Ellesmere Dad gets tattoo of daughter's large birthmark

Mr Bailey said he wanted his daughter to feel "happy and comfortable" in her skin

A father has had a tattoo of his daughter's birthmark to make sure she grows up "happy and comfortable with the skin she has got".

Karl Bailey, of Ellesmere, Shropshire, got the shape of Isla's large birthmark on her back tattooed on to his leg.

Isla, five, has Congenital Melanocytic Naevi, which causes dark, often hairy and lumpy birthmarks all over the skin.

Mr Bailey said he hoped the public would ask about the tattoo so he can raise awareness of the condition.

"As a family, we have always chosen or picked a special spot of Isla's; mine being the largest one that probably covers 80% of her back," he said.

"Hopefully we can continue to build her confidence from a young age because once she gets to her teenage years, she may come across some difficult circumstances".

Isla has a twin sister called Ruby, who does not have the condition.

The family often pick out which of Isla's "special spots" are their favourite

Mum Emma Bailey said Isla's condition is never something they hide, and added: "When we are on the beach and her twin sister is in a nappy, so is Isla; we never treated her any different."

Although Isla's condition is entirely cosmetic, it can often cause discomfort, and when she was a baby, she had an MRI scan to check that the birthmarks were not growing on her brain and spine.

Alongside Mr Bailey's birthmark tattoo is the symbol of the charity Caring Matters Now, which has supported Isla and her family.

The charity was founded by Jodi Whitehouse in 1997, who also has CMN.

The 41-year-old had around 30 operations to treat her birthmarks up until the age of 15. She added that "there was no understanding about the condition" and said not even "doctors, midwives or consultants had seen anything like it before".

After meeting a consultant at Great Ormond Street hospital as a teenager, they asked if Ms Whitehouse's family minded if their phone number could be given to other people with the condition, for advice and support.

Congenital Melanocytic Naevi is caused by a mutation in a gene while the baby is in the womb

Twenty-five years on and the charity has helped find the cause of CMN and is now hoping to find a cure.

CMN is caused by a mutation in a gene which happens to the baby while it is developing in the womb.

Mrs Bailey will also be running the London Marathon to raise money for the charity.