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English writer Katie Piper has opened up about how National Health Service (NHS) surgeons rebuilt her face 'from a cow' with a 'pioneering' skin graft following an acid attack in 2008.
The 38-year-old Loose Women panelist, who underwent horrific injuries to her chest, face, hands and arms, including being blinded in one eye, detailed her extensive procedures.
Since then, she has undergone more than 400 surgeries and revealed that the 'old face' is gone and been replaced with skin grafts from other areas of her body.
Speaking with Lorraine Kelly and her daughter Rosie on their podcast What If?, she stated that her burns went very deep down into the skeleton.
"Because it's a corrosive substance, you think with fire you can put it out and maybe minimize the damage, but with me all four layers of the skin were destroyed."
Katie Piper further joked about how her skin is made from substances derived from cows.
"This foundation is made from collagen and elastin taken from a cow. Queue all the moody cow jokes! My face is made out of a cow."
Going into detail, she explained that she had to get her "old face" removed because the tissue was dead and would have gotten infected. Then, she described how her face was reconstructed using other parts of her body, as doctors took a large skin graft between her mid-back and her bottom.
"They had to start from the beginning with a man-made dermal substitute. I always think of the analogy of a house, when you get the foundations before you get the bricks and the scaffolding."
She joked that she never realized how hairy her bum was until the skin was used to cover her face and chest.
Katie Piper explained that her nose was crafted from her upper right rib, her eyelids from her groin, and her eyebrows were formed from hair transplants.
The mother-of-two thanked the NHS for their 'amazing work' as they provided all of her treatment.
Katie Piper was attacked by her ex-boyfriend and his plus one
The heinous act was committed by Katie Piper's ex-boyfriend, Danny Lynch, in 2008. Her relationship with him had lasted only two weeks when he began behaving possessively and inappropriately towards her.
After sexually assaulting her in a hotel room, Danny bombarded her with calls and texts before begging her to leave her home.
Stephen Sylvestre was waiting outside, throwing a cup of sulphuric acid at Katie. Throughout this time, Danny talked on the phone while Katie screamed in pain.
Sylvestre was linked to the attack because some of the acid spray found its way back into his face, resulting in a visible surface scar on his cheek.
Sylvestre was informed he would have to serve six years before being eligible for parole. On the other hand, Danny was sentenced to life behind bars, with a minimum of sixteen years.
As per Heart UK, in 2019, Sylvestre was released from jail after serving his minimum six years as he displayed "empathy towards the victim" during his time behind bars.
