The beautiful face of an adorable baby is currently distorted with a massive birthmark that will require multiple surgical operations to fix.
Ruby Ashby
This seven-month-old girl will undergo extensive skin surgery to remove a large dark birthmark covering the top half of her tiny face.
Ruby Ashby is one in 500,000 children born with Congenital Melanocytic Nevus which covers the right side of her face and head. And the tiny tot, from Towradji near Wollongong, needs seven operations to fully remove the dark, hairy mark before she starts school. The first operation costs $10,000 and takes place on January 12.
DailyMail reports that the procedure includes inserting a silicone balloon under her skin on a part of her body not covered by the birthmark. The balloon is then slowly inflated with saline over a number of weeks.
The part of her face covered in the birthmark will then slowly be replaced with the excess skin gained from the first procedure. Doctors expect it will take up to seven operations to totally replace the birthmark with new skin.
When Ruby turns eight, she will have an eyebrow transplant as her right brow will have to be removed during one of the earlier surgeries.
'Ruby is like any normal baby, she has such a happy personality and is just perfect,' Mum, Natalie told Daily Mail Australia.
'We wouldn't change her but it is important to have it removed before she starts school - she was born with it but it doesn't mean she has to live with it.
'We just want the best for her. We are hoping by the time she starts school the mark will be gone, it takes time though because we have to give time for the skin to heal between surgeries.'
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