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Topics: TLC, News, Life, Film and TV
Niamh Shackleton
A man was warned that the tumor on his face could be a 'death sentence' if he didn't have it removed.
In the series premiere of About Face, a new TLC show that spotlights Los Angeles-based plastic surgeons as they take on complex and medically challenging facial reconstruction cases, a patient named Ron goes into the clinic to see Dr. Andre Panossian to seek advice about a four-pound tumor that had been growing on his face over the course of seven years.
The brand new TV series is set to air for the first time today (October 29), and people have been given a glimpse of the particularly shocking story involving Ron.
He'd sought out medical advice previously, but doctors were unsure how to proceed because his facial reconstruction would have been incredibly difficult to do.
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Ron recalls to Dr. Panossian, per PEOPLE: "They said that after all their tests and so forth, looking into the case, it would be a radical surgery. 'We have never done this before. You could lose an eye. You could lose some teeth and we may not be able to reconstruct your nose'."
Ron compared the process to something sounding like Frankenstein, so was understandably reluctant to have the procedure.
Dr. Panossian goes on to say that he understood where Ron was coming from and why he didn't have the surgery.
In a confessional clip, the surgeon warns that the kind of tumor Ron has 'can be a death sentence'.
He says: "It is intense to see such a tumor of this magnitude on a person's face. This tumor needs to come out right now because these types of tumors can be a death sentence."
About Face will air at 10pm ET/PT on TLC.
A synopsis of the new show reads: "TLC’s new medical series ABOUT FACE, spotlights a team of elite Los Angeles-based plastic surgeons as they take on some of the most complex and medically challenging facial reconstruction cases.
"Drs. Roostaeian, Rovelo, and Panossian work at the cutting edge of reconstructive surgery, transforming the lives of patients suffering from severe facial deformities, traumatic injuries, and rare conditions, including massive tumors, extensive birthmarks, and disfiguring accidents.
"ABOUT FACE captures the emotional and physical journeys of those who’ve been overlooked, misdiagnosed, or told nothing could be done. It’s not just about changing appearances, it’s about restoring dignity, hope, and humanity. ABOUT FACE is produced by Lionsgate Alternative Television for TLC."