Health

California man breaks EVERY bone in his face after falling from a three-story balcony


A man has had to undergo facial reconstruction surgery after falling from a three-story building and breaking every bone in his face.

Justin Starks, 24, plunged about 30 meters from the balcony of his apartment in Stanford, California, last November.

He landed directly on his chin, broke his jaw in half on impact and broke all 14 bones in his face.

The software engineer had to go through two grueling operations, the first of which involved holding his face together with 90 screws and 30 plates.

The second procedure involved ‘peeling’ his skin and rebuilding the bones in his face, as well as closing his jaws to give them time to heal.

He has lost almost 30lbs in the past six months because he has lived on a mostly liquid diet to avoid chewing.

Miraculously Mr. Starks suffered no skull or brain damage, which he believes is due to the marks on his face from the fall.

Justin Starks before his injury

Justin Starks before his injury

After breaking all 14 bones in the face

After breaking all 14 bones in the face

Justin Starks (before and after the fall), 24, plunged about 30 meters from the balcony of his apartment in Stanford, California, last November

He landed directly on his chin, broke his jaw in half on impact and broke all 14 bones in his face.  The software engineer had to undergo two grueling operations, the first involving 'peeling' the skin and rebuilding the bones in his face (shown later)

He landed directly on his chin, broke his jaw in half on impact and broke all 14 bones in his face.  The software engineer had to undergo two grueling operations, the first involving 'peeling' the skin and rebuilding the bones in his face (shown later)

He landed directly on his chin, broke his jaw in half on impact and broke all 14 bones in his face. The software engineer had to undergo two grueling operations, the first involving ‘peeling’ the skin and rebuilding the bones in his face (shown later)

On the road to recovery: He is pictured shortly after reconstructive surgery in January (left) and in May (right) six months after the accident

On the road to recovery: He is pictured shortly after reconstructive surgery in January (left) and in May (right) six months after the accident

On the road to recovery: He is pictured shortly after reconstructive surgery in January (left) and in May (right) six months after the accident

Mr. Starks said he couldn’t remember what he did on November 31, when he woke up, he was in the ICU.

He said: ‘While I don’t remember the impact, I do know that I got my chin down.

‘I know it because my chin split and bounced all over the rest of my face and literally broke every bone in my face; the sides of my jaw, the bones of my nose.

‘The doctors were shocked to see that my face was damaged, but specifically I did not have a skull fracture.’

He added: ‘The last thing I remember was being on my balcony, I don’t really remember falling, I don’t remember falling to the ground.

‘Many people tell me ‘oh my god it has to be the most painful experience imaginable’, but I simply don’t remember.

Mr. Starks broke all 14 bones in his face, including his cheeks, nose, eye sockets and upper jaw.

He was kept in the hospital for two weeks, where doctors fitted more than 90 screws to hold his fragile bones together.

Doctors also fused his jaw together, meaning he had to initially go on a liquid diet, essentially ‘broth and water’, he said.

Mr. Starks gradually switched to solid, porridge-like meals that he “didn’t have to chew.” He has lost about 2.5kg (13.6kg) during this time.

A month later, in January of this year, the Starks suffered a second knife on Martin Luther King Day.

Doctors used 3D printing technology to reconstruct his face.

They scanned Mr. Starks’ face and used a virtual model to print precise titanium implants.

Mr. Starks had to see a psychologist to find problems related to post-traumatic stress disorder.  After his second facial reconstruction surgery, his face began to swell on the left side.  He said that the swelling on his face makes some people insecure about how he looks

Mr. Starks had to see a psychologist to find problems related to post-traumatic stress disorder.  After his second facial reconstruction surgery, his face began to swell on the left side.  He said that the swelling on his face makes some people insecure about how he looks

Mr. Starks had to see a psychologist to find problems related to post-traumatic stress disorder. After his second facial reconstruction surgery, his face began to swell on the left side. He said that the swelling on his face makes some people insecure about how he looks

The procedure involved cutting the top of his head from ear to ear so they could reshape his face and ‘put him back together’, as he put it.

Mr. Starks was in the intensive care unit for three days after the surgery and the progress he had made up to that point had been set back.

He says he gained some strength between the first and second surgery, even walking 5km and talking with his mouth shut.

After his second surgery, his strength declined and he felt ‘generally weak’ having to be carried upstairs by his father and brother.

By February, he had begun to largely recover and regain lost strength and started working out in the gym again.

By May, he said the swelling had significantly reduced and the facial reconstruction ‘looked pretty good’, and he was able to return to work.

His injury was not only accompanied by physical damage but also brought with it a number of mental health problems.

Mr. Starks had to see a psychologist to find problems related to post-traumatic stress disorder.

After his second facial reconstruction surgery, his face began to swell on the left side.

He says the puffiness on his face has made some people insecure with how he looks.

He said: ‘I used to consider myself a pretty attractive guy and went out to the mirror and found my face was puffy and not what I wanted.

‘I had some insecurities about that.’

But despite his insecurities, Mr Starks said he was seeing improvements each week from the previous week, saying ‘I actually think I look pretty good all things considered.’

The entire facial reconstruction surgery will take about a year to complete and properly recover.

The Starks are set to have another surgery to fix problems with the roof of his mouth and teeth.

When the third and final surgery is complete, he says he will be on his way to feeling ‘one hundred per cent normal’.

Source: | This article originally belonged to Dailymail.co.uk



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