Incredible photos show first NHS 3D printed face after man's torn apart in horrific accident

Incredible photos show the NHS’s first 3D printed face following a horrific cycling accident.

After a crash in July 2021, Dave Richards was left with full thickness burns to the side of his face, including his eye, nose and part of his neck. The 75-year-old was ‘lucky to survive’ after a drunk driver crashed into him, damaging his back and pelvis and also breaking multiple ribs.

"He was on his phone, racing up behind us and we were all in line,” he recalled, having been cycling in Mere.

"My two friends got hit, and were thrown clear of the car, but I got trapped under the car, and was rolled along, with the engine and exhaust burning through one side of my body and the other side being crushed by the car."

Dave was cycling with friends when a drunk driver crashed into him (SWNS)

Thankfully, the NHS specialists were able to help Dave with surgeries and life-changing technology.

Dave was recovering at the BRI burns ward when specialists spoke to him about going down the prosthetics route, ending up being referred to Reconstructive Prosthetics which recently opened the Bristol 3D Medical Centre.

“The surgeons tried to save my eye but they were worried any infection could spread from my eye down the optic nerve to the brain so the eye was removed,” the granddad recalled.

“The decision was then made to go for free flap, taking tissue with blood arteries and veins and plumbing it into my neck, the flap completely covering the side of my face.”

This surgery was a ‘complete success’ with two follow-ups to release tightened scar tissue. But as an outpatient, Dave was interested in the opportunity for 3D work.

“When 3D capability came along, it opened up a whole range of possibilities,” the Devon man explained.

Surgeons worked to save his face before the 3D printing (SWNS)

“It is not the most pleasant of processes - they relied on various moulds and wax impressions from manual processes, they took lots of photos for a record of how it looked, and there was lots involved in making the moulds and casts on your face by covering your nose and mouth.”

As part of his treatment, Dave received a 3D prosthetic fitting the space on his face which mimics his natural hair colour, eye colour and skin. He felt ‘very vulnerable’ in the early days of recovery and worried about how people would react to him.

“I was keen to explore anything that could be done to alter the visual aspects of my injuries to give me more confidence,” he added.

But working with the centre has been ‘surreal’ for Dave, helping with his confidence and rehabilitation.

The team worked to match his natural face as closely as possible (SWNS)

Amy Davey, Senior Reconstructive Scientist at NBT, said: “Surface scanning patients for prosthetics means that patients can be scanned while moving, and this technology can use that movement to aid the prostheses to accommodate movement.

“The 3D printers used involve advanced plastic resins whose properties allow direct application to the skin, with materials that are safe against the skin for long periods.

“Another printer at the centre has the ability to produce materials that closely resemble those of the bones themselves, allowing a far more ’natural’ implant.

“3D scanning over time can be useful in quantifying a patient’s progress and enabling any necessary adjustments to be carried out, particularly for treating and monitoring scars.”

Nowadays, Dave is still having treatment to ease scar tension and may need further surgery at some point.

“I have always said no matter what treatment is offered, if I think there's a benefit and the risks aren't too high, I will try anything and have a go and that’s still the case,” he added.