A Connecticut father-of-one says his unusual birthmark has led to police being called on him and strangers asking him if he's contagious.
Eric Pixley, 29, was born with a large red birthmark - known as a port wine stain - that covers about half of his face.
He said, when he was younger, he would hide his face at school due to his classmates' stares and that, one time, a passer-by called 911 after assuming he was covered in blood.
However, Pixley says he's now embraced his unique feature and that he wants to encourage others to ask questions about his birthmark rather than stare and make assumptions.
Eric Pixley, 29 (left and right), from Connecticut was born with a large red birthmark - known as a port wine stain - that covers about half of his face. Port wine stains occur when small blood vessels called capillaries become overly dilated and turn the skin a reddish color
Pixley says, when he was growing up, he couldn't understand why he had his birthmark and the stares he would get at school made him keep his head down. Pictured: Pixley as a child
Port-wine stains earned their moniker because the birthmark looks like wine was spilled on the skin.
Most port-wine stains appear on the face, but they also can be found on the arms, legs and torso.
It usually starts out a light pink color but turns to a red or purple color as the child gets older.
Port wine stains occur when small blood vessels called capillaries become overly dilated and turn the skin a reddish color.
According to a 1976 study in Pediatrics, the birthmark is found in about three in 1,000 births.
Pixley says, when he was growing up, he couldn't understand why he had his birthmark and the stares he would get at school made him keep his head down.
'When I was in school, I always kept my head down as if I was ashamed, although I never once tried to cover up my birthmark because it's a part of me,' he said.
'There was a time when my school headteacher suggested I cover it up because she was more afraid of the bullying than I was.'
He says the stares have continued into adulthood and that strangers come up to him and