When Richard Norris accidentally blew off half his face with a shotgun he was left so disfigured that he rarely ventured outdoors and was plagued by suicidal thoughts.

But now, having undergone one of the most complex face transplants in history, receiving teeth, a jaw and even a tongue from a donor, the 39-year-old has found love – but has had to learn how to kiss all over again.Norris has found romance with 43-year-old Melanie Solis, from New Orleans, who got in touch with him by email after reading about his ordeal.She told The Sun: ‘I see Richard as having a beautiful, kind heart on the inside – and he’s a hottie on the outside!‘Those eyes and that smile just had me at first sight. Kissing is something we have been asked to “practise” because Richard hasn’t redeveloped the ability to “pucker”.'Norris said: ‘I can’t have any regrets – especially now I have met Melanie. People focus too much on looks, they can be very superficial.’The pair meet about once a month, with Ms Solis always on hand to offer Norris a napkin in case he dribbles or support him in a crisis. She tells of how Norris suffered a rejection episode when he got sunburnt and sent pictures of his face to his doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center, who told him to board a plane without delay.He spent three weeks recovering from the episode in hospital. The doctor that performed the operation at the Maryland Medical Center, Dr Eduardo Rodriguez, said when Norris opted to undergo the face-transplant intense procedure, he was agreeing to take on an enormous responsibility.'He never really thought about himself in all of this,' Rodriguez told GQ earlier this year. 'He's always thought about helping the wounded warriors and the other people, and providing hope. 'He's a remarkable man.' The world's first partial face transplant was performed in France in 2005 on a woman who was mauled by her dog. Of the 27 other transplants that have followed, four recipients have died, and the survivors face a lifetime of immunosuppressant drugs, which can take a toll on their health. The face isn't an organ like a liver or a heart, which are regularly transplanted. The face is more like a hand or foot, and Norris' body will always regard his new face as a foreign object, causing his immune system to constantly attack it. He will take a cocktail of anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life, which lower Norris' immune system. This leaves him vulnerable to many health problems. He is also not allowed to drink, smoke, get sunburned or risk injury, all of which will only worsen the rejection. A serious rejection results in death. Norris has had two since the 2012 operation, and spent weeks in hospital on intravenous medication. The rejection was the major danger of performing the operation in the first place. Once Rodriguez began, there was no turning back, and if the transplant didn't take to Norris, there would have been nothing left of his face and he would have died. (dailymail.co.uk)Bakudaily.Az