Born without a right ear, Ethan Giles-Bowman became increasingly shy and self-conscious with each passing year.
He grew his hair long to try and cover up the flap of skin where his ear should have been, but was always aware of the way strangers looked at him.
Now the nine-year-old is enjoying a new lease of life after surgeons created an ear for him using cartilage taken from his ribcage.
Ethan Giles-Bowman has had his hair cut so it no longer hides his ear, after he had one crafted out of his rib cartilage
It was a painful process, but the schoolboy is delighted with the result and proud of his realistic-looking new ear.
His insecurities have disappeared overnight and he immediately had his hair cut short to show it off. He can't wait for summer to come along so he can wear sunglasses on holiday.
Ethan was one of the first children in the UK to undergo the complicated six-hour operation. He has never been able to hear from his right side, but a permanent hearing aid may be fitted in future to give him some hearing.
His rare congenital condition Hemi-facial Goldenhar Syndrome meant his right ear was originally little more than a lobe.
Mother Kathryn Giles-Bowman, 33, from Sheffield, said he has coped with the problem bravely and went to a mainstream junior school.
'Ethan always managed quite well with one ear, it was something he grew up with and he became accustomed to, but obviously it affected him. As he got older he became more aware of it.'
Ethan has Goldenhar Syndrome, which is a rare congenital defect characterized by incomplete development of the ear
Extracting the cartilage was a 'very invasive procedure.' Mrs Giles-Bowman, who owns a beauty salon, said: 'It resulted in Ethan having to put up with a lot of pain and discomfort but he was determined he wanted to do it.
'Now he is fantastic, the first thing he wanted was to have his hair cut shorter, instead of hiding away underneath it and we're getting used to his new look.
'The change in him since then has been enormous. He is now much more outgoing. It is wonderful for me and his father to see him looking so happy and confident.'
The family knew surgery was an option but they had to wait until he was physically big enough for surgeons to take enough cartilage.
In 2009 their GP recommended top surgeon Greg O’Toole at the Royal Free Hospital in London and the operation was carried out last September.
Mrs Giles-Bowman, who has two other children aged 13 and one, said when the bandages were removed after two days Ethan's face 'lit up.'
'All his friends think it's really cool,' she said.
At the moment the ear looks 'pinned back' and a further operation will be carried out in April to take more cartilage and build up the ear further.
His father Richard Bowman, 41, a joiner, said:'Ethan has had to live with the problem all his life, but he has just got on with things. He has been so brave and I'm sure he will be able to cope with further surgery. The whole family is proud of him.'