After persistent bullying for her “elephant ears”, a Georgia teen received free plastic surgery to fix her “deformity” in an attempt to stop the bullying.

When she started first grade, Nadia Ilse was nicknamed “Dumbo” by her peers, receiving constant taunts for her ears and looks. Becoming withdrawn, Nadia pleaded with her mom to receive surgery to fix her ears.

After four years of bullying, Nadia’s wish was granted by the Little Baby Face Foundation, a charity that provides free surgery for children with facial deformities.

While Nadia only wanted an otoplasty, an ear-pinning surgery, Little Baby Face Foundation decided to do more than that. The founder, Dr. Thomas Romo III also decided to perform rhinoplasty to reduce the size of Nadia’s nose and mentoplasty to alter her chin. The total cost of the surgery is $40,000.

Nadia was pleased with the surgery and thinks that it will stop the bullying at school. “I look beautiful, this is exactly what I wanted, I love it,” she said.

And while Nadia will still receive some counseling, Little Baby Face Foundation believes that it was another job well-done. “We like to say that Baby Face transforms the lives of these children and gives them newfound confidence,” board member Don Moriarity said.

With ubiquitous bullying in the US,  teens and adults alike have been subject to verbal and even physical abuse by their peers. With the social pressure to conform, plastic surgery among the youth has risen over the past few years. That said, is this the right solution? Are we teaching today’s youth that bullying can be solved not only by superficial means but also by accepting the truth behind the taunts?