PICS: Powerful exhibition showcases beauty of people with a rare skin condition | You

15 Mar 2019

YOU Digital

PHOTO: Instagram/@mrelbank

Congenital melanocytic nevus is a potentially life-threatening skin condition that presents itself in large, dark-brown marks which can cover up to 80% of the body.

A new exhibition celebrates the beauty of people born with this rare and untreatable condition.

The photo series, called How Do You C Me Now?, aims to inspire people to love the skin they’re in.

Photographer Brock Elbank gathered men and women who live with the skin condition to pose for the stunning series.

The How Do You C Me Now? exhibition is on at the Oxo Tower Wharf Building in London.

SEE THE PICS HERE:

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U Londonu se uskoro otvara izložba s fotografijama ljudi koji imaju rijetka i neizljeciva stanja kože. 30 portreta bit ce izloženo u @oxotowerwharf ??#howdoyoucmenow #exhibition #nonconventional #beauty #diversity #congenitalmelanocyticnevus #s1 #s1look #super1
A post shared by Super1 (@super1.hr) on Mar 12, 2019 at 3:23am PDT

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Introducing the super cool Noah who is our sixth ‘Teaser’ for the up and coming #HowDoYouCMeNow? Exhibition for @caringmattersnow 14th-24th March @oxotowerwharf. I’ve got to say when Noah who was 4 years old when we shot his series was such a positive kid with real verve. Noah and his fantastic family travelled from Switzerland but originate from the U.S of A. CMN can cover up to 80% of the skin on the body and with the show next month our aim is to celebrate and educate people that are unaware of the condition. More to follow from the 30 subjects who feature in the exhibition of unseen work on social media. #Mrelbank #Beauty #Portrait #Skin #Birthmark #Kid #CMN #Switzerland #USA #London @hasselblad @profotoglobal
A post shared by Brock Elbank (@mrelbank) on Feb 27, 2019 at 11:30am PST

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Wow! Very naked Me from a year ago! ??honestly, I was more embarrassed to put it on the network than to photograph, because @mrelbank is so disposed that you forget that you don’t have any clothes or make-up and discard all your everyday masks♥? What is staying behind this photo? The U.K. charity which came up with The ‘HOW DO YOU C ME NOW?’ exhibition series in which are people with CMN from 13 countries / 5 continents represented! ??The idea is to change negative perceptions of visible differences ♥? BTW for those who don’t know- CMN stands for Congenital Melanocytic Naevus (or naevi), which is a brown or black mole present at birth. They can be very large, covering up to 80% of the body, and very numerous – up to hundreds in one individual. ??Some people with large or multiple CMN have an increased risk of melanoma (a type of cancer). At the moment, large or multiple CMN are mostly untreatable.?? Why does it occur? ?? It has been discovered that multiple CMN and CMN syndrome are usually caused by a mutation in the gene NRAS that occurs when the baby is developing in the womb. NRAS is a very important gene in fetal development and is involved in melanoma. Much more rarely it can be caused by a mutation in gene BRAF. In around 25% of cases the gene is not yet known.????‍?? Is it contagious or is it inherited? - No.???? Does it cause inconvenience??- Yes! such as bullying from society, non-acceptance of oneself, hair that grows on birthmarks, fear of close relationships, itchiness etc..?? it is a daily work on yourself and a huuugeee effort to not give in to self-pity and did not listen to the opinions of other people who judge you by how you look like??. #perfectionofmyskin #inmyskiniwin #gowiththeflaw #bareyourbirthmark #confidence #selflove #selfesteem #inspiration #motivation #rolemodel #bodypositive #gorgeous #beautiful #girl #body #health #life #story #bullying #loveyourbody #bedifferent #unique #skin #photo #photography #tbt #followme #raisingawareness
A post shared by Yulianna Yussef (@yulianna.yussef) on Mar 3, 2019 at 8:52am PST

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Stunning photos ask 'How do you C me now?' ? ? Children and adults born with a rare and untreatable #skin condition have been photographed as part of a striking #exhibition, set to tour the world.? ? Congenital melanocytic naevus is a potentially life-threatening skin condition which presents itself in large, dark-brown #birthmarks which can cover up to 80% of the body.? ? Those living with CMN can find themselves isolated because of its rarity and may have to deal with negative comments from strangers or peers.? ? Photographer Brock Elbank, best known for his 'Beard' exhibition which drew 40,000 visitors to Somerset House, and charity Caring Matters Now, worked with 30 people with CMN, representing 13 countries across five continents for a new series called How Do You C Me Now?? ? It took nearly three years to complete.? ? The exhibition launches in the Oxo Tower gallery in London on Thursday, 14 March, running until 24 March and will then tour globally. It is free to view.? ? Read the stories of people living with CMN here https://news.sky.com/story/stunning-photos-ask-how-do-you-see-me-now-11661726? ? #CongenitalMelanocyticNaevus #BrockElbank #CaringMattersNow #birthmark #skindisease #skinconditions #photography #HowdoyouCMeNow
A post shared by British Skin Foundation (@bsfcharity) on Mar 13, 2019 at 2:45am PDT

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Introducing our fourth ‘Teaser’ for the up and coming #HowDoYouCMeNow? Exhibition for @caringmattersnow 14th-24th March @oxotowerwharf Features the very striking @marianamendes.m who kindly flew in all the way from Brazil with her lovely boyfriend. Mariana is extremely proactive on social media raising body-positive awareness for the skin she is in. CMN can cover up to 80% of the skin on the body and with the show next month our aim is to celebrate and educate people that are unaware of the condition. More to follow from the 30 subjects who feature in the exhibition of unseen work on social media. #Mrelbank #Beauty #Portrait #Skin #Birthmark #CMN #Brasil #London @hasselblad @profotoglobal
A post shared by Brock Elbank (@mrelbank) on Feb 13, 2019 at 11:30am PST

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Introducing our fifth ‘Teaser’ for the up and coming #HowDoYouCMeNow? Exhibition for @caringmattersnow 14th-24th March @oxotowerwharf Featuring our Poster Girl for Show the incredible Agnieszka who travelled in all the way from Poland way back in the series early stages. Just wonderful subject matter and a privilege to document Aga. CMN can cover up to 80% of the skin on the body and with the show next month our aim is to celebrate and educate people that are unaware of the condition. More to follow from the 30 subjects who feature in the exhibition of unseen work on social media. #Mrelbank #Beauty #Portrait #Skin #Birthmark #CMN #Poland #London @hasselblad @profotoglobal
A post shared by Brock Elbank (@mrelbank) on Feb 20, 2019 at 11:34am PST

Sources: Metro, BBC, Sky News

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