Little girl, four, nicknamed Rapunzel who is having BREAST IMPLANTS on her skull in a bid to save her life

  • Lylah Fairless, four, was born with a huge mole, or nevus, on back of her head
  • Doctors feared it could become cancerous and develop fatal tumours
  • She has had skin-expanding implants inserted into her head to help surgeons
  • Ninety per cent of mole has been removed with excess skin grafted over it
  • Her family are fundraising for the treatment and have even sold their house 

By Joseph Curtis For Mailonline

Published: 06:02 EST, 8 January 2017 | Updated: 12:32 EST, 8 January 2017

Lylah Fairless, pictured as a baby, was born with a giant congenital nevus on the back of her head - a huge mole birthmark that doctors feared could turn cancerous

A little girl nicknamed 'Rapunzel' after a potentially-deadly birthmark that caused her to grow lengthy locks is having breast implants on her head to save her life.

Lylah Fairless, aged four, was born with a giant congenital nevus - otherwise known as a large mole or birthmark - that covers the entire back half of her skull and could kill her.

Doctors feared the mass could develop into a melanoma and she could develop fatal tumours in her brain without any symptoms.

The only treatment for Lylah was to have skin expanders placed under her hairline to be filled with fluid - similar to the surgery for breast implants.

Once the skin has expanded, surgeons can then remove a part of the nevus and use the healthy excess skin to stitch her scalp back together.

Lylah, from Saint Charles in Missouri, the US, has had more than 15 surgeries now and it is hoped her last operations to remove the final 10 per cent will take place next year.

Parents Ian and Ashley Fairless, 32 and 27,  nicknamed her 'Rapunzel' due to her abnormally long hair, which was caused by the condition.

Mr Fairless said: 'My daughter was born with a very rare condition called a giant congenital nevus, which is a large birthmark on the back half of her scalp.

'She was born with long, beautiful dark hair.

'There were two large bumps on the back of her skull, the haematomas, and then this mass of dark thick straight hair.

'I immediately named her our little 'Rapunzel' because of it.

The four-year-old has since had breast implant-type surgery on her head to expand her skin to allow surgeons to remove the birthmark. She is pictured left, with mother Ashley, and right after the implants were placed in her head, causing large skin growth

Lylah's (left) family, father Ian (back centre), mother Ashley (right) and brother Lincoln (front centre), are raising money for her surgeries to be completed

The operations on the nevus, left, work by using fluid-filled skin expanders to allow surgeons to cut away the growth and then graft over it with the excess skin

'Her hair was so long and growing in every direction, we were amazed how far it stretched down.'

But surgeons were forced to shave the little girl's lengthy locks so that they could reach the massive nevus.

Her father said: 'Doctors told us that with it comes the heightened risk of melanomas.

'If she were to get a melanoma, tumours would develop in her brain first before showing signs on the surface which would kill her.

'The thought that cancer could develop in her brain without any symptoms showing immediately terrified us and we knew we had to go through surgery.

'Now she's been through over 15 surgeries, which is a lot for someone so young.

'The surgery puts a deflated implant in her skull, which we then inject saline into, to stretch the healthy skin on the scalp.

'We would inject as much as we could in a day for eight to 12 weeks without causing her discomfort.

The youngster, pictured, has been through more than 15 surgeries in her four years

More than 90 per cent of the mole has now been removed, with a final batch of surgeries set to take place this year

'Then the surgeon removes some of the nevus mass and uses the extra skin to repair her scalp.

'Over 90 per cent of the nevus has been resolved now but the remaining areas are a lot thicker.'

Her parents were unaware their daughter would be born with the condition that affects one in 20,000 people.

Lylah's father Ian, pictured with his daughter, said he would do 'anything' to ensure his daughter had a 'happier and healthier life'

Since her first surgery at six-months-old, her parents say the expanders used to save her life have attracted a lot of attention.

With some members the public staring, points and make cruel comments including that their daughter looked like she had been 'burned'.

Mr Fairless said: 'I use most interactions as an educational opportunity but there have been some looks of disgust and one person assumed she was a burns survivor.

'It was a very bold assumption from someone who we had just met, we prefer people to just ask rather than making comments or finger pointing.'

It's hoped that Laylah will have her last batch of surgeries next year and she will then able to lead a normal life without being at risk of cancerous tumours.

Mr Fairless added: 'We decided after she was born that if there was anything we could do to ensure our daughter had a happier and healthier life we would do it.

Lylah's surgeries proved so expensive that the Fairless family was forced to sell their home to fund them

It is hoped Lylah (left and right) will be able to lead a normal life following the final operations

'Now we're hoping next year will be the final treatments she needs, all we ever wanted was to make sure our daughter had the best quality of life and now she's getting there.'

The Fairless family are currently fundraising after being forced to sell their home due to mounting medical bills during her treatment.

They're hoping to raise money to help cover the costs of surgeries and daily supplies such as bandages, syringes, antibiotics and more.

Mr Fairless said: 'We've had some medical debt forgiven, but with so many payment plans and collection payments we were unable to afford our house and went through the long process of short sale.

'Over the years, we've had to buy our own bandages, syringes and saline for her skin expansions, antibiotics, and more.

'As well as what medical bills or bills with collections we have left, I'm asking for help in any way possible.'

To donate click here.

Lylah, pictured left with her father and brother, and right, was nicknamed 'Rapunzel' because of the amount of hair she grew due to the nevus

WHAT ARE CONGENITAL NEVUS? 

Congenital melanocytic nevus (CMN) are pigmented moles present at birth, they can present anywhere on the body and are darker than the rest of the skin, sometimes with hair.

The birthmark occurs on approximately one per cent of the world's children and are most often found on the head and neck.

They are not necessarily harmful but the larger the moles are the more likely they are to develop into skin cancer known as melanoma. 

Treatment options include laser removal and surgery, as well as skin expanders. 

Mark Beckwith, chief executive of US support association Nevus Outreach, said: 'Skin expanders have a lot in common with breast implants.

'The point is to place a device under the skin that can be made larger, and as a result stretches the skin so there is more of it.

'Then, once there is enough, they perform a second procedure to remove the expander, remove some or all of the nevus, and use the adjacent, recently expanded skin, to replace where the nevus used to be before it was removed.

Mr Beckwith added: 'Thanks to gleanings from the Nevus Outreach International Registry, we believe the incidence is no higher than 5 per cent.

'All different kinds of cells can become cancerous and melanocytes are no exception.

'Melanoma is what you get when your melanocytes, the cells that make pigment, become cancerous.'

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