A massive facial tumor that disfigured a Polish lady has allowed her to show the world her ‘new’ look.
Neurofibromatosis, a hereditary disorder that causes benign tumors to develop along the nerves, rendered the lady, only referred to as Joanna, unable to eat, speak, or swallow. The condition is caused by benign tumors.
She has now made an appearance at a press conference three years after having Poland’s second ever facial transplant. The procedure, which required the transplantation of 80% of the skin on her face, left her with very few visible evidence of the prior damage she had suffered.
Dr. Adam Maciejewski, who also did the only other face transplant in Poland, worked on Joanna’s complicated transplant for a total of 23 hours and was successful in restoring her abilities to chew, speak, and swallow after the procedure.
In addition to the growths and swellings that are brought on by an increase in the number of cells, neurofibromatosis may also bring on issues with the bones, put pressure on the nerves in the spinal column, bring on excruciating pain, and lead to learning difficulties as well as issues with vision and hearing. There is no treatment available for it.
Although many individuals who have the disorder receive it from one of their parents, up to fifty percent of people who have it acquire it before they are born as the result of a gene mutation.
The growths, which are known as neurofibromas, are neither malignant nor infectious, and it is very unlikely that they will return. This is because the skin of Joanna’s new face does not contain the same genes as her old face.
In March of 2010, a Spanish farmer who had blasted off his face with a pistol during a hunting accident and was unable to properly breathe, swallow, or communicate was the recipient of the first full-face transplant in the world. The farmer had been left unable to breathe, swallow, or talk correctly after the accident.
An ex-firefighter named Patrick Hardison, who had the most complete face transplant ever performed a year earlier, spoke out about how the procedure had changed his life and made him feel more like a “normal guy” in August of this year. Hardison made his revelation.
