I was bullied for looking like a squirrel so I had $200k surgery to change my jaw -Health

• Izzy Sehun, 22, from California, underwent $200,000 surgery to replace his jaw.
• She said she was teased by strangers saying ‘no chin’ before the surgery
• Doctors put belly fat on her face during surgery and she feels ‘beautiful’

A 22-year-old woman who says she was brutally bullied for looking ‘squirrel’ because of her unique jaw has undergone $200,000 surgery to inject her face with fat from her stomach – and says she finally feels ‘beautiful’ for the first time .

Easy SehunThe Los Angeles, California, was 22 years old when his mother, Cherise Gerard, 60, noticed that his jaw was not very pronounced and looked ‘different’.

Problems began to progress at age eight and Izzy experienced a lot of jaw and joint pain. He has been to countless orthodontists and has worn braces about six times in his life. Ezio was subjected to severe bullying, with people often comparing him to a ‘squirrel’ and calling him ‘No Chin’.

Finally, after years of suffering, Izzy – who says she was even told by doctors that she looked like ‘someone who had been blown up in a war’ – underwent a face-change procedure that completely changed her life and her appearance.

In June 2020, Izzy visited a doctor who finally diagnosed her with idiopathic condylar resorption (ICR) – a rare condition that causes your jawbones to break.

EG called his TMG joint – the two joints that connect your lower jaw to your skull – ‘unstretched’.

Izzy was officially diagnosed with ICR in September 2022 and was told he would need surgery to give him a custom-made jaw.

He said: ‘I was told it was bone on bone. My TMG was depleted.’

Izzy financed the surgery, which she got through her insurance at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Beverly Hills – $168k for the surgeon, $200k for the surgery and an $8,000 bill for her hospital stay.

He underwent bilateral total jaw joint replacement surgery in February 2023 – which involved cutting his jaw in four places, removing his original jaw and replacing it with custom made prosthetics.

During the 12-and-a-half-hour operation, Izzy had fat grafts from his abdomen inserted into his mouth to cushion his new TMG joint.

Izzy said: ‘They cut my jaw into four separate pieces, removed my original jaw and bones and fitted me with a specially made artificial joint for my face.

‘They put fat grafts from my stomach to cushion my joints.’

And while he’s delighted with how he looks now, Izzy revealed he was ‘terrified’ to see himself immediately after reconstructive surgery.

She admitted she even made her father John Sehn, 60, cover the mirror with ‘sheets and towels’ for the first few days.

Izzy added: ‘I was scared to look at myself at first. I didn’t look for five days and made my dad put sheets and towels over the hospital mirror. I started breaking down when I first saw myself. I thought “that wasn’t me”.

‘Now I feel happy that it is starting to look. It’s life changing.’

Izzy spent five days in the hospital after having an allergic reaction to her medication before going home.

He was unable to speak or open his mouth for seven days but was doing jaw exercises daily.

He said, ‘I could not speak at all. I was speechless for seven days. I then began to grumble. My voice has changed a lot – it’s more high-pitched.’

Before her surgery, she Faced bullying and dropped out of school at age 15.

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

‘They would compare my side profile to a squirrel and call me ‘no chin’. My family always told me I was beautiful.’

Izzy is now ‘happy’ to see her new face and dreams of biting into a caramel apple for the first time in 14 years.

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

Izzy has struggled with jaw pain, eating, breathing and sleeping since she was eight years old.

She said: ‘I haven’t been able to grind or bite with my upper teeth since I was 10. I haven’t bitten an apple since I was eight. I struggled to crunch and chew a chocolate bar.

‘I was always jealous of people who would go to Disney and eat a caramel apple. I can’t wait to get some toffee candy.’

Izzy has only been able to eat soft foods like rice and mashed potatoes all her life.

She said: ‘I used to choke on everything I ate.’

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

He said: ‘I’ve always been jealous of people who go to Disney and eat a caramel apple. I can’t wait to get some toffee candy.’

Ezio admits that the surgery made him realize who his real friends are.

He said: ‘Many people have come after my DM surgery. And people are now saying we should get out. But where were you before? ‘I know who my friends are.’