- Birthmarks of the better half.
Marky Mark's non-prosthetic organ
Star of critically acclaimed film, actor/rapper "Marky" Mark Wahlberg is not shy on-screen. While the appearance of a prosthetic appendage in the movie "Boogie Nights" raised controversy, here is the real appendage that is only whispered about. This small lesion just below his normal nipple, is an extra or accessory nipple. Though treatable, Wahlberg has opted to avoid surgery. We know because Wahlberg's film contracts seem to require a shirtless scene. Maybe his little co-star deserves its own IMDB page!
Mena's mark
American bombshell Mena Suvari has more than just a beauty mark on her face. She also has this brown lesion on her right trunk. From a distance, this may be mistaken for a mole.
Up close, this is an accessory (extra) nipple. Thought in Medieval times to be the sign of a witch, these days (hopefully), the stigma is gone. Extra nipples usually occur anywhere along the so-called "milk lines" vertical lines that run from shoulder to waist in line with the primary nipples. They are quite common in both sexes and usually are solitary.
Boy bands come and go, but birthmarks are forever. Harry Styles, the young hunk from the Brit pop sensation, One Direction, has two lesions in different directions on his abdomen.
This pop hipster also shows a couple of extra nipp-sters. If one tires of the lesions, they can be surgical removed, though there is no health risk. A bigger risk is being crushed by hyperventilating music fans.
Some people are creeped out by extra nipples, or find them funny. Mike Myers tapped into this for his Austin Powers movies. Myers' prosthetically endowed creation, Fat Bastard, appears to have three extra nipples. Myers was probably inspired by the villainous Scaramanga in the James Bond film, "The Man with the Golden Gun." That character threatened 007 with a single mysterious extra nipple. Leave it to Mike Myers to go overboard for comic effect.
Who spilled the Port wine?
Tina Turner truly qualifies as a pop music legend. The ultimate survivor, she has also managed to conceal a prominent port wine stain (PWS) birthmark despite revealing outfits and plenty of sweat. What's love got to do with it? Nothing really. These birthmarks are usually a cosmetic issue and do not otherwise impair activity. And there is nobody more active than Diva Tina!
While Tina Turner works the dance floor, Mikhail Gorbachev parties in diplomatic circles as the former leader of the Soviet Union. Yet both share distinctive port wine stain lesions. While President, Gorby's mark was often erased in Soviet photos and newspapers. PWS are actually patches of superficial dilated blood vessels. They are treatable with lasers, though they may take several treatments to clear.
Rocker Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins also has a PWS affecting his left arm and hand. Note the purple-red hue. If he had been lesion-free, would he have been gentler to pumpkins and other gourds? Would he still have shaved his head to emulate a jack o'lantern? We may never know. When blood flow is increased through a port wine stain, such as when Corgan rocks out, it appears more red. Go, Billy, go!
Here is another image of Billy Corgan's extensive birthmark. Without it, would he still have shaved his head to emulate a jack o'lantern? We may never know. When blood flow is increased through a port wine stain, such as when Corgan rocks out, it appears more red. Rock on!
Roles with big moles
TV and movies actors usually don't go far with big birthmarks, possibly too distracting to nail the audition. Richard "John Boy" Thomas, from the 1970's family drama "The Waltons," has a large cheek mole. For many years, it has been thought that all birthmark moles were a great risk to convert to melanoma skin cancer. Recent research suggests that only very large lesions (several inches or centimeters) show that increased risk. Any mole that changes shape, size, or color deserves a check by a physician.
Who would have thought that indie actress Chloe Sevigny would have anything in common with "The Walton's" John-Boy? Sevigny has played characters in explicit sexual scenarios and "The Waltons" was TV at its most bland and wholesome. Yet skinema.com remains a great unifier: both have large birthmark moles. Sevigny's is usually hidden from the sun. And, no, this lesion is neither in the correct location nor appearance to qualify as an extra nipple.
International film sensation Richard Gere first gained acclaim as a beefcake actor skilled at gritty realism. Through the years, he has maintained a career as a romantic leading man. Because of his characters' many love scenes, his films incidentally showcase a prominent pigmented patch on his left upper back. Here he is, sealing the deal with Valerie Kaprisky from "Breathless." The appearance and location of this lesion are consistent with a Becker's nevus.
Here is Gere again, getting intimate with Lauren Hutton in "American Gigolo." Nevus is a medical term for either a pigmented lesion (such as a mole), or for a birthmark. A Becker's nevus is usually seen in men on the upper back or chest. It is a tan to brown flat patch with studded with dark hairs. Though considered a birthmark, it commonly appears during puberty, probably as a response to increasing levels of testosterone (male hormone). It is benign (not cancerous), and is rarely seen in women. Lasers may decrease the pigmentation, and electrolysis can be used to treat the hairs. Most men with this birthmark are comfortable with its presence and do not desire treatment.
Imagine a pre-teen boy, becoming aware of a blotchy dark mark on his upper back or chest. Already saddled with pubescent anxiety, this lesion could further lessen his confidence. To that boy, we can offer the example of Gere, here shown with Debra Winger in "An Officer and a Gentleman." His birthmark does not appear to have slowed his amorous endeavors in the slightest. Gere's doing all right.
