Hi everyone,
So my name is Amy Elsegood...
Heres a little bit about who i am, i have recently been in the media about posting a no make up selfie onto Facebook for the cancer research campaign and the response i got was fantastic, i received support from all over the world, it strange how one picture can change your whole outlook in life (in a good way!)
I have a port wine stain birthmark on my face and had tried to cover it for years, i was really self conscious about it but then this whole no make up selfie came about and i thought my birthmark shouldn't define me, nobody should be ashamed of the way they look, everyone is beautiful in there own way.
So heres how the story started out...
A brave young woman has posted a no make-up 'selfie' online - to show the true extent of the birthmark on her face.
Amy Elsegood, from Ripon, North Yorkshire, was determined to show people who she really was, posting the image on the internet.
The pretty 22-year-old has worn special make-up from the NHS since she was 11, helping her conceal the port wine stain on her right cheek.
Amy Elsegood received support form around the world after she bravely posted a selfie of her birthmark, left, on Facebook. Pictured right, she used to use special make up to conceal her port wine stain
Having put the picture on Facebook, she is receiving messages of support from people around the world.
Miss Elsegood said: 'I wore it [the make-up] every time I left the house as I was too self-conscious to go out without hiding my birthmark first.
'But then one day I just thought, "you were born like this, there is no reason to be ashamed," so I posted a no make-up selfie.
'No-one could say anything negative that I haven’t heard before.
'The reaction on Facebook was amazing, I had over 600 likes with people all over the world messaging me, it was surreal.'
Although she had laser surgery from birth until the age of 10, Miss Elsegood decided that it was no longer necessary, hating the procedure.
She added: 'Laser treatment tends to work best when you’re young, making it less effective as I got older, but I know that without it that my birthmark would be a lot redder than it is now.
Despite the positive response Amy Elsegood has had to her no make-up selfie, she has been the target of bullies throughout her life
The 22-year-old used to be 'too self-conscious' to go out without hiding her birthmark first. She had laser surgery from her birth until she was ten. She is pPictured right as a child with her father
'I would probably think about having it again now that I’m older but with my cosmetic make-up I’m able to conceal my birthmark well anyway.'
Despite the positive response she has had to her no make-up selfie online, she has been a target for bullies throughout her life.
Miss Elsegood, said: 'I was about four years old when I realised I was different.
'Other kids would point at me, call me ‘blob face’ and say that I was ugly.
'Other kids would point at me, call me ‘blob face’ and say that I was ugly.
'I even had one woman come up to me on holiday to say that I would’ve been pretty if it wasn’t for my birthmark.'
When she became a teenager she thought she would find it difficult to find a boyfriend.
She added: 'I was so embarrassed by my port wine stain that I never thought anyone would accept me for who I was.
'But then I met Josh at 16, he was the same age but from a different school.
'The first time I met him I was wearing make-up to conceal what was underneath but after a few weeks into our relationship I wanted to show him the real me.
'I decided to meet him with no make-up on, I said "this is what I really look like," but he simply replied with "it makes no difference to me."
'We’ve been together for six years now.'
However, Miss Elsegood still felt self-conscious when leaving the house and did not go anywhere without wearing her cover-up.
When Miss Elsegood, right, became a teenager she thought she would find it difficult to find a boyfriend - but then she met Josh, pictured left
Since posting her selfie online Miss Elsegood, pictured on holiday says she has gained confidence - and hopes the initiative will inspire others in a similar position
She said: 'It wasn’t until the cancer research no make-up selfie came about that I really accepted who I was.
'My birthmark doesn’t need to define me and no-one should be ashamed to show who they really are.
'Since posting my selfie online I have gained so much confidence, it’s been great helping others who are in a similar position too.
'I’ve learnt that there are much worse things to have in life and I’ve accepted me for me.'
