A 20-year-old woman from Loveland, Colorado is harnessing the power of social media to raise awareness of her rare condition.
Gloria Aste has garnered a following on TikTok by raising awareness about a giant congenital melanocytic nevus — a birthmark that people often mistake for a blackout tattoo.
“I wanted to be open about my mole on social media because what I have is pretty rare and I grew up without seeing anyone who looked like me on anything,” she told PEOPLE exclusively.
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“I want to make people aware of it and I’d like to see more people who have it take it,” she says.
“My goal with social media is simply to make differences more popular because they can be beautiful.”
According to the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), a congenital melanocytic nevus “is a benign tumor-like malformation that results from defective development of pigment cell precursors (melanocytes) in the embryo.” Most CMNs—like the one that has Asthma—are present at birth and grow with the individual because “they’re not on your skin, but are your skin,” she explains.
On her TikTok, Aste proudly flaunts her mole that covers her chest, back and part of her arm. Due to the rarity of the condition – giant CMN occurs once in 50,000 births, according to NORD – Aste didn’t see many people who also had CMN when she was growing up, which is largely one of the reasons why she shows it on purpose.
“I grew up with people constantly asking me questions about my skin,” she says. “Before, the questions were more like ‘Did you paint?’ However, as I’ve gotten older, most people assume it’s a blackout tattoo, which actually happens quite often.”
Gloria Aste.
Gloria Aste/Tiktok
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With all the attention and questions coming her way, it’s only natural that she felt unaware of her birthmark. However, Aste reveals that, aside from a few moments in middle and high school, she is proud of her unique sign.
However, online, Aste has had to field inappropriate comments from people who view her site but don’t take the time to learn its content. According to Aste, strangers asked her about the color of her breasts and sent her questions about the dark pigmentation of her birthmark.
For her part, Aste remains gracious throughout, telling PEOPLE, “I really get a lot of hateful comments and a ton of inappropriate comments about my mole. I think it’s just a lot of ignorance and lack of education that makes people say these things to me.”
“Honestly, I don’t mind the meaner comments because I think it’s easy to hide behind a screen and say whatever you want without consequence,” she says.
While her specific CMN doesn’t require a lot of maintenance—she mostly has to keep that part of her body moist and out of the sun—it’s important to note that not all cases are so benign.
According to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, some cases of CMN are actually indicators of another condition called neurocutaneous melanosis, which can affect the spine and brain and cause seizures.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education