A new nose has been grown by surgeons on a patient's forehead, so it can be transplanted to replace his original one.

Xiaolian, 22, didn't look after his badly damaged nose following a traffic accident in August 2012.

The infection corroded the cartilage of his nose, making it impossible for surgeons to fix it.

They then decided to grow him a new one at a hospital in Fuzhou in Fujian province, China.

It was 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.

The surgeons said that the new nose is in good shape and the transplant surgery could be performed soon.

Mr Shehan Hettiaratchy is Chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and a member of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS).

He says: "The forehead is a traditional place to get extra tissue from to rebuild a nose. The skin from there is a good match for nose skin.

"Most importantly, the forehead skin can be moved to the nose and keep its blood supply, which is essential otherwise the skin would die."