Youssif, the five-year-old Iraqi boy horribly disfigured in an attack a year ago, underwent an extensive reconstructive procedure in November to remove scar tissue, rebuild his lower lip, and restore functionality to his jaws.

Conducted by plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman at the Grossman Burn Center, the procedure excised a section of scar tissue six inches in length and half an inch thick from the boy’s face.

Now, a month after his surgery, Youssif can once again eat properly and can smile. The reconstructed lower lip does droop and the child has a problem with drooling, bit Grossman predicts both issues will resolve over a period of months.

The tightness of remaining scar tissue on the boy’s chin and the tension still present in the new skin grafted on to his face are contributing to the issues. In the future, further work will likely be required to further tighten the lower lip but since all the post-surgical swelling has yet to subside, that determination can not be conclusive at this time.

Although Youssif’s experience with reconstructive plastic surgery is far from over, the initial work has dramatically increased the quality of the boy’s life in both a practical and aesthetic sense.

The child was attacked outside his home in Baghdad on January 15, 2007, doused in gasoline, and set ablaze. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised to pay for his care and Grossman is donating his surgical skill to help Youssif recover from the horrific attack.