Luisa McDermott, 26, from Bradford, UK who had double jaw surgery to correct her huge underbite, has chronicled the painful journey to a winning, saying ‘It was worth it’ 

‘My jaw made me really unhappy, and I hated having photos,’ It started to affect her confidence when she was a teenager. ‘People would say “your jaw is massive’

McDermott, had her first surgery at the age of 18, during which her jaw was shaved down by 4mm

She had to go to hospital every six weeks to see if her teeth were ready for surgery and the long wait for concluding surgery – 8 years – had a big impact on her life, and

‘I was desperate. I didn’t go to university in case I needed surgery during that time,’ she said

Confidence restored in full: Luisa McDermott’s beautiful smile after her final correction surgery for an underbite, now looking ‘unrecognizable’ to her friends. She underwent double jaw surgery to correct a severe underbite

A young woman who had double jaw surgery to correct her huge underbite has shared painful photos of the life changing journey, shying away from public gaze to showcasing her beautiful smile
Luisa McDermott, 26, from Bradford was just nine years old when she developed a 3cm underbite that left her lower jaw sticking out beyond her upper jaw.
The condition she reveals affected the self-confidence as a teenager as people ‘People would say “your jaw is massive”,’ she said.
‘My jaw made me really unhappy, and I hated having photos.’ 
However, she added: ‘The comments didn’t bother me as much as they should because I always knew that I’d be getting surgery one day.’

From ‘there to here’: McDermott from Bradford, UK, was nine when she developed a 3cm underbite [photo], that left her bottom jaw sticking out beyond her upper jaw. It has been a 17-year journey correcting the condition

The first of what would be a series of visits to the surgeries happened when she turned 18. For the first surgery her jaw was shaved down by 4mm. Thereafter she had to visit the hospital every six weeks to assess whether her teeth were ready for even more surgery. 
Eager to see the end of the road, the long wait for the final procedure had a big impact on her life.
‘I was desperate. I didn’t go to university in case I needed surgery during that time,’ she said.
The reality as she has revealed in recent videos posted on her TikTok page, @l_mcdermott1, is she had to wait a further eight years, while wearing braces, before her final double-jaw surgery.
After her long wait, in one clip published at the start of this year, she can be seen skipping down a hospital corridor with joy on her way to the final surgical procedure to move her lower jaw back 0.8mm and the upper jaw forward by 1cm.

McDermott’s long and painful journey with frequent surgeries began at 18, when her jaw was shaved down by 4mm. She she had to go to hospital every six weeks to see if her teeth were ready for surgery. The long recovery was shared in recent videos posted posted on TikTok

In overlaying text, she wrote: ‘Never thought I’d see this day coming so excited to see results.’ 
The following videos show her lower face so severely swollen that she was unable to eat solid food for two months. 
‘The full recovery time is about 18 months. I was on a liquid diet for two weeks and had to eat through a straw, and then I could eat mashed potatoes,’ she said.
‘It was so uncomfortable. I couldn’t swallow, I couldn’t feel my teeth, I needed 24/7 care, I had to be fed, and I couldn’t go to the toilet.
‘On the third day, my eye was swollen shut, so I could only see out of half of it. My cheek, neck, lips, and chin were swollen and bruised, and I had nosebleeds. But it’s absolutely worth all the pain, it’s life changing.’
She added: ‘I wasn’t scared because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and I knew I’d get to the other side, and that is what I had to go through.’

McDermott posted this image, recovering from her final surgery. It left her unable to eat and needing 24/7 care. The discomfort was worth the final results. ‘A lot of people don’t recognize me. My next-door neighbor and colleagues didn’t recognize me when they first saw me,’ she said

Since the final operation, she said: ‘I’m still struggling to eat and chew solids, I’ve got pins and needles in my chin and can’t move my top lip.’
The only thing left is for her to get the braces removed, which she’s due to get done in January. ‘I can’t wait to have them off,’ she said.
Luisa says she now has a newfound confidence and that her friends do a double-take when they see her.
‘A lot of people don’t recognize me. My next-door neighbor and colleagues didn’t recognize me when they first saw me,’ she said.
And, she added: ‘I love my side profile now. Everything is in place and symmetrical. I’m really happy and I feel a million times better when I look in the mirror. 
‘Now, when I take a photo, I feel like I’m catching up on all of those years. I feel a lot more confident. I’d do it all over again.’