A mother who faced fierce criticism after using laser treatment on a large birthmark on her baby’s face has revealed what he looks like three years after the treatment.
Brooke Atkins, 36, from the Gold Coast, Queensland, gave birth to her second child, Kingsley, in 2022, and immediately noticed he’d been born with a large Port Wine Stain (PWS) birthmark covering half of his face.
Port-wine stain birthmarks are usually harmless, but if on the face – particularly over the eye – they can be linked to glaucoma and Sturge Weber Syndrome, and it turned out that Kingsley had both.
Six months after his arrival in 2022, the stay-at-home mother and her partner Kewene Wallace, 30, decided to laser the mark.
Sharing Kingsley’s journey on social media, Brooke began to face heavy backlash, with cruel online trolls branding her a ‘monster’ for opting to have the controversial laser treatment.
Now, two years on from when he had the laser treatment, Brooke has shared videos of what the youngster looks like aged three.
In social media videos, the mark on the three-year-old’s face appears to have reduced drastically, with only a pale pinkish undertone showing up beneath the skin on one side of his face.
When Brooke first got Kingsley the treatment, many online were outraged.
Brooke Atkins, 36, from the Gold Coast , Queensland , gave birth to her second child, Kingsley, in 2022, and immediately noticed he’d been born with a large Port Wine Stain (PWS) birthmark covering half of his face. Kingsley pictured at the time of his birth
A mother who faced fierce criticism after using laser treatment on a large birthmark on her baby’s face has revealed what he looks like three years later (pictured)
But as she pointed out in an interview with DailyMail on 2023, Port Wine Stains typically get worse and darken over time, and Kingsley’s birthmark could have become considerably more noticeable as he was growing up.
‘They can develop a “cobblestone” appearance, with raised bumps, ridges, and the risk of vascular blebs, where they dangerously bleed,’ Brooke said at the time.
‘Once a port wine stain gets to this stage, it is often very difficult to treat and laser barely has any affect, as the skin is already far too damaged.’
She then decided to use a laser treatment on Kingsley’s mark.
‘The only way to treat a Port Wine Stain is through laser treatments, and the most effective laser for it is called the Pulsed Dye Laser.
‘When he was first born, we were referred to the Queensland Children’s Hospital dermatology and vascular department, where they organised the first treatment and explained in further detail why laser would be important.
‘The purpose of the laser treatments is not to ‘remove’ the birthmark but instead keep the skin healthy, to prevent any further damage to the area.’
Those viewing Kingsley’s journey online didn’t take kindly to the decision, with one saying: ‘That birthmark is barely visible, what you’re doing to him is horrible, it’s more for you than him.’
Port-wine stain birthmarks are usually harmless, but if on the face – particularly over the eye – they can be linked to glaucoma and Sturge Weber Syndrome – and as it turned out, Kingsley had both. Kingsley pictured in June this year
Now, two years on from when he had the laser treatment, Brooke has shared videos of what the youngster looks like aged three. Pictured with his older sister, Amarni
Others called her brainwashed and accused her of ‘making him insecure the second he gets out the womb’.
However, she has received positive comments from other parents, who have continued to support her journey navigating her son’s challenges.
Of the reception she has received online, Brooke said: ‘Honestly, when I first started reading the negative comments, I sat there for a good half hour and cried to myself.
‘I had a whole heap of mum guilt, and it made me question my decision, even though I knew I was doing the right thing, the cruel words still played in my head.
‘I just wish these people had known about the health issues connected to these types of birthmarks before writing these things, that this wasn’t for cosmetic reasons, and that as parents, this was the hardest decision we have had to make.
She said trolls’ comments had left her feeling like a bad mother, despite very few of the viewers having a full understanding of her son’s condition.
Continuing to receive backlash online, Brooke has defended the decision. ‘I think having anything out there online will attract criticism, unfortunately,’ she said.
Though the negativity no longer upsets her, she wishes that more people were educated on Port Wine Stain birthmarks and didn’t ‘jump to these conclusions’.
‘I tell them that this will give him the best chance at not adding to his long list of medical issues he already has.
Mother Brooke (pictured) was fiercely criticised after using the treatment on Kingsley (pictured) – but she says his health has improved as a result
The decision to go ahead with laser treatment last year was a good one, according to mother Brook (pictured with Kingsley), who says her son is ‘doing great’
What is a port wine stain birthmark?
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.
‘And if they respond rudely to that, I try my best not to tell them what I really think but sometimes it’s hard.’
Sturge Weber Syndrome can cause seizures, which Kingsley suffers from on a regular basis, along with other disabilities. His other condition, glaucoma, can also cause blindness.
Over the course of his life, Kingsley has undergone a plethora of treatments, including having three eye surgeries for his glaucoma.
He continues to suffer from health issues as a result of his disabilities, including having had more than 100 seizures over the course of his life.
In a video posted to TikTok in June, Brooke revealed that Kingsley had had multiple seizures that week, only a month after having his last.
‘Our son ended up having multiple seizures last week, only a month after his last,’ she said.
‘As a mother, it broke my heart. We have had over a month of sickness since his last seizure, and we honestly just need a break. A break from it all. A break for his little body to recover fully. We are still sick, but we are home and he is happy.
‘This is the reality of so many Sturge-Weber families dealing with Epilepsy.’
The three-year-old continues to be plagued by seizures, and the family have had to spend multiple overnight stays in hospitals across the country.
In July however, things seemed to be looking up, with Brooke telling her followers that Kingsley had been ‘doing really good’ after finally recovering from ‘a few sicknesses’.