I was bullied for looking like a squirrel, so I had $200,000 surgery to change my jaw.

• Izzy Sehon, 22, from California, underwent $200,000 surgery to replace her jawbone
• She said she was bullied by strangers who called her ‘chinless’ before the operation
• Doctors put belly fat on her face during surgery and she feels ‘beautiful’

A 22-year-old woman who says she was ruthlessly bullied for looking like a ‘squirrel’ because of her unique jawbone has had $200,000 surgery to have her face injected with fat from her stomach – and she says she finally feels “beautiful” for the first time.

Izzy Sehon22 years old, Angels, Californiawas two years old when her mother, Cherise Gerrard, 60, noticed that her jawline was not very pronounced and looked “different”.

At age eight, the problems started to progress and Izzy suffered a lot from jaw and joint pain. She has seen countless orthodontists and has worn braces “about six times” in her life. Izzy also suffered severe bullying, with people often comparing her to a “squirrel” and calling her “chinless”.

Finally, after years of torment, Izzy – who even says doctors told her she looked like “someone who blew herself up in the war” – underwent a facial modification procedure that completely transformed his life and his appearance.

In June 2020, Izzy went to see a doctor who finally realized she had idiopathic condylar resorption (ICR) – a rare condition that causes jaw bones to break.

Izzy was told her TMG joint – the two joints that connect your lower jaw to your skull – was “non-existent”.

Izzy received her official diagnosis of CKI in September 2022 and was told she needed surgery to give her a custom jawline.

She said: ‘I was told it was bone on bone. My TMG was corroded.

Izzy funded the surgery, which she received at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills, through her insurance — with the surgeon costing $168,000, the surgery $200,000 and an $8,000 bill for his stay in the hospital.

She underwent bilateral total jaw joint replacement surgery in February 2023 – which involved cutting her jaw in four places, removing her original jaw and replacing it with custom-made prostheses.

During the 12.5-hour operation, Izzy also had fat grafts from her stomach into her face to cushion her new TMG joint.

Izzy said: “They cut my jawbone into four different pieces, removed my original jawbone and bones, and fitted me with the prosthetic joint specifically designed for my face.

“They put in fat grafts from my stomach to cushion my joint.”

And although she is now delighted with her appearance, Izzy revealed she was “terrified” to look at herself immediately after reconstructive surgery.

She confessed that she even made her father, John Sehon, 60, cover the mirrors with “sheets and towels” for the first few days.

Izzy added, “I was terrified to watch myself at first. I didn’t look for five days and made my dad put sheets and towels on the hospital mirrors. I started to break down when I first saw myself. I thought “that wasn’t me”.

“Now I’m happy to see what it’s starting to look like. It changes life.

Izzy spent five days in hospital after having an allergic reaction to her medication before she could go home.

She was unable to speak for seven days or open her mouth much, but exercised her jaw every day.

She said, “I couldn’t talk at all. I was non-verbal for seven days. I then started mumbling. My voice has changed a lot – it’s higher pitched.

Before her operation, she bullied and dropped out of school at the age of 15.

She said: ‘I’ve had braces about six times. I have been bullied all my life. I couldn’t understand why people didn’t want to be my friend or why guys didn’t want to date me.

“They compared my side profile to a squirrel and called me ‘chinless’. My family always told me that I was beautiful.

Izzy is now ‘happy’ to see what her new face looks like and dreams of being able to bite into a caramel apple for the first time in 14 years.

Izzy, a real estate graduate, said: ‘I can’t wait to eat a camel’s apple. I’ve wanted to eat one since I was eight.

Izzy has been suffering from jaw pain, eating, breathing and sleeping since she was eight years old.

She said: ‘I haven’t been able to crunch or bite with my upper teeth since I was 10 years old. I haven’t been able to bite an apple since I was eight. I had a hard time crunching and chewing a chocolate bar.

“I’ve always been so jealous of people who go to Disney and eat a caramel apple. I can’t wait to get caramel candies.

Izzy could only eat soft foods like rice and mashed potatoes throughout her life.

She said, “I’d choke on anything I eat.”

Izzy is still on a soft food diet while recovering and will be able to start eating hard foods in May.

She said: ‘I was always so jealous of people who would go to Disney and eat a caramel apple. I can’t wait to have caramel candies.

Izzy also admitted that the surgery made her realize who her real friends were.

She said: “A lot of guys came to my DMs after the surgery. And people are now saying we should get out. But where were you before? “I know who my friends are.”