Tulsi and her family were travelling from Mumbai to Bangalore on Valentine’s Day in 1990 when their plane crashed. Her parents and brother were killed and she sustained 45 percent second and third-degree burns to her face and body.
She received basic medical treatment at a hospital in Bangalore before returning to the UK where she underwent skin graft surgery* at St. Andrews Centre for Plastic Surgery and Burns in Billericay, Essex.
As the major injuries were on the front of the body, most of the skin from her back and legs were taken as a donor for the skin graft surgeries on her torso, arms and thighs.
“What I remember about the pain is when the doctor removed the plaster from the area where they’ve taken my healthy skin as a donor for the skin graft. I had to sit in a bath filled with warm water while they peel it off to reduce the pain as much as possible,” said Tulsi.
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*Skin graft surgery: a surgical procedure where healthy skin is removed from unaffected areas of the body and used to cover lost or damaged skin
Background picture credit: Tulsi Vagjiani
Besides that, she had some hair taken from her hairline and skin grafted to try to create eyebrows. However, it didn’t work out because the hair was growing in different directions.
She also had fillers done to her right cheek because it had collapsed and at least 10 CO2 fractional laser treatments* to help the suppleness and functionality of the skin. The laser treatment has helped to improve breathing from her right nostril and allow her to open her mouth a lot wider than before.
Tulsi explained: “The laser treatment was amazing because I could finally breathe from my right nostril. I’ve got expression now. I have sensation. I can feel hot and cold. Before that, if you put something hot on my cheek, I wouldn’t feel anything."
Tulsi now works as a pilates rehabilitation specialist and a motivational speaker. She’s also currently producing her own book and is an active member of the Katie Piper Foundation and Changing Faces that support people with facial disfigurements.
*CO2 fractional laser treatment: A type of non-surgical skin rejuvenation treatment
Background picture credit: Tulsi Vagjiani