This Man Shot Himself In The Face. 17 Years Later, He’s Being Photographed For GQ.

Richard Norris isn’t the first person who’s undergone plastic surgery to model for a popular magazine, but he is the only one to grace the glossy pages after a full face transplant. Nearly two decades after a gun blast removed his nose to his chin, Norris posed for the camera of GQ photographer Dan Winters. The pictures were taken for the fascinating profile by Jeanne Marie Laska, which documents Norris’ full facial transplant story.

Norris, who underwent the risky surgery in 2012, is only the 23rd person in the world to have this procedure. While there are still many things he cannot do–the risk of facial seizures prohibits him from driving–there’s no denying that the operation was a success.