A PIONEERING American plastic surgeon who could be the last hope for North-East youngster Hannah Maxwell-Jones last night pledged: "I can help her live a normal life."

Professor Milton Waner has already brought happiness to scores of families by helping reconstruct the faces of children born with disfigurements known as vascular lesions.

Prof Waner said he was "optimistic" that his unique technique will dramatically improve Hannah's appearance within 18 months.

He was speaking for the first time since readers of The Northern Echo helped raise more than £24,000 to enable Hannah to have the treatment.

Prof Waner has told the family he will not charge for the operations, but the money will be needed to pay for other medical expenses, accommodation, travel costs.

The professor has built a unique plastic surgery unit at the Arkansas Children's Hospital, which specialises in reconstructing the faces of children who are born with gross malformations.

The South African born surgeon has successfully treated dozens of badly disfigured children.

His unit helped the Arkansas Children's Hospital to be declared one of America's best hospitals two years ago.

Prof Waner said: "I am overwhelmed at the generosity of your readers, it is a phenomenal amount which should more than suffice for the family."

Hannah's parents, Allison and Keith, from Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, found out about Prof Waner's innovative work on the Internet and after a meeting in London last year, he immediately agreed to operate.

No one else in the world employs the same methods used by Prof Waner's team, which has perfected a novel and highly successful way of removing vascular lesions known as haemangioma by using a combination of laser, scalpel and a "hot-knife" that cauterizes as it cuts.

Last year, his team transformed the appearance of an Australian child who was significantly more disfigured than Hannah, a feat which was featured on a television in Australia.

Prof Waner believes that a similar unit will one day be set up in the UK but at the moment the Arkansas centre in America's Deep South is the only option for desperate parents.

"In Hannah's case we are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to get a good result," he said.

"She will undergo a series of procedures with the object of giving her back facial symmetry, in other words to get one side looking like the other, get her skin texture back to normal and get rid of all the redness."

The surgeon estimates that Hannah will need to make three or four trips to the Little Rock centre.

"I would say that in 18 months from now I would be optimistic that she will look very respectable," he said.

He praised Hannah's parents for their determination to seek a solution to their daughter's disfigurement.

"They are very motivated and focused and that is what it takes because very often children like Hannah get brushed off and fall into the cracks."

Prof Waner is unusual in his field in that he believes urgent action should be taken when a child is still is very young and before they go to school. Waiting until the children have become teenagers can be disastrous for their self-esteem, he believes.

"Usually, someone decides when the child is 14 or 15 that the child needs plastic surgery - but, of course, by then it is too late because the child is psychologically affected," said Prof Waner.

Allison Maxwell-Jones said the family was still coming to terms with the "amazing" generosity of readers.

"We recently took Hannah down to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London for laser treatment to reduce the redness of her skin, but we are all looking forward to going out to America later this year," she said