Surgery over; Youssif's biggest scar removed

Five-year-old Youssif underwent his most important surgery Thursday as his doctor removed the most extensive scar tissue on his face -- putting him on the path of being a normal boy again.

Youssif entered the operating room around 6:30 a.m. PT for the three-and-a-half hour surgery.

Just before the surgery began, Youssif began crying.

"I can't do this. I can't do this," he said.

Sedation then set in, he relaxed and Dr. Peter Grossman, the plastic surgeon with the Grossman Burn Center who is donating his services, began to operate.

He removed two saline-filled balloons placed in Youssif's neck and face that provided more good skin by stretching it. The largest balloon was about the size of a soda can.

Grossman then cut out the scar tissue and pulled up Youssif's healthy skin.

The doctor was amazed at how thick the scar tissue was -- about half an inch thick -- and "hard as wood."

When the tissue was removed, Youssif's jaw immediately relaxed, raising hopes that he will soon be able to eat normally again.

"The bottom part of his face looks like the old Youssif. He has a jaw line again. It's unbelievable," CNN's Arwa Damon said after coming out of the operating room.

The surgery ended around 10 a.m. PT.
Ahead of the surgery, Grossman was excited for Youssif. "This will be the most significant of the surgeries," he said.

One of the scars removed extended more than half a foot, stretching from his right ear around to his left cheek.
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