A Czech woman who had her hair and scalp ripped off by a powerful electric drill has almost fully recovered after undergoing surgery that replaced the skin using grafts from her arms and legs.

Mother-of-four Petra Novotna, 27, had been using the electric drill with her hair tied up in a ponytail when a few strands became wrapped up in the spinning device.

Within a fraction of a second it sucked the rest of the hair around the drill bit, and then jerked her head forward - tearing off the skin of her head in straight line from her eyes and the top of her nose around to the back of her head.

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Mother-of-four Petra Novotna was scalped after her ponytail became tangled in a spinning electric drill

The powerful device tore the skin across the top of her eyes and bridge of her nose in the horrifying accident

Ms Novotna, who works as a volunteer firefighter, then underwent a nine hour skin graft operation

The young woman from the village of Tremosna in the Czech Republic had been rushed to the nearby hospital in a critical condition after her cries raised the alarm.

Ms Novotna, who works as a volunteer firefighter, said the incident had happened earlier this month.

She added: 'I had my hair in a ponytail. My hair wrapped round the working electric drill and was pulled out.

'I remember everything. I went to run and then I saw my scalp was no longer attached to me, it was lying next to me instead.'

She was in a serious condition when she was delivered to surgeons at the clinic of plastic surgery at the University Hospital of Vinohrady in the Czech Republic capital Prague.

The horrific accident had left almost half her skull exposed, but as the mangled remains of her scalp were impossible to reattach, doctors had to operate immediately using tissue from the other parts of her body.

Doctor Andrej Sukop (pictured) said he was pleased with the results of the complicated nine-hour operation

The head of the clinic and Petra's doctor Andrej Sukop said: 'We took an 8 to 10centimetres long vascular graft from the patient's arms and legs and we put them on her face.'

Petra says she is happy that the after-effects will not be so dramatic. Now, a few weeks after the horrible accident, she can already smile again and is looking forward to going back home.

Doctor Sukop was also pleased with the results of the complicated nine-hour long operation.

He said: 'We are very happy, and in fact the operation was such a success that we have already had several enquiries from other hospitals who want more details on exactly what we did.'