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'I grew a new face to cure my burns'By Katherine Dowling for CNN  Katherine says the treatment has made a huge difference to her life. MORE HUMAN TECHNOLOGY
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSMore than five years ago Katherine Dowling, from Manchester, England, was badly burnt in a house fire. A year ago, she discovered a procedure called Isolagen, which has healed the skin on her face. This is her story: I had called in to see my friend, Michael, on the way back from a day trip to the seaside. I had only planned to stay for a quick drink in the evening but I arrived late and decided to stay the night. He lived on the other side of town and it was nearing the time of the last train. I don't remember anything about the fire itself -- I think my mind has just wiped it, which I'm pleased about because I don't have flashbacks. An off-duty police officer was walking past and saw smoke coming out of the window and raised the alarm. The fire report proved the blaze began with candles, but I just don't remember anything. Michael tried to get out but collapsed from smoke inhalation. He had damaged lungs but wasn't burnt. The doctors think I tried to get out too because I had so many cuts in my skull. The off-duty police officer and Michael's flatmate, Kevin, rescued me. I was unconscious for the first few days. My hands were so badly burnt, doctors came close to amputating them. Thankfully, I still have them. It was touch-and-go for the first months and then once they were sure I would survive, I spent another five months in hospital. People don't normally survive such bad burns. I had burns to 80 percent of my body -- that means they had only 20 percent of healthy skin to use for grafting. I was so prone to infection I had lots of complications, including septicemia. Even after I'd left hospital, I had to go back every day. My dressings had to be changed twice daily. I couldn't get in and out of the bath on my own. I was completely dependent on others. Even a year and a half after the fire, I had open wounds on my knees and elbows. Skin is so delicate. There was just no good skin to heal to. The pain was unbelievable. It was like torture. If I fell, my wounds would weep. They were like overripe tomatoes that would just burst. There was a real fear of any movement. As my skin healed, it itched terribly. The itching lasted more than three years in total. I was on drugs which made me put on weight. I felt awful. There are no mirrors in a burns unit. A few months after the fire when I was allowed to leave the hospital, a friend took me out for lunch. I used the disabled toilet at the cafe, which had a mirror. It was the first time I had seen my face. It was such a shock and it was as if it was someone else looking back. My face hadn't been grafted and everyone had told me it wasn't badly burnt. My body was so terrible that by contrast my face wasn't bad, but that didn't mean it wasn't bad. At my lowest, I truly didn't believe I would ever get better. I really felt, 'What's the point?'. Then more than a year ago, my sister and cousin saw an advert for a treatment called Isolagen, whereby they take a biopsy from behind the ear. It's a very oily, young part of the skin as it's not damaged by the sun. Using collagen from the sample, they put it in a saline solution and grow it, like a culture. Then two months later they inject the cells into the skin and it helps heal itself. We did some research on the Internet and it sounded really exciting. I tried to get in touch with lots of doctors but no one could give me any firm answers. Then I met a surgeon called Chris Inglefield and he completely understood how I felt. I was the first burns victim to have the treatment. Up until then it had only been used for cosmetic reasons. I have had five different treatments over a period of a year, and the difference is amazing. Before, my face wasn't symmetrical. I was scarred on the left side and from my nose down. After the first injection I could feel the movement coming back before I could see the difference. It's a gradual thing. I still wear a silicone plaster over part of my nose to keep the moisture in, but now when I'm at the pub, people will just ask, 'What's happened to your nose?' Before, I just looked like a burns victim. They're now doing my hands. Before I couldn't hold a cup or a pen, or anything. I couldn't even feed myself. My hands would often crack and bleed through dryness, but since the injections, that hasn't happened once. I have also done a jewelry course. It was so hard for me to get better without hope. Your looks are so important to they way you feel. I hope one day I can have the treatment on the rest of my body. Every day I look in the mirror, I see the burns. I can't get away from it. I feel as if I'm going to beat this one day. 
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