A little girl born with a rare facial birth condition has melted hearts after showing her first full, beautiful smile following surgery.

Riley Johnson born in Baltimore, Maryland, was born with a congenital condition affecting her upper lip, nose and palate. She appeared to have very little visible mouth structure, with part of her upper lip tucked inward and another section extending outward. The space between her lip and gums was quite large, and her nose appeared to have very limited openings.

This made eating and speaking extremely difficult for Riley, and at times seemed almost impossible.

“When the ultrasound was done at 20 weeks of pregnancy, the doctor noticed that something wasn’t right with our baby’s mouth. I was extremely worried until she was born. Yes, she had a facial difference, but her sweet and beautiful appearance made all of those worries disappear,” Riley’s mother, Angela, recalled emotionally.

However, the way people would stare at Riley whenever Angela took her outside left her feeling heartbroken. She began worrying about what life might be like for her daughter as she grew older. That was when she decided to pursue surgery to help “bring back a smile” for her little girl.

Around a month ago, Riley underwent surgery in which surgeons repositioned tissue from her lower lip and nose to help reconstruct her upper lip. The procedure was successful, allowing the little girl to smile brightly with a more complete-looking mouth and pronounce the letter “M” for the first time — something she had previously been unable to do.

“When Riley came out of the operating room, I cried. She looked absolutely beautiful, and I felt so lucky to have her,” her mother recalled with emotion.

Before the surgery, Riley had been fitted with a specialized device designed to gradually stretch the skin around her nose and help reshape the area.

“The device slowly stretches the skin to help create the middle part of her nose and allows her mouth to gradually take on a more natural shape. Thankfully, from now on she can grow up like other children and feel much more confident.

“If she doesn’t want to eat, she can now close her lips together. Her smile is also much more complete and shows her happiness so much more clearly.

“After the surgery, I watched her play with her upper lip and smile from time to time because she was fascinated by it. She still can’t say ‘Mama,’ but I think it won’t be long before she does.”

The family said the overall medical treatment was very expensive. The specialized skin-stretching device alone was difficult to obtain, and Angela had to spend $6,500 to purchase it.

The mother is now also raising funds in the hope of covering Riley’s medical expenses and supporting her continued care.