Birthmarks are one of those mysterious things that science hasn't quite figured out yet.
While it's known that most are the cause of overgrowth of blood vessels or certain kinds of skin cells, the actual underlying cause is still unknown.
Even though a large percentage of babies have or develop a birthmark within their first year, people with large or obvious ones still feel judged or ugly.
That's why it's so great when people choose to share the beauty of their birthmarks instead.
I'm sure you're familiar with the "port wine stain" type of birthmark. They're often what comes to mind first.
This person decided to get a tattoo that playfully works with her birthmark.
Lots of people choose to cover-up their birthmarks with ink, but it's not safe for all types. I love this nerdy way of embracing a circular mark.
Normal people doing normal things while letting their birthmark be seen can make a huge difference when it comes to stigma.
In the subreddit r/amiugly she posted some photos, asking if her birthmark would be a dealbreaker when it comes to dating. Luckily, she got a ton of positive responses.
Model Mariana Mendes doesn't let that get to her. Though her parents got her treatments to lighten the mark, they didn't work, but she's okay with that.
"I don’t get upset if a person doesn’t like my nevus," she told Metro News, "to me it’s like any other part of my body, so I prefer to remember the praise I receive for it."
Even though she's in the public eye, she never hides it and after posing for photographer Natalie McComas, inspired more than 150 others to join a project called "In This Skin."
She turned the mockery of her mark into an advantage, and tries to embrace herself now.
"Everything changed when, still as a child, I finally embraced it and told myself these things:
-The way I was born was not a choice.
-It is not bad. I am not sick. It is just a superficial difference on my skin.
-I have my unique version of beauty."
In this pic, he's outlined the shapes with a pen to make them more obvious, but it actually adds an extra level to the map-like qualities. People even said that he should get them tattooed on after he shared it.
This 3 centimeter birthmark was transformed into a sunflower.
"No matter for how long you've been struggling with yourself, the realization that nobody's opinion is gonna take away your "perfect" is the final key to #happiness."
He's part of an exhibit called "How Do U C Me Now?" hosted by Caring Matters Now In London, UK — a charity that assists those who live with CMN.
The artist took it to heart, and created a quirky, cute tattoo.
"How cool is that.....My son have the same birth mark as I do exactly in the same place."
Yulianna Yussef used to let bullies get to her, but now she wears her large birthmark proudly and shares what it's like to live with it on Instagram.
She created a the B-Revealed brand, which implores people to embrace their bodily truths.
Danny is port wine stained, and fit, as his instagram bio describes him. He proudly shows off his impressive muscular feats, along with his birthmark!
Born with a port wine stain birthmark like many others, this girl's mark seems to be fading over time.
This little angel is all smiles, she knows shes beautiful!
