Teenager with a facial birthmark reveals she’s proud of the port wine stain and never covers it

A teenager with a facial birthmark has revealed how she’s proud of her face and never feels the need to cover it, despite receiving constant abuse from strangers. 

Student, Eleanor Hardie, 19, from Ascot, Berkshire, was born with a port wine stain birthmark on her face, but thanks to her parents teaching her to love it and not let it hold her back, she never considered it an issue. 

It wasn’t until Eleanor was eight that she first started to question what her birthmark was as she noticed people staring at her.

Growing up at primary school, her peers would ask her about her birthmark but would often move on once Eleanor explained. 

However, one girl called her ‘ugly’, people have laughed at her on the train and on holiday in Croatia, a driver shouted to her: ‘What the f*** is on your face?’.

Eleanor has learned to brush off the comments and never conceals it with make-up as she loves her birthmark and is proud of it. 

Student, Eleanor Hardie, 19, from Ascot, Berkshire, was born with a port wine stain birthmark on her face, but has never tried to hide it – despite getting abuse from strangers 

Rather than trying to hide her birthmark, Eleanor wears it with pride and has even become a subject for her friends' art projects. Pictured: With her birthmark covered in glitter

Rather than trying to hide her birthmark, Eleanor wears it with pride and has even become a subject for her friends’ art projects. Pictured: With her birthmark covered in glitter 

Thanks to her stunning birthmark, Eleanor has been the willing subject for her friend’s art project showcasing different aspects of beauty.

Eleanor said: ‘When I first started to notice it, I mainly just wanted to know why I had it and why it was me that had it and no one else, because I’d met very few people with one, especially on their face.

‘My parents always taught me to love and accept it and just to never let it hold me back. 

‘I have been having laser treatment since I was a baby and so obviously I didn’t understand when I was really young what it was. 

Eleanor as a baby, the three dots on her birthmark are from having the laser treatment tested on her face before starting it

Eleanor when she was four, just after having a laser treatment. She remembers wondering why other people didn't have the same birthmark, but never felt upset about it

Eleanor as a baby, the three dots on her birthmark are from having the laser treatment tested on her face before starting it (left). Right: Eleanor when she was four, just after having a laser treatment. She remembers wondering why other people didn’t have the same birthmark, but never felt upset about it 

Eleanor was called 'ugly' because of her port wine stain by one girl and has been shouted at when walking down the street on holiday in Croatia

Eleanor was called ‘ugly’ because of her port wine stain by one girl and has been shouted at when walking down the street on holiday in Croatia

The teenager hopes to be able to inspire other people with birthmarks to love theirs too

The teenager hopes to be able to inspire other people with birthmarks to love theirs too

‘But when I did, they always said it was my decision and if I wanted to stop I could, and they never wanted to push anything on me.

‘Having treatment helped seeing other people with birthmarks because when I went to hospital, I saw other children with them. 

‘At the Birthmark Support Group, which is a charity running family days where lots of people with birthmarks would go, it would be quite a fun day out and it really helped with confidence knowing it wasn’t just me.’

From the ages of six months to 16-years-old, Eleanor underwent 24 laser surgeries under general anaesthetic to prevent her birthmark from getting darker or any bigger. 

Eleanor, pictured with her mother, credits her parents for her positive attitude towards her birthmark. She said her parents taught her to never let her birthmark hold me back

Eleanor, pictured with her mother, credits her parents for her positive attitude towards her birthmark. She said her parents taught her to never let her birthmark hold me back

Eleanor has learnt to brush off the negative comments and defiantly never covers up with make-up. By sharing her story Eleanor hopes to encourage others to embrace their marks

Eleanor has learnt to brush off the negative comments and defiantly never covers up with make-up. By sharing her story Eleanor hopes to encourage others to embrace their marks

‘Laser treatment is meant to make the birthmark paler and reduce it from growing and getting darker. 

‘I had 24 treatments and because it’s fairly large and goes over my eye they had to do them with general anaesthetic, which I had between the age of six months to about 16 and then I stopped because of GCSEs and A-levels.

‘Growing up with a birthmark wasn’t that different to anyone else. When I was at primary school kids would ask me what it was but I never really had any issues with it, they would usually just ask what it was and move on.

‘Apart from one time when a girl in the year below said I was ugly with my birthmark and that was sort of the start of me realising that people would be mean and rude about it. Also, because I was young, I never really noticed people staring or making comments when I was out.

Eleanor, pictured as a child, said that she was too young to notice when people were staring

When she was younger a girl at school told Eleanor she was 'ugly', which was the start of her realising that some people were going to be 'mean and rude' about her face

Eleanor, pictured as a child, said that she was too young to notice when people were staring. When she was younger a girl at school told Eleanor she was ‘ugly’, which was the start of her realising that some people were going to be ‘mean and rude’ about her face

‘At secondary school I had no issues with it, and I think because it was an all girls school there wasn’t that pressure of boys or anything and so it was a really good way for me to develop my confidence.

‘It’s mainly when I’m out and in town or something that it’s more of an issue, for instance I was walking down the street with my friend on holiday and someone shouted out of their car at me, ‘What the f*** is on your face?’

‘The main issue is actually adults who are ignorant and rude and it was rarely that children actually make comments because usually it’s just out of curiosity and intrigue if children ask or stare at me and if I explain then they just move on and accept it.’

WHAT IS A PORT WINE STAIN? 

A port wine stain is a birthmark caused by the overdevelopment of blood vessels underneath the skin. 

The change in the blood vessels is caused by a genetic mutation which occurs before a child is born, and will remain for the rest of a person’s life – though the severity of them differs between people.

Port wine stains begin as a flat red or purple mark and, over time, can become more raised, bulkier and darker in colour. 

They can occur anywhere on the body but 65 per cent of them appear on a person’s head or neck.

Around three in every 1,000 babies has a port wine stain and they are more common in girls than in boys, though the reason for this is not known.

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.

Source: Great Ormond Street Hospital 

Eleanor went on to talk about how she deals with negative remarks she has received and how she felt when her friend asked her to be the star of her art project.

‘Obviously it’s not nice to receive nasty comments about my birthmark and sometimes it can really affect me like one time I was on the train and saw two girls laughing and pointing at me and I could hear them talking about me and making horrible comments,’ she said.

‘However because I’ve grown up with this and always noticed people staring I’ve developed almost a thicker skin and can brush it off quite easily because people can be horrible but if you let it affect you then they’re the ones who are winning and it’s way easier for self-confidence if you just move on.

Eleanor, pictured now, said children sometimes ask about her birth mark but it is usually just out of curiosity and intrigue and she will explain what it is to them

Eleanor, pictured now, said children sometimes ask about her birth mark but it is usually just out of curiosity and intrigue and she will explain what it is to them

When her friend asked if Eleanor, pictured, would be a model in an art project the student was 'flattered' to be included and help show other areas of beauty

When her friend asked if Eleanor, pictured, would be a model in an art project the student was ‘flattered’ to be included and help show other areas of beauty

‘They’re obviously someone who isn’t worth your time if they’re going to be rude.

‘When my friend asked if she could take photos of me I was really flattered because she was basing a large amount of her A-Level around different areas of beauty and the people who aren’t usually shown in the media and so it was getting more awareness out there.

‘It was really nice because she did all my makeup and then presented the whole project really well.’

Not everyone living with a birthmark shares Eleanor’s self-confidence, but she hopes that through sharing her story birthmarks will become normalised in society and will encourage others to be proud of theirs.

Eleanor, pictured in a drawing, said adults can sometimes be 'ignorant and rude' but she wants to help others learn more about birthmarks and how common they are

Eleanor, pictured in a drawing, said adults can sometimes be ‘ignorant and rude’ but she wants to help others learn more about birthmarks and how common they are

Eleanor, pictured now, has had 24 laser surgeries under general anaesthetic to prevent her birthmark from getting darker or any bigger but she stopped this at 16

Eleanor, pictured now, has had 24 laser surgeries under general anaesthetic to prevent her birthmark from getting darker or any bigger but she stopped this at 16 

‘I think for someone who isn’t quite as confident then they should know that there’s no reason to be because actually it is fairly normal and if one in three babies are born with a birthmark then there’s a lot of people out there with one,’ said Eleanor.

‘Also, if it’s because people have been rude and nasty in the past then it’s a lot easier for you to try and move on and be the bigger person because the people who are rude are not worth your time.

‘If more people are confident and show off their birthmark then the more normalised it will become and the more acceptable it will be in the media and mainstream society.

‘I guess the message I want to convey is one of trying to get people to accept their birthmark as much as they can and to try and get people with facial differences in the media more so that it can be normalised, so soon we can be able to see people with birthmark and facial differences in the media more because currently there are very few, perhaps almost none.’

For more information see www.instagram.com/eleanor_hardie