Girl gets a new face

Xu Jianmei, a 17-year-old girl from Putian, Fujian province, who was horribly disfigured in a fire twelve years ago, can finally face the future after a pioneering transplant operation.

After about 10 hours of surgery at Fujian Medical University Union Hospital in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province, Xu can now smile for the first time since the fire left her without a chin, eyelids and most of her right ear.

"With her new face she will be able to express herself in a more precise way. She will even be able to blush when her emotions change," said Xu's surgeon, Jiang Chenghong.

The transplant team grew her new face over several months using a blood vessel from her leg and a water-filled balloon to expand the skin where it was implanted in her chest.

Xu Jianmei takes a look at her new face after the surgery  [Photo by Lin Dan/chinadaily.com.cn]