Mark Andrews was born with a congenital ear deformity. He had no ear and no outer ear canal.
"You're missing out on that side and things that you take for granted," he said.
He turned to Dr. David Kaylie for help.
"It really is the only sense that can be lost and restored," said Dr. Kaylie.
Dr. Kaylie built a new ear canal then drilled titanium screws into Mark's skull to anchor a permanent ear. Over three months, Mark's skull grew into and through those screws.
Anaplastologist Jay McClennen took over next. You've seen his work before. He did the makeup on "X-Men" and other films. For Mark, he crafted a rubber ear to snap onto the titanium posts next to the new hearing aid. Mark and his doctors are proud of his before and after shots.
"He can hear from that side for the first time in his life as well as have a normal-looking ear," said Dr. Kaylie.
Duke University doctors say cases like this previously required up to eight surgeries.Now patients can have one procedure that takes about one hour.
These types of ear deformities happen in about one in 5,000 to 7,000 births.
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