Girl with big balloon that grew at the head
It took six months to inflate the balloons with more than a pint and a half of saline to stretch nine-year-old Jessica Brett's skin
A brave schoolgirl allowed medics to inflate balloons under her scalp so they could grow new skin to replace a birthmark.
Nine-year-old Jessica Brett was born with a large mole covering her head, which could also have become cancerous if not treated.
If she had undergone a skin transplant using skin from another part of the body she would have been left with a large bald patch.
Instead, she became the first person in the UK to undergo pioneering treatment to grow new skin on her head.
Surgeons put balloons under her scalp in a 'mohawk' and spent a total of six months inflating them with more than a pint and a half of saline to stretch Jessica's skin.
When enough excess skin had been created, the balloons were removed and the mole cut out. The new skin was then stretched over the gap, creating a normal scalp.
Plucky Jessica coped with her unusual "hairstyle" by drawing inspiration from her short-haired hero Jessie J and didn't complain once throughout the tough ordeal.
Proud mum Becky, 34, said: "She was really so brave - it just didn't bother her.
"She looked like she had buns on her head, and people used to comment on how they liked her 'hairstyle'.
"It was a long process but Jessica showed us the strength with how brave she has been and her courage.
"She wore a hat but then sometimes she would go out without it.
"It's nice now to think that it's all over for her. She looks as perfect as she did before and it's as if it never happened."
Jessica, from Lincoln, was born with the birthmark - a pigmented melanocytic nevus - which was partially visible under her hair on the left hand side.
The condition affects just one per cent of the population and appears on the head or neck in just 15 per cent of cases.
The bubbly youngster wasn't phased by the mark, but doctors said it should be removed as soon as she was old enough to avoid it becoming cancerous.
"If it turned cancerous they wouldn't be able to remove it quickly enough because it's such a large area and it takes such a long process," explained Becky, who runs a data cabling company with husband James, 37.
She faced shaving all her hair off thanks to her idol Jessie J, and had the first three silicone balloons inserted in a line down the centre of her scalp in June 2013.
Plastic surgery specialist Khawaja Gulraiz Rauf at Leicester Royal Infirmary filled them with saline every two weeks using a syringe.
Three months later - when the 'lumps' contained 1.4 pints - surgeons removed the skin with a mole on, and the balloons, and used her newly stretched scalp to cover it up.
But the skin wasn't quite big enough, and she had to have her head shaved again and a final balloon inserted in October last year, with her parents inflating it at home.
"Although Jessica has scars, they are quickly fading and she is looking forward to growing her hair out again," said Becky.
"She's been amazing throughout this whole journey, taking it all in her stride with a huge smile on her face."
It is believed the procedure has never been done on the scalp in the UK before, and only once before, in America.
Brave Jessica held a coffee morning to raise money for an iPad for Mr Gulraiz Rauf filled with photos of her experience, so he can better explain the procedure to future patients.
Mr Rauf of Leicester Royal Infirmary, said: "The successful outcome of Jessica's procedure is due to help of a wonderful team of anaesthetists, trainee surgeons, paediatric nurses, plastic surgery specialist nurses, play specialist and occupational therapists who help me make the surgical journey for the patients and their families smooth and enjoyable.
"Jessica and her parents were exemplary with way how they complied with all the instructions and kept smiling throughout this difficult time."
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