In 1999, an accidental shotgun blast severely damage the face of 16-year-old Chrissy Steltz. 11 years later, Steltz was fitted for a prosthetic face that allows her to go out in public without wearing her usual cloth facial mask.


When she was a teenager, Steltz's then-boyfriend unintentionally shot her in the face at a party. The injury irreparably damaged her nose and left her blind. After Steltz's son was born last year, she decided to receive a facial prosthesis so her "little boy can grow up looking at a regular mom."

In addition to building the prosthesis, which took four days to mold, Steltz had to first undergo surgery that would allow her to hold the new face in place. From The Oregonian:

Steltz, 27, underwent four surgeries to prepare her face for the prosthesis. In September, Dr. Eric Dierks, a Portland head-and-neck surgeon, cut a nasal opening where she had none. And in February, he drilled eight screwlike implants into bones above and below her eye sockets. The prosthesis snaps onto those implants, held in place by tiny magnets.


And here's footage of Steltz being fitted for her prosthesis — you can see where doctors affixed the magnets to her skull.

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Steltz unveiled her new face last Thursday. You can read more about Steltz's remarkable procedure at The Oregonian.

[Video via KPTV. Photos via Randy L. Rasmussen.]

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