Port Wine Marks

So I was born with a red birthmark. Up until two weeks ago, that is all I thought it was- a strawberry birthmark. It started out smaller and has grown with my body. It is located on my upper thigh and measures about 2.5 inches long. As I have gotten older, moles have started popping up underneath it. I have already had one mole removed in the last couple years because my pants irritated it and I accidently cut it off while shaving...

Another large mole has grown and you can see other small ones forming. It hasn't really bothered me. I was a little self conscious growing up because children would ask questions about it. The only time it was seen in public was when I wore a swim suit.

I was watching The Doctors last week and they did a segment on Port Wine Marks. That is when I realized it was more than a red birthmark. Port Wine Marks are usually on the face, arms, legs, or truck and on one side of the body. It is considered a skin pigmentation problem and caused by abnormal development of blood vessels. They're pretty rare: 1 in 1,000 have them.I know three others besides me- my auntie, my niece, and Lincoln. Lincoln's is very light on his inner thigh. Joe recently confessed that he was concerned that Lincoln would have a dark one like mine on his face or something since I had one. The ones on the face cause emotional trauma because of the insecurity that comes with them.