Facebook Backlash: Mother Criticizes Platform for Banning Photo of Sick Child in Fundraising Campaign.sn

A MUM of a baby girl whose skin condition left her too ill to touch for her first five months has slammed Facebook after claiming it banned a photo of the child – labelling it “undesirable”.

Rhiannon Atkinson set up a page on the social network to raise awareness of one-year-old Pippa’s condition – Epidermolysis Bullosa.

Mum Rhiannon Atkinson has slammed Facebook after it banned a photo showing her child's skin condition — Mum Rhiannon Atkinson has slammed Facebook after it banned a photo showing her child’s skin conditionCredit: Media Wales

A mum says Facebook labelled this photo of her daughter's skin condition 'undesirable' — A mum says Facebook labelled this photo of her daughter’s skin condition ‘undesirable’Credit: MEDIA WALES

Rhiannon's one-year-old daughter Pippa suffers from Epidermolysis Bullosa — Rhiannon’s one-year-old daughter Pippa suffers from Epidermolysis BullosaCredit: Media Wales

It causes her skin to tear and blister at the slightest touch and saw the tot born with no skin on her hands and feet.

The condition has now started to spread across the rest of her body.

And when Rhiannon, 30 tried to post about the effect that slippers had on the tot’s feet she says she received a message saying: “Your ad was not approved because the image being used in the ad does not comply with our Health and Fitness policy.

“The image depicts a body or body parts in an undesirable manner.”

It goes on to say that the policy includes close up images of “muffin tops, people with clothes that are too tight, showing medical conditions like eating disorders in a negative light”.

Rhiannon said: “The most upsetting thing for me is that they compared it to someone having a muffin top and cellulite, and it’s not even in the same realm as that.

Pippa's condition causes her skin to tear and blister at the slightest touch — Pippa’s condition causes her skin to tear and blister at the slightest touchCredit: Please Help Pippa/Facebook – Supply fee – Media Wales

Pippa was born with no skin on her hands and her feetCredit: Media Wales

Pippa's conditions meant she was too ill to touch for her first five months — Pippa’s conditions meant she was too ill to touch for her first five months

Rhiannon and Damian had to learn how to look after their daughter before they could take her home from hospital

“This is a fundraising page for a child with a disability and it highlights the worst part of it.

“It’s so frustrating when you see pictures of semi-naked men and women all the time and this is a picture of a little girl who is suffering and how putting a fluffy pair of slippers on her did that to her feet in a few minutes.

“It’s something we want to share to raise awareness of to show people this is how extreme the condition is.”

Rhiannon responded to the company to see if they would reconsider.

A PAINFUL SKIN CONDITION THAT CAUSES IT TO TEAR AND BLISTER

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a general term used to describe a group of rare inherited skin disorders that cause the skin to become very fragile.

In people with EB, any trauma or friction to the skin can cause tears and blisters.

Types:

There are three main types of the condition:

Epidermolysis bullosa simplex: blistering occurs in the upper layer of the skin. This is the most common type of EB, accounting for 70 per cent of cases, and tends to be milder than the other types.
Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa: blistering occurs below the basement membrane zone in the upper part of the dermis. DEB accounts for around 25 per cent of cases.
Junctional epidermolysis bullosa: blistering occurs at the junction between the epidermis and the dermis (lower layer of the skin) in a layer of skin known as the basement membrane zone. JEB accounts for around 5 per cent of cases and is usually considered the most severe type of EB.

Cause:

EB is caused by faulty genes. In most cases these are inherited from one or both parents but sometimes the fault occurs spontaneously.

It is a result of not enough collagen being produced in the skin.

Treatment:

There is no cure for EB, but treatments aim to relieve symptoms.

Most treatments can be done at home, such as popping blisters with a sterile needle, applying protective dressings and avoiding things that make the condition worse.

But she says they replied with a message saying: “Sorry for the inconvenience but our say on this matter remains unchanged.”

Rhiannon, of Ponthir, Newport added: “They have said that if I want to run the advert I have to remove the pictures but there would be no point to it then.

“I will put a complaint in to try and understand why it is not appropriate.”

Following Pippa’s birth Rhiannon and her husband Damian, 36, stayed in hospital with her for 23 days while medics decided the best plan of care for their baby.

Rhiannon previously told of her anguish at learning of her daughter’s illness.