My full name is Yulianna Yussef, I was born at 31.07.1993 with a Giant Birthmark – CMN. There are many misunderstandings about CMN due to the lack of medical knowledge world-wide. But the story of why I'm here actually starts in my adolescence.

You see, when I was a child, I had a positive and bright relationship with my body. This was due in part to the fact I had not yet realized how people were judging me. Sadly, this was all about to change.

I remember myself at the age 14-17 very clearly.😶 It's the time when all your feelings overwhelm you, when all the actions, words, emotions feel kinda overpowering. During that time, I passed through all stages from anger, denial, and resentment, to not accepting myself and self-pity, to hiding and depression. 😥 Who else was hiding at home all summer? Put your hands up 🙌🏽 . I'm not sure that my closest friends or even my mom knew what I was going through. Especially my mom, as I hated upsetting her...

After this turmoil, I passed into a new "stage" of behavior. I started obsessing with transforming these birthmarks and Nevus all over my body into perfection. This meant endless diets, body training, nails, makeup, hairdos, teeth... I tried everything to look "normal" to "fit in," to feel not only 'accepted' but admired, wanted. All I ended up doing, though, was to drive myself crazy in the process. For example, I remember not wanting to eat in front of my boyfriend.😅 How silly that now seems, because I now know nothing is about how you look on the outside. The Important thing is what's inside of you. One could say, "look at me, I'm training, I'm skinny, I'm smiling." But is it really about how those around us see us? What I do now is for my own mental health, because I love and enjoy this healthy lifestyle. I love how my body feels after a spirited training session and a healthy meal.

After so many years of being hard and harsh on myself, I finally started seeing beyond the reflection in my mirror, to the true happiness within and what it takes to achieve it. I now honestly believe that when you start smiling to yourself and eventually the world, everything and everyone around you starts smiling back.✨ 😌

Over the last 5 years, I've dedicated myself to raising awareness about Congenital Melanocytic Nevi (CMN) and skincare. I believe skincare should go beyond physical beauty and look for wellbeing and profound health within.

Simply put, my mission is to raise awareness and understanding of skin cancer. Even more to the point, it’s to help people identify the early onset of skin cancer through a device we’ve created for you called the NEVISCOPE. It's easy to use and just requires a smartphone to help you detect skin cancer (melanoma) wherever you are without visiting a doctor.

Sincerely Yours,

Yulianna Yussef