A schoolgirl spent six months with four inflated balloons lodged under her scalp to grow new skin to allow doctors to cover her birthmark.

Jessica Brett was born with a mole covering half her head.

Specialists warned her parents if it was left untreated, it could ultimately turn cancerous. 

Medics did not want to leave the nine-year-old with a bald patch, by using a skin graft from elsewhere on her body.

And so they decided to grow more skin on her scalp, during two complex operations.

In what is thought to be a UK first, surgeons put four balloons under her scalp in a 'mohawk'.

They then spent six months gently inflating the balloons with more than a pint and a half of saline solution, to stretch Jessica's skin.

When enough excess skin had been created, the balloons were removed. Meanwhile surgeons also removed the mole.

Then, the team were able to stretch the new skin over the gap, creating a normal scalp. 

Jessica coped with her unusual 'hairstyle' by drawing inspiration from her short-haired hero Jessie J and didn't complain once throughout the tough ordeal.

Her proud mother Becky, 34, said: 'She was really so brave - it just didn't bother her.

'She looked like she had buns on her head, and people used to comment on how they liked her "hairstyle".

'It was a long process but Jessica showed us the strength with how brave she has been and her courage.

'She wore a hat but then sometimes she would go out without it.

'Everyone is so proud of her. She just embraced what she has been through. She's ever so brave.'