SWNS
Connie Lloyd, three, was bullied for having a bright red clown nose. But in a life-changing operation, the little girl has had the birthmark removed.
Connie was just a day old when mum Zara and dad Tom, both 24, spotted a tiny red dot on her nose. Over the next month the raised red circle grew to 4cm and completely covered her tiny button nose.
Her mum Zara, from Slough, Berkshire, said: "Even going to the doctors' surgery was awful for both of us. I would hide Connie in the car to avoid people making horrible comments.
"By the time Connie was four weeks old her nose was a perfect clown's nose and not only was the birthmark growing externally, but internally too."
A skin specialist at Great Ormond Street Hospital diagnosed her with a haemangioma - a collection of blood vessels growing internally and externally - and Connie became only the eighth baby in the UK to take Propranolol, used to treat heart conditions, which stopped the blemish becoming any larger.
But Connie had to face cruel remarks whenever she left the house. Finally Zara found a surgeon who could remove the birthmark.
She said: "Before the operation Connie was quite shy and when people made comments and pointed she would turn her head."
SWNS
Now after surgery, Connie has been left with just a small scar on her nose and is looking forward to starting pre-school in September.
Zara said: "It was the longest two hours of my life when Connie was in the theatre. When she came out of the operation she said her nose was like her mum's.
"Now she is doing really well, she has a big group of friends and we are so proud of her. She is very intelligent.
"It's nice not to have to deal with the cruel comments any more but red nose or not Connie has always been our perfect little girl.
"It was distressing to see Connie in a hospital bed but when we saw her nose we were amazed. She looked like a different child but we knew it was our Connie."