A three year-old girl has undergone a three and a half hour operation to have a birthmark removed from the end of her nose. The girl was only one day old when her parents noticed a tiny red spot on the end of her nose.
It was a haemangioma – also known as a strawberry birthmark – which is a benign tumour. It grew internally and externally, until it gave the baby the look of a clown nose.
The effects on her parents and the child herself were significant. The parents were continuously anxious about injury, having been told by doctors that even a cut or a graze could cause the girl to bleed to death.
The girl’s mother learned to develop protective strategies to shield her daughter from the looks and comments of others. She found people would stare, point and make hurtful remarks and so would hide the girl as much as possible.
Despite her best efforts, her daughter became shy and would turn her head away from those who pointed her out. Thanks to the operation carried out at the Royal London Hospital, the girl’s life has been transformed.
Other types of birthmark removal treatment are available, and it is always advisable to look for treatment rather than suffer with an unwanted birthmark.
