Eyebrow transplant for man who lost part of his face to cancer

A man from Cambridgeshire who lost part of his face to cancer has had an eyebrow transplant - the latest of tens of operations to reconstruct his face.

Josh Stephenson from Huntingdon was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, or skin cancer, in 2009. It spread from his eye socket through his face, and then to other parts of his body. Just last Christmas he had to have part of his liver removed, as it had become cancerous.

Josh lost his left eye, and much of his left jaw and cheek bone during treatment, which included radiotherapy and chemotherapy. He also lost some of his hair, including his eyebrows which have not grown back. Josh is now cancer free, but needs scans every three months to check it has not returned.

Before his illness, Josh was a fashion designer who worked for luxury brands in London, but due has had to give up work. He now does talks, and works with the charity Saving Faces which raises awareness and promotes research into facial diseases.

Now he has undergone an eyebrow transplant to replace the eyebrow hair he lost during treatment. He hopes that it will take him another step towards getting his confidence back.

The surgery was carried out at The Wimpole Clinic in Central London, which specializes in hair transplants. The surgical team remove a patch of hair and tissue from the back of the patient's head, then carefully extract each individual hair from the tissue. They have to work quickly, as if the roots dry out or are damaged the hairs may die soon after surgery.

Next they make tiny slits in the patient's eyebrows, and place in each individual hair. With about 500 hairs going in each eyebrow it is a lengthy procedure, and can take more than six hours.

It will take a few months for the swelling and bruising to go down completely, but the surgical team say Josh's transplant has gone well and Josh is thrilled with the initial results.

Click below to watch a report from ITV News Anglia's Olivia Paterson