After checking the baby is healthy and has all ten fingers and ten toes, moms begin to look for similarities. Whose features did the newborn take after? And if there is a trait that seems to go from generation to generation, there is always the concern that the characteristic may begin to disappear. Poliosis is a lack of melanin on the head, eyelashes, eyebrows or other areas of hair on the body. Those with poliosis will have a white patch of hair in the affected area. Brianna Worthy sees her poliosis as a birthmark, a family trait that makes them stand out. The 23-year-old from South Carolina sports the cool streak in the front of her hair. When she gave birth to her daughter MilliAnna, she wasn’t sure she would pass the birthmark down to her baby until she saw her and held her in her arms.She also has poliosis which appears in the front of her head just like her mom, grandmother, and great grandmother.
“My younger sister, who my mother had a few years after me, didn’t get it – so I didn’t know if MilliAnna was going to but, once I had her and they laid her on my chest and I saw she had it, I was so happy,” says Worthy.
“We are unsure how far back the birthmark goes as my grandmother was adopted as a child and hasn’t met her biological family,” explains Worthy.
“The majority of the time, I welcome the polite comments and don’t mind answering the many questions but honestly, it can be overwhelming at times,” says Worthy.
Poliosis can also occur with conditions like vitiligo.
She says she was teased and called a skunk.
Despite the teasing while growing up, Worthy wound up loving her streak and came to see it as her “unique signature look.”
“I plan to raise my daughter knowing she is beautiful and special and to not listen to people mean comments at times,” explains Worthy.
