Full-face transplant photos revealed

(EverydayHealth) Seven months after receiving a full face transplant, Richard Norris is showing off his new look in photos released by his doctors.

“For the past 15 years I lived as a recluse hiding behind a surgical mask,” Norris said in a press release. “I am now able to walk past people and no one even gives me a second look.”

Norris lost his midface and jaw, and suffered extensive tissue damage, in a 1997 gun accident. The Virginia resident received a face transplant transplant in March, 2012, then spent two months in the hospital and another three months recovering at home under doctor surveillance.