It is now hoped Sidra will return to school in September

Sidra Afzal, from Fleur-de-Lys, near Caerphilly, underwent the surgery at Swansea's Morriston Hospital.

Ten months ago, surgeons implanted a gel-filled balloon under her scalp which was expanded, allowing new skin and hair to grow.

The balloon has now been removed and the new tissue pulled over her head, covering her baldness.

William Dickson, director of the Welsh Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery said the operation on Wednesday had gone "very well indeed".

"The expanded skin has successfully covered all the baldness she had," he said.

"It was a complex operation, but also, the commitment shown by Sidra in the months leading up to this operation has been remarkable.

HOW TISSUE EXPANSION WORKS 1. No hair can grow on scar tissue after severe burn 2. Tissue expander is gradually filled with saline solution by injection through tube under skin 3. Expander removed; stretched skin with hair covers wound

"She is a very cheerful child and has been co-operative throughout, even though there were times it must have been uncomfortable for her. She is a fantastic little girl.

"I've looked after Sidra since she was admitted three years ago and throughout all her hospital visits she has always been a delight."

"She has coped very well with the period of tissue expansion and with all the injections she has had."

He added the prognosis was very good.

"She should have a very good head of hair providing she doesn't develop any complications and we're not expecting that."

Sidra was two when she suffered 25% burns from cooking oil in an accident at her home, leaving her bald on one side of her head.

Doctors grafted skin from her thighs onto burns on her back and arm to lessen the scarring but her scalp remained red and swollen, and her hair did not grow back.

Sidra is the youngest patient at the burns centre to have undergone the tissue expansion procedure.

The balloon has been filled with a gel at the rate of six teaspoons-full each week - with the healthy skin and hair stretching around it.

'Beyond words'

Her parents said they were relieved and delighted with the outcome of their daughter's surgery.

Sidra was back on the children's ward an hour after surgery

Her mother, Saba Afzal, said she could not thank the staff enough.

"It's beyond words, we've waited for this since she had the accident, when they told us one day Sidra would have the operation," she said.

"We've just been waiting for this moment. She has been so brave all this time."

And her father, Mohammed Afzal, 46, added: "This is really excellent. We are so delighted that it has been a success."

It is now hoped Sidra will be able to return to school in September after spending a year having tutoring at home since the balloon was implanted.