(CNN) Less than 11 months after Cameron Underwood underwent a face transplant, the 26-year-old is revealing himself to the world.

Underwood, of Yuba City, California, sustained a self-inflicted gunshot to the face in June 2016. The extensive damage left him missing most of his lower jaw, his nose and every tooth but one, a statement said. He also experienced damage to his upper face and palate.

Conventional reconstructive surgery, which he reportedly tried several times, could only do so much.

Then, Underwood's mother, Beverly Bailey-Potter, read a magazine article about Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, a professor of reconstructive plastic surgery and the chair of the plastic surgery department at NYU Langone Health.

"We knew he was the only person to whom we would trust Cameron's life," she said in the release from the hospital. "We were willing to travel the long distance."

Cameron Underwood before his injury.

Read More