Girl with 'distorted face' undergoes transformation after 3 major surgeries.

Arriving at the household goods store at 6 am, Le Huyen Trang (29 years old, from Quang Ninh province) was busy preparing for the day's work. Since her appearance improved, she no longer felt self-conscious when meeting customers and was more comfortable interacting in front of crowds. These changes in appearance also helped Trang's life change positively; she transitioned from a warehouse employee to an accountant.

Born healthy like any other child, Trang suffered a stroke at two months old. The disease progressed rapidly and left her with paralysis of the 7th cranial nerve, causing one side of her face to become distorted and deformed.

Trang suffers from the aftereffects of facial nerve paralysis (cranial nerve VII), resulting in one side of her face being distorted and pulled apart. (Photo: Provided by the subject)

Trang's parents sold all their land and took their daughter to various hospitals, "begging" doctors for help. They spent a lot of money, but her condition didn't improve. One eye was almost completely blind, and the other was severely paralyzed, causing the girl immense hardship.

Because of her unusual appearance, Trang was often ostracized by her neighbors and shunned by her friends, who mockingly called her "cross-eyed and crooked-mouthed." Due to this defect, Trang has been afraid to have her picture taken from childhood to adulthood.

After finishing high school, her parents enrolled her in medical school, but due to her facial deformities, she was rejected everywhere she applied for jobs. Feeling helpless, Trang took a job as a warehouse worker at a household goods store. To earn extra income, after work, she would post pictures of household products on social media, and when someone placed an order, she would arrange her time to ship it.

Huyen Trang underwent four surgeries to correct her deformity, but the results were not as expected. Her feelings of inferiority and self-doubt grew, plunging her into despair, and she often considered giving up.

While browsing social media, the girl accidentally came across a free cosmetic surgery program for people in special circumstances. Gathering her courage, Trang filled out the registration form hoping for a chance to have surgery to change her appearance so that she could hold her head high when dropping off and picking up her children from school, and so that her children wouldn't feel ashamed of having a mother with a disability when they grew up.

After days of anticipation, she was overjoyed to receive the notification that she had made it into the top selections of the program. Trang was invited to Hanoi for doctors to examine her and make a decision on her appearance transformation.

Huyen Trang appears with a new look after surgery. (Photo: Provided by the subject)

Upon receiving Trang, the doctors at the hospital where the cosmetic surgery was performed recognized it as a major challenge for the medical team. Nerve damage had caused paralysis on one side of her face, affecting the muscles that lift and lower her eyes and mouth, resulting in facial asymmetry.

After thorough consultation, the doctors decided to apply the temporalis fascia flap transfer method to correct the sequelae of facial nerve paralysis. This is a complex technique requiring high skill and meticulousness from the surgeon. The process faced many difficulties, especially in preserving the blood supply to the flap to ensure the functional movement of the face.

After the first surgery, Trang showed positive changes. Her face became more balanced, and her smile gradually became more natural. Following this success, the doctor performed eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, chin reshaping, and fat grafting to further transform Trang's appearance.

After undergoing three major surgeries in six months, the girl has a completely new appearance. On the day she returned home, Trang appeared radiant and confident in front of her family. "Now I feel much more confident. My face can move, my nose is slimmer, my eyes are wide and bright, and most importantly, I can smile confidently, something I used to only dream of," Trang said.

Facial nerve paralysis, also known as facial palsy, is a condition characterized by complete or partial loss of movement in the muscles of one side of the face due to nerve damage. Symptoms include a crooked mouth, inability to wrinkle the forehead, inability to close the eye completely, a deviated nasolabial fold, a distorted smile, difficulty eating, chewing, and speaking. In addition to affecting function, facial paralysis also impacts aesthetics and the ability to communicate and integrate into society.

Nhu Loan

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/co-gai-mat-meo-lot-xac-sau-3-cuoc-dai-phau-ar907444.html