Meet the Man With no Face!

This is unique in the world of medicine: a facial tumor of 12 lb (5.4 kg) in weight and 15 cm (6 in) in diameter. Its victim is the Portuguese Jose Mestre, 51, the man that really lacks a face.

"Children see me and start crying. They probably think I'm an animal," Mestre told The Sun.

But the huge flesh piece is beyond of impairing his social life: the man could die suffocated if not immediately operated.
Of course, Jose cannot work and the giant tumor, growing continuously since he was 16, destroyed one eye, extended over his mouth, tongue, and lips, twisting his gums and removing his teeth. At birth, the tumor was just a mark, but the vascular malformation on his lip started its development by the age of 11; when he was 16 years old, it was already expanding. The tumor bleeds frequently, especially during the sleep.

"I don't like to speak very much because I dribble all the time." Mestre told The Sun.

In his native Lisbon, Jose is a local "celebrity" dubbed 'Stained Skin.' Jose's reached his actual condition due to medical misinformation, misdiagnosis, financial problems and religious beliefs. Vascular tumors are congenital and quite common, but usually children have them removed at a very young age. And also they usually do not grow as big as this one.

After the death of his mother several years ago, Jose was taken into care by his younger sister Guida. He refused a British offer to be operated as he is a Jehovah's Witness, and this religion denies blood transfusions. Now a team in London came up with a plan to remove the tumor bit by bit, with no transfusion.

"Removing the tumor may not restore symmetry to a person." Dr. Andrew Wexler, the president of the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons and member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons told ABC News.

"There likely will still be evidence of the tumor after the reconstruction due to the tissue and bones that have been consumed by the malformation for so many years. The tumor itself can cause changes in the size of the facial bones or in the facial structure because the increased blood supply [that flows to a tumor] can lead to increased growth in facial tissue. (And) the bigger the arteries involved, the more extensive the surgery will be." said Wexler, who has not treated Mestre.

These type of tumors can go further, impairing facial nerve functions (like the ability to swallow, speak or smile) or inducing heart and lung issues, even after their removal.