Photos of a Chinese man with a nose growing on his forehead were among the hottest social media shares Wednesday.
Many people question the authenticity of the images, however the images appear to be legit.
Reuters news agency provided the images of Xiaolian, 22, who will soon have the nose transplanted onto his face. His original nose had become infected and deformed following nasal trauma from an accident in August 2012.
After several months, the infection had corroded the cartilage of the nose, making it impossible for surgeons to fix it. Surgeons said they had no alternative but to grow a new nose for replacement.
The new nose is grown by placing a skin tissue expander onto Xiaolian's forehead, cutting it into the shape of a nose and planting cartilage taken from his ribs.
According to Reuters, surgeons said that the new nose is in good shape and Chinese media reports the transplant surgery could be performed soon.
