A model who suffered a horrific acid attack is speaking out about the harrowing details of her battle to recover.
Katie Piper was beaten and raped by her jealous boyfriend at a London hotel in March 2008. Daniel Lynch then arranged for another man to throw sulphuric acid in her face as she walked along the street.
The corrosive liquid burned through all four layers of skin on the 26-year-old's face and neck. She was left blind in one eye, unable to eat, and needed more than 30 corrective surgeries to repair the damage.
Surgeons at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, led by Dr. Mohammad Jawad, had to remove all of Piper's skin that had come into contact with the acid.
They then used a pioneering technique to restore her face by applying an artificial skin substitute with grafts from other parts of her body.
Piper now wears a plastic pressure mask for 23 hours a day to flatten her scars and keep in moisture.
Following the more than 30 surgeries, Piper said she now feels like she has a chance at rebuilding her life.
“I don't think it's going to be that easy, but I want to try," she said. "I want to move on from my attack, and I don't want to be a scared little child. I want to blossom into a confident, able woman.”
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