A shy woman who had a severe underbite has revealed her astonishing transformation after undergoing painful surgery that left her unable to eat for eight weeks.
Luisa McDermott developed the 3cm underbite when she was nine years old, which left her bottom jaw stuck out beyond her upper jaw.
The now 26-year-old wore braces for eight years and was finally given the go-ahead for a five-hour operation to correct the underbite.
Surgeons moved Luisa’s bottom jaw back 0.8mm and her top jaw forward by 1cm, leaving her unable to eat solid food for two months.
She says the pain was worth it as she’s finally able to show off her transformation, which has left her unrecognisable.
“It’s absolutely worth all the pain and it’s life changing,” Luisa, from Bradford, West Yorks, told Need To Know.
“I’m so glad I had it done.
“The full recovery time is about 18 months.
“I was on a liquid diet for two weeks and had to eat through a straw, and then I could eat mashed potatoes.
“It was so uncomfortable.
“I couldn’t swallow, I couldn’t feel my teeth, I needed 24/7 care, I had to be fed, and I couldn’t go to the toilet.
“On the third day, my eye was swollen shut, so I could only see out of half of it.
“My cheek, neck, lips and chin were swollen and bruised, and I had nosebleeds.
“I wasn’t scared because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and I knew I’d get to the other side, and that is what I had to go through.
“I’m still struggling to eat and chew solids, I’ve got pins and needles in my chin and can’t move my top lip.”
Luisa says her underbite started to affect her confidence when she was a teenager.
She said: “People would make the odd comment about my jaw, but it wasn’t an everyday thing.
“People would say ‘your jaw is massive’.
“The comments didn’t bother me as much as they should because I always knew that I’d be getting surgery one day.
“My jaw made me really unhappy, and I hated having photos.”
Luisa had her first operation when she was 18, during which her jaw was shaved down by 5mm.
She was also given braces.
Luisa had to attend hospital appointments every six weeks to see if her teeth were ready for the surgery.
The administrator opted not to go to university out of fear she’d fall behind if she were offered surgery while she was studying.
She’s finally set to have her braces removed in January.
Luisa said: “I was desperate.
“I didn’t go to university in case I needed surgery during that time, and I’d have to come home every six weeks.
“Eventually, my teeth stopped moving because my jaw was so far forward.
“I’ve had braces for eight years now, and I can’t wait to have them off.”
Luisa says friends do a double-take when they see her and that she has a newfound confidence since the operation.
She added: “My mindset has completely changed.
“I love my side profile now.
“Everything is in place and symmetrical.
“I’m really happy and I feel a million times better when I look in the mirror.
“Now, when I take a photo, I feel like I’m catching up on all of those years.
“I feel a lot more confident.
“I’d do it all over again.
“A lot of people don’t recognise me.
“My next-door neighbour and colleagues didn’t recognise me when they first saw me.
“People do a double-take because they can’t believe it’s me.
“They think I’m someone else, and they’re completely shocked.
