'I was terrified she'd be asked to play Rudolph in the school play': Mother's relief after surgery to remove her daughter's birthmark is successful Connie Lloyd, now five, was born with a bright red birthmark on her nose Doctors diagnosed the mark as hemangioma - a benign tumour Mother Zara says her daughter was constantly being commented on and would have her nose poked by other children Connie has now had the birthmark successfully removed Most parents look forward to seeing their child perform in a school Christmas play, but for one mother, it was a source of fear. Zara Green, whose daughter Connie was born with a bright red birthmark on her nose, said she had dreaded the possibility of her being asked to play Rudolph. Fortunately, an operation to remove the large red growth was successful. Miss Green noticed the birthmark just after Connie was born. At first she assumed it was a pressure mark from the delivery, but after two months the growth had darkened and became lumpy Miss Green, 27, a former care worker, said: â€˜When she was a baby I wondered whether the part of Rudolph would always be set aside for Connie in her Christmas plays. â€˜I imagined well-meaning teachers and parents asking us year after year whether she would like the part. â€˜Connie would have hated that kind of attention. At pre-school she had to be brave while the other children asked about her differences. â€˜Today, Iâ€™m left wondering what Connieâ€™s school life would have been like if she hadnâ€™t had the surgery. Would she have felt comfortable? Would she have found it easy to make friends?â€™ Miss Green, of Slough, Berkshire, fought for Connie to have surgery to remove the red growth at a young age, despite doctors warning her that Connie would not be eligible for the procedure until she turned ten. Connie Lloyd, pictured, had an operation to remove a bright red birthmark on his nose. Her mother had been worried that she would be type cast as Rudolph in the school Christmas play, but Connie played a cat and people no longer associate her with a birthmark at all, her mother said She said: â€˜We noticed the birthmark just after she was born. At first we assumed it was a pressure mark from the delivery. â€˜After two weeks, the growth had darkened in colour and had become lumpy. We were told it was a regular birthmark which would disappear of its own accord eventually.â€™ Miss Green sought a second opinion at Great Ormond Street childrenâ€™s hospital, where specialists diagnosed the mark as hemangioma - a benign tumour - in and around Connieâ€™s nostrils. Connie was prescribed medication to halt the spread of the growth and a consultant advised that she would be able to undergo surgery to remove it completely when she turned ten years old. Miss Green said that her daughter told her at 18 months old that she didnâ€™t like her nose and she wanted one like her motherâ€™s. Miss Green fought for Connie to have surgery to remove the red growth at a young age, despite doctors warning her that Connie would not be eligible for the procedure until she turned ten â€˜It was very difficult to hear. As her mother I wanted to do everything I could for herâ€™, she said. Negative reactions at pre-school eventually prompted Miss Green, her partner and Connieâ€™s father Tom Lloyd, 26, a mechanic, to pursue options for removing the birthmark. â€˜Children in Connieâ€™s playgroup were curious and sometimes they would prod at her nose. She found it very upsetting,â€™ Miss Green said. â€˜The school photographer even asked me whether I would like Connieâ€™s birthmark airbrushed out of the final class picture. I found it offensive. Connie was who she was, and we loved every bit her of her. â€˜But I started to think about Connie going through her school years, dealing with those kinds of reactions at every turn. Connie in the womb at 32 weeks. After she was born, specialists at Great Ormond Street children's hospital, diagnosed the red mark on her nose as hemangioma - a benign tumour - in and around Connie's nostrils â€˜We found the charity Saving Faces who put us in touch with Professor Iain Hutchison. We had a consultation with him within two weeks of getting in touch. It all happened amazingly quickly.â€™ Connie was approved for NHS funding worth Â£2,000 and underwent the surgery in March 2011, shortly before the birth of her little brother Archie, 2. Connieâ€™s nose is continuing to heal but she has not experienced any problems fitting into Reception Class at Stoke Poges Primary School. Miss Green said Connie is no longer subjected to insensitive reactions and has developed into a lively, confident schoolgirl who enjoys taking selfies. Miss Green had dreaded the possibility of her five-year-old daughter Connie Lloyd being asked to play Rudolph sue to a growth on her nose, which she has now had removed She said: â€˜Connieâ€™s Christmas play was last week and she played a cat as part of a large group of friends who were also playing cats. People donâ€™t associate her with a birthmark at all now. â€˜Sheâ€™s developed a huge amount of confidence. The change has been incredible - sheâ€™s almost a completely different girl. Sheâ€™s not shy in the slightest. â€˜She has loads of friends and loves going to class. Miss Green said that while surgery can be daunting for parents but she had to think of Connieâ€™s future long-term. â€˜If Iâ€™d had left it to the doctors who suggested we didnâ€™t go for surgery, Connieâ€™s life would have been completely different. â€˜Iâ€™m so glad we did. We have no regrets at all.