St Petersburg surgeons remove Luna Fenner's 'Batman mask'

A St Petersburg clinic has presented the results of multi-stage treatment for seven-year-old Luna Fenner from the United States. Surgeons removed the remnants of a giant melanocytic nevus that had covered almost the girl«s entire face, along with scar tissue. The case is recognized as unique in global surgical practice.

Luna was born with a birthmark resembling a Batman mask. The formation carried a high risk of transforming into melanoma, so surgery was necessary. American doctors declined to take on the treatment, but in 2021, Krasnodar surgical oncologist Pavel Popov saw the girl«s story and proposed an operation plan. After his work, the risk decreased, but scars and fragments of the nevus remained, and a problem with tension in the skin of the left eyelid emerged.

In 2024, plastic surgeon Olga Filippova continued the treatment. The first operation took place in April of that year, the second stage in May 2025, and the third and final stage in spring 2026. The final operation had to be started urgently: an examination revealed a tumor in the girl.

Each stage included two operations: first, expanders — balloons for stretching skin — were implanted under the skin and gradually filled with saline, then removed. This made it possible to obtain an excess of healthy skin to close the defects. At the final stage, four Russian-made 80 ml expanders were implanted in the forehead, scalp, and cheeks.

At the concluding stage, surgeons worked on the central part of the face, where the facial muscles, lips, nose, and eyelids are located. The doctors sought to prevent deformation of the mouth and to restore the position of the eyelids and the shape of the nose. Filling the expanders proceeded without complications, but by the end of the dressing course the girl grew tired of the procedures, though she held up bravely and maintained a positive attitude.

On 11 August, surgeons showed Luna«s updated face. “We have removed the »Batman mask« from Luna Fenner, and of course there are still certain cosmetic procedures ahead, but the main surgical work on the face is finished. We managed to grow exactly the volume of skin needed to remove the nevus that covered almost the entire face,” Olga Filippova noted.

It is still too early to assess the final result: swelling and fresh scars remain on the face. “We now need a year, or maybe even two, for the face to settle, for all the swelling to go away and everything to stabilize,” the surgeon added.

Yaroslav Proshchenko, a plastic surgeon and doctor of medical sciences, emphasized: “Today this is a unique case in surgery, in global surgical practice: the removal of a nevus of such an area, and once again — the removal of scar tissue. And one can say that we now possess an experience that no one else has today.”

Hair transplantation for Luna has been postponed: the follicles are not yet mature enough. After consultation with trichologists, the transplant is planned for no earlier than age nine. The family is already thinking about a new visit to St Petersburg for eyebrow restoration, and Luna herself said she wants to come as early as next year. Also planned is correction of scars on her thigh left after treatment in Krasnodar.

Doctors note that during her visits Luna grew to love pelmeni (Russian dumplings), saw St Petersburg«s sights, learned a few Russian words, and experienced winter. During her treatment, the girl gave the medics her drawings and was warm toward them.

After completing the operations, Luna will be able to lead a normal life without the risk of skin deformation. The facial tissues will grow and change, but the girl will require annual observation by an oncologist. The Fenner family returns to the United States on 13 August, but the process is not yet complete: recovery and possible aesthetic procedures lie ahead.