A PATIENT has praised the doctors who have given him an ‘amazing’ prosthetic nose which is attached to his face with magnets.

Richard Curry was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in his septum, the thin strip which separates the nostrils, and had to have his nose removed to stop the cancer spreading.

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And in the first procedure of its kind in East Lancashire, the 71-year-old had magnetic implants inserted into his cheekbones and nasal cavity, which now hold his prosthetic nose in place.

The Loveclough resident said he was astounded by the success of the operation at the Royal Blackburn Hospital, and told his story to the area’s NHS chiefs at their latest board meeting.

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He said: “Losing my nose was something of a shock, but I didn’t have much choice because this kind of cancer is one of the most dangerous you can get.

“I was just grateful it was caught in time and removed, and when they mentioned they could attach a new one with magnets, I just thought it was amazing.”

Mr Curry’s nose was removed in 2013, after he had spotted traces of blood in a tissue, and the implants were gradually inserted over the course of the next 12 months, during which he wore ‘stick-on jobs’.

He said: “In the early days I wasn’t quite sure how much adhesive to put on, and my stick-on nose would sometimes fall off in hot weather, for example. And there was an incident in Asda which gave the girl on the till a bit of a shock.

“The implants were all ready last September, after four months to bed in, and I was so pleased with the results that I wrote to the chief executive.

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“It’s comfortable and it looks good, and I’ve even still got my sense of smell. I just need to go in to get it touched up for colour every now and then, like before going on holiday so it matches my skin.”

Mr Curry, who lives in Burnley Road with his partner James Rogerson, wears his new nose all day, but removes it at night when he goes to bed.

A check-up last month found no signs of the cancer returning, and the retired civil servant heaped praise on his consultants when he met the board last week, who were prosthetist Tony Simpson, maxillofacial surgeon Gary Cousin, and ear, nose and throat specialist Paddy Morar.

He added: “I have great regard for the staff at Blackburn and the prosthetics team at Burnley General Hospital. They are all my heroes.”

Lancashire Telegraph:

Mr Morar said: “Cancers of the nose are not common at all, you probably only get one every three years or so, so this was a very unusual procedure.

“Magnets are used quite commonly with prosthetic ears, but this was the first time we had used them to attach a nose.

“Richard couldn’t have radiotherapy so it had to be surgery, and we were extremely impressed by his attitude throughout, he’s very strong character and a model patient.

“It just shows there is life after this kind of radical surgery.”