Before After
'I
decided I didn't need to cover it any more after going to a party and a
load of guys were chatting me up - which was weird because I used to
feel ugly without make-up'.
'But now I know I'm beautiful because of my birthmark.'
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A stunning model is bravely unveiling the huge birthmark that covers half of her face for the first time after hiding it for two decades.
Celina Leroy, from Brooklyn, New York, spent all of her life trying to hide the red mark that covers her chin, lips and cheek - but says she's now embracing her unique appearance and is posing without make-up for the first time.
The
24-year-old faced severe bullying at school, including being told she
would never be well liked because of her port wine stain (PWS) - a
harmless red or purple mark caused by widened blood vessels underneath
the skin.
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Celina felt that she had to hide the birthmark because of the beauty standards women have to live up to
Celina Leroy, 24, from Brooklyn, New
York, spent all of her life trying to hide the red birthmark that covers
her chin, lips and cheek - but now she's embracing her unique
appearance and is modelling without covering it
Over
the years, Celina has spent $15,000 (£10,000) on a total of 40 sessions
of laser treatment to lighten the colour of her birthmark, and two
operations to make her lips symmetrical.
But now the model has decided to embrace her unique birthmark and has started posing for photoshoots without covering it with makeup.
Celina,
a full-time model and actress, said: 'I put all this money and effort
into treatments to make it go away but since I've stopped wearing
make-up everyone's been really supportive.
'I've
spent around $15,000 on surgery and treatment so I could make it look
like I didn't have a birthmark, but now I don't want to hide it and am
proud of it.
'I
was only a baby when I had my first laser surgery and since then I had
more than 40 treatments to reduce the appearance of my birthmark.
'I've
never wanted to hide my port wine stain, but I felt like I had to,
especially while working as an actress because I've only ever seen
people with birthmarks portraying villains.
Celina was only a year old when she
had her first treatment to reduce and fade the birthmark - and has had
40 laser treatments and two surgeries since then
Celina faced cruel words while at school, with one girl saying she would never be popular because of her mark
'Hiding
my birthmark while I was modelling used to be really frustrating as it
felt fake and like it wasn't me, now I can be the real Celina.
'I've
had some cruel comments over the years, when I was in school a girl
told me I was pretty but because I had a birthmark I would never be
popular.
'When
I was a lot younger I used to get really upset and question why I had
to have a port wine stain, which made me very self-conscious and gave me
a low self-esteem in front of people.
Since feeling more confident about her
port wine stain, Celina has noticed she's getting a lot more attention
from men - including some of the people who used to mock her in school
'Even
now a lot of little kids ask me what I have on my face, but a lot of
other people used to just stare - if people asked me I'd be only too
happy to tell them it's a birthmark
'Once
I gave my photos to one modelling agent who told me I should cover my
birthmark if I wanted to get jobs, but I don't personally think I have
anything to hide.
'But I feel great now, my birthmark is who I am and I think it makes me stand out from other people, I'm no longer ashamed.
'Now
when I see myself on screen or in pictures with my birthmark showing it
feels liberating and I'm hoping it will help to change the public's
perceptions and how imperfection in many ways is perfection.
Photo: Carters News Agency
After giving her photos to a modelling
agent they told her that she should cover the birthmark if she wanted
to get jobs - but she doesn't think she has anything to hide
'I'm
hoping through modelling with my birthmark out I can show others that
you can be beautiful and be yourself without needing to hide.'
Celina
started having laser treatment when she was only a year old. Her mother
Lorraine and father Billy Leroy, an American reality TV personality,
hoped it would lessen the colour of the mark.
Later
at the ages of 17 and 24, she had surgery to her lips to make them even
in appearance after her port wine stain had distorted parts of her
mouth.
Celina said: 'When I was younger the treatment was really intense, I remember screaming while it happened.
'As
I got older I felt I had to continue hiding it because of the beauty
standards women have to live up to, especially because when I was
growing up there weren't many role models with birthmarks.
'Now
I want to be that role model and show others they have nothing to hide
by being more open about my birthmark and celebrating having one.'
Since
feeling more confident about her port wine stain, Celina has noticed
she's getting a lot more attention from men - including some of the
people who used to mock her in school.
The model spent $15,000 over her life
on surgeries and laser treatments to reduce the stain and to make her
lips symmetrical - but now she's given up hiding the birthmark
Celina decided that she didn't need to
cover it any more after going to a party and men were flirting with
her, which she found odd because she used to feel ugly without make-up
covering it up
Celina
said: 'When I've been back to my hometown and was covering my port wine
stain in makeup people were really nice about it and said they missed
seeing it because it was part of who I was.
'Even some of the guys were horrible to me were trying to hit on me.
'I
decided I didn't need to cover it any more after going to a party and a
load of guys were chatting me up - which was weird because I used to
feel ugly without make-up.
'But now I know I'm beautiful because of my birthmark.'
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