We really love getting updates and photos of all the children we’ve helped at the Little Baby Face Foundation, and we hope you love reading their updates as much as we do! Today, we’re sharing Elena’s incredible journey with you.
 

We really love getting updates and photos of all the children we’ve helped at the Little Baby Face Foundation, and we hope you love reading their updates as much as we do! Today, we’re sharing Elena’s incredible journey with you.
 
Elena just celebrated her first birthday, so what better way to celebrate this sweet little toddler than by sharing her story.

From Liverpool, NY, Elena was born with a large hairy nevus covering her scalp. Her parents were concerned about the malignancy of the birthmark, and her mother, Dinela, immediately started researching conditions and doctors. She came across Dr. Romo and Little Baby Face Foundation online and applied immediately. When we called to tell her that Elena’s application was approved and to welcome them into the Little Baby Face Foundation family, Dinela was thrilled.

“I was very relieved. Actually, I believe I cried when I spoke to Diane for the first time. I told her she was godsend for someone who was just overwhelmed with something I didn’t understand. But she reassured me that there were many parents out there with kids with similar situations….It felt like someone lifted a little weight off my shoulders,” Dinela recalls.

Generally, surgical removal of a hairy nevus is a straightforward procedure, but in Elena’s case, the location makes it a bit more challenging. The skin on the scalp is quite tight, so her nevus cannot be removed all at once, as there wouldn’t be enough skin. Her first surgery with the Little Baby Face Foundation was in November 2022, where most of the hairy nevus was removed.

This month (January 2023), we’ve performed the second surgery in her treatment plan, which is skin expansion. A deflated balloon was inserted under her scalp and forehead, and over the next few months, the balloon will be inflated with saline solution to gradually stretch the skin. Skin expansion has been a standard procedure for the past 25 years, used often in breast reconstruction and facial reconstruction. The third and final step in Elena’s treatment will be a surgical procedure to remove the balloon and the remainder of the tumor.

Currently, Elena is healing well from her second surgery, and she is able to enjoy the simple pleasures of toddlerhood, like taking first steps, playing with her favorite toys, and making messes. Elena’s family will be making the 8-hour roundtrip drive each week for the next five weeks to inject her skin expander in order to stretch the skin on her scalp. This has not been causing her pain, but it can be uncomfortable, as the skin is quite taut. Those who have experienced the late months of pregnancy will undoubtedly understand right away what the sensation is like.

After her surgery, Elena will be left with a beautiful forehead with the expanded skin going up to her hairline and no visible nevi remaining. She has experienced some hair loss around the staple areas from the first two procedures, but this will all grow back.

We encourage you to follow us on Facebook and Instagram where we will be posting updates on Elena’s upcoming surgery to remove the skin expander and the rest of her hairy nevus. Stay tuned!

 
Elena just celebrated her first birthday, so what better way to celebrate this sweet little toddler than by sharing her story.

From Liverpool, NY, Elena was born with a large hairy nevus covering her scalp. Her parents were concerned about the malignancy of the birthmark, and her mother, Dinela, immediately started researching conditions and doctors. She came across Dr. Romo and Little Baby Face Foundation online and applied immediately. When we called to tell her that Elena’s application was approved and to welcome them into the Little Baby Face Foundation family, Dinela was thrilled.

“I was very relieved. Actually, I believe I cried when I spoke to Diane for the first time. I told her she was godsend for someone who was just overwhelmed with something I didn’t understand. But she reassured me that there were many parents out there with kids with similar situations….It felt like someone lifted a little weight off my shoulders,” Dinela recalls.

Generally, surgical removal of a hairy nevus is a straightforward procedure, but in Elena’s case, the location makes it a bit more challenging. The skin on the scalp is quite tight, so her nevus cannot be removed all at once, as there wouldn’t be enough skin. Her first surgery with the Little Baby Face Foundation was in November 2022, where most of the hairy nevus was removed.

This month (January 2023), we’ve performed the second surgery in her treatment plan, which is skin expansion. A deflated balloon was inserted under her scalp and forehead, and over the next few months, the balloon will be inflated with saline solution to gradually stretch the skin. Skin expansion has been a standard procedure for the past 25 years, used often in breast reconstruction and facial reconstruction. The third and final step in Elena’s treatment will be a surgical procedure to remove the balloon and the remainder of the tumor.

Currently, Elena is healing well from her second surgery, and she is able to enjoy the simple pleasures of toddlerhood, like taking first steps, playing with her favorite toys, and making messes. Elena’s family will be making the 8-hour roundtrip drive each week for the next five weeks to inject her skin expander in order to stretch the skin on her scalp. This has not been causing her pain, but it can be uncomfortable, as the skin is quite taut. Those who have experienced the late months of pregnancy will undoubtedly understand right away what the sensation is like.

After her surgery, Elena will be left with a beautiful forehead with the expanded skin going up to her hairline and no visible nevi remaining. She has experienced some hair loss around the staple areas from the first two procedures, but this will all grow back.

We encourage you to follow us on Facebook and Instagram where we will be posting updates on Elena’s upcoming surgery to remove the skin expander and the rest of her hairy nevus. Stay tuned!

 
Elena just celebrated her first birthday, so what better way to celebrate this sweet little toddler than by sharing her story.

From Liverpool, NY, Elena was born with a large hairy nevus covering her scalp. Her parents were concerned about the malignancy of the birthmark, and her mother, Dinela, immediately started researching conditions and doctors. She came across Dr. Romo and Little Baby Face Foundation online and applied immediately. When we called to tell her that Elena’s application was approved and to welcome them into the Little Baby Face Foundation family, Dinela was thrilled.

“I was very relieved. Actually, I believe I cried when I spoke to Diane for the first time. I told her she was godsend for someone who was just overwhelmed with something I didn’t understand. But she reassured me that there were many parents out there with kids with similar situations….It felt like someone lifted a little weight off my shoulders,” Dinela recalls.

Generally, surgical removal of a hairy nevus is a straightforward procedure, but in Elena’s case, the location makes it a bit more challenging. The skin on the scalp is quite tight, so her nevus cannot be removed all at once, as there wouldn’t be enough skin. Her first surgery with the Little Baby Face Foundation was in November 2022, where most of the hairy nevus was removed.

This month (January 2023), we’ve performed the second surgery in her treatment plan, which is skin expansion. A deflated balloon was inserted under her scalp and forehead, and over the next few months, the balloon will be inflated with saline solution to gradually stretch the skin. Skin expansion has been a standard procedure for the past 25 years, used often in breast reconstruction and facial reconstruction. The third and final step in Elena’s treatment will be a surgical procedure to remove the balloon and the remainder of the tumor.

Currently, Elena is healing well from her second surgery, and she is able to enjoy the simple pleasures of toddlerhood, like taking first steps, playing with her favorite toys, and making messes. Elena’s family will be making the 8-hour roundtrip drive each week for the next five weeks to inject her skin expander in order to stretch the skin on her scalp. This has not been causing her pain, but it can be uncomfortable, as the skin is quite taut. Those who have experienced the late months of pregnancy will undoubtedly understand right away what the sensation is like.

After her surgery, Elena will be left with a beautiful forehead with the expanded skin going up to her hairline and no visible nevi remaining. She has experienced some hair loss around the staple areas from the first two procedures, but this will all grow back.

We encourage you to follow us on Facebook and Instagram where we will be posting updates on Elena’s upcoming surgery to remove the skin expander and the rest of her hairy nevus. Stay tuned!

 
 
If your child was born with Hairy Nevus and you’re looking for help, please contact us using the form below.

     
    If your child was born with Hairy Nevus and you’re looking for help, please contact us using the form below.