covers about 30 percent of my face,” she explained.
‘When I was a baby, it didn’t really affect my health much other than having to undergo more than a handful of surgeries to address the birthmark and prevent future complications.
‘Fortunately, my parents played an important role in my upbringing. They educated me about my condition, boosted my confidence and showed me how to raise awareness.”
Reagan Baylee, from Los Angeles, is using her social media platforms to shed light on her port wine stain birthmark
She has undergone nine surgeries to avoid health complications, but has now come to love it
Port-wine stains, which are not hereditary, develop during the first two to eight weeks of pregnancy due to a mutation in the GNAQ gene, which affects about one in three hundred babies.
Although port wine stain birthmarks are generally harmless, they can lead to several complications.
Over time, port-wine stain birthmarks may show increased vascular growth, causing them to thicken or darken. That’s why Reagan started having operations to treat moles at a young age.
“I had my first treatment when I was just four months old, a time when laser technology was less advanced than it is today,” she says.
‘By the time I was five, I had had six operations, all aimed at lightening the birthmark and preventing complications later in life. As I got older, my parents let me decide about my treatment.
‘I chose to stop all unnecessary treatments – purely cosmetic – and only opted for surgery when I noticed darkness and bags under my eyes around the age of 25.
“I love my birthmark and feel like it’s a part of me, so I minimize the number of surgeries necessary to just keep it healthy rather than removing it completely.”
As an adult, Reagan’s birthmark has minimal impact on her daily life, aside from occasional bleeding in her mouth.
Over time, port-wine stain birthmarks may show increased vascular growth, causing them to thicken or darken. That’s why Reagan started having operations to treat moles at a young age.
As an adult, Reagan’s birthmark has minimal impact on her daily life, aside from occasional bleeding in her mouth
Because it is vascular, it changes color in response to temperature changes. That is why good protection against the sun is so important.
Reagan’s daily care typically includes using SPF and staying out of the sun as much as possible after laser surgery.
Another more common complication of port wine stains is that children may experience teasing or bullying from peers, and adults may have to deal with insensitive comments or questions, which can lead to social challenges and discomfort.
Although she faced comments, questions and stares from strangers throughout her life, Reagan says she was fortunately never bullied because of her unique appearance.
‘Luckily I really liked the children. I have always had a lot of self-confidence, but I struggled the most when I developed acne in combination with my birthmark.
‘Contrary to popular belief, it is usually adults who make strange comments or gestures, as it is often assumed that I have suffered an accident or abuse due to the placement of my birthmark on my cheek.
“The most memorable comment a child made when I was young was that it looked like I had dried spaghetti sauce on my cheek,” she noted.
Reagan’s decision to share her story on TikTok stems from her desire to be a representation of others dealing with similar circumstances.
She strives to inspire others to feel comfortable in their own skin and wants to be the role model she never had in mainstream media as a child.
She said: ‘I chose to stop all unnecessary treatments – purely cosmetic – and only opted for surgery when I noticed darkness and bags under my eyes around the age of 25.’
Reagan strives to inspire others to feel comfortable in their own skin and wants to be the role model she never had in mainstream media as a child
Finally, Reagan offered valuable advice to those in similar circumstances.
She encouraged individuals to embrace their uniqueness and not suppress what makes them different.
“As a society, we tend to suppress the things that make us different. So often we all strive to look and dress the same.
“On the contrary, I’ve found that embracing my appearance and personal style has helped boost my confidence more than ever when I was trying to stand out,” she said.
“I make friends everywhere I go and do my best to educate as many people as possible to increase awareness and representation for people who may not have perfect skin.
“My goal is always to normalize the human experience and show that being different is fun.”