A Dog Accident Exposed The Rare Illness That Changed Jayne Hardman's Face For Years

A playful moment with her dog in 2012 became the first sign that something was seriously wrong for Jayne Hardman, who lives in Worcestershire. What looked like a simple knock to the face eventually led to years of treatment and the loss of her nose.

Jayne's dog jumped up and struck her in the face, causing heavy bleeding and swelling around her nose. She expected the injury to settle within a few days, but the swelling remained for months and her nose continued to feel blocked and painful.

After seeing several specialists, Jayne was diagnosed with granulomatosis with polyangiitis, once known as Wegener's granulomatosis. Doctors believed the impact had brought a dormant rare autoimmune condition to the surface. The disease causes the immune system to attack blood vessels, which can reduce blood flow and damage nearby tissue.

The injury helped uncover a condition that had gone unnoticed

The dog did not directly cause the autoimmune disease. Jayne already had the underlying condition, but the injury drew attention to symptoms that had not been diagnosed. She has since said that she views the accident as something that may have helped save her life.

It took around two years for doctors to identify the illness. By that stage, the swelling was no longer behaving like a normal injury, and the tissue inside her nose had begun to change.

ITV's account of Jayne's case explains that the condition had been dormant before the impact. Once active, it began damaging the blood vessels and tissue that supported the shape of her nose.

Jayne says she did not receive the most effective treatment during the early stage of her illness. Over the following years, the disease continued attacking the tissue, cartilage, and septum inside her nasal cavity.

Describing how quickly the damage became visible, Jayne said during an appearance on This Morning. : "It was basically necrotising—it was eating away so that my septum crumbled and went, and my nose started to fall into my face,"

The change did not happen overnight. Her nose first appeared swollen before the weakened cartilage began losing its shape. Jayne explained: "Over a period of a couple of years, it went from being swollen to completely flat."

Why the damage continued after the first symptoms appeared

The shape of the nose depends on a framework of cartilage and tissue supplied by small blood vessels. When those vessels remain inflamed, the affected areas may receive less oxygen and become too damaged to heal normally.

For Jayne, the disease destroyed the septum and other structures that held her nose forward. As that support disappeared, the center of her face became flatter and her nose began sinking inward.

Medication can bring the immune disease under control, but it cannot always rebuild tissue that has already died or collapsed. By the time Jayne reached remission, the damage to her nose had become permanent.

Jayne lived with the visible collapse for around 18 months to two years. She recalled how difficult it became to complete ordinary tasks outside her home: "I walked around like that for about 18 months, two years. Leaving the house was incredibly difficult because every time you go out, people would stare at you,"

The attention was not limited to quiet looks. Some strangers openly questioned her about her appearance and made assumptions about what had happened. She said: "People would ask you incredibly intrusive questions, very rude questions."

By 2017, doctors could no longer save the remaining nasal structure. Surgeons removed the damaged tissue to prevent further medical problems and create a stable area where a prosthetic nose could later be fitted.

Six weeks after the operation, Jayne received her first prosthetic nose. Seeing a familiar profile in the mirror gave her a sense of normality that had been missing for years. She said: "I just look normal again,"

The change was about far more than appearance. Jayne had spent years planning trips outside around the possibility of being stared at or questioned, and the new prosthetic allowed her to move through public spaces without drawing the same attention.

She also understood why a facial difference could make even a short trip feel overwhelming, adding: "When you've got a facial difference, it's incredibly hard to go out and face the world."

How her magnetic prosthetic stays in place

Instead of putting Jayne through several skin-graft operations, her medical team created an implant-retained prosthetic. Three titanium posts were placed in the bone around the opening left after surgery.

The titanium implant system works with small magnets fitted inside each silicone nose. Jayne can line the prosthetic up with the implants each morning, allowing it to click into the correct position without glue or straps.

Specialist prosthetists made each nose to match the shape and texture of real skin. They reproduced small details such as pores, natural shadows, and changes in skin tone so the edges would blend into Jayne's face.

Each prosthetic has to match more than one skin tone

A single fixed color would not work throughout the year because Jayne's complexion changes with the seasons. Her skin becomes darker after time in the sun and grows paler during colder months, while a silicone prosthetic keeps the same shade.

Her prosthetists solved the problem by creating several versions. Small differences in color allow Jayne to choose the nose that best matches her face on a given day rather than relying on makeup to hide a clear contrast.

The collection also gives her a sense of choice after years in which the illness controlled her appearance. What began as a medical necessity has become part of her daily routine, and Jayne can now approach it with humor.

Jayne gradually built up a collection of prosthetic noses for different seasons, skin tones, and social occasions:

• Summer and winter shades: She has darker versions that match her skin after spending time in the sun, along with paler options for the winter months.
• The "Drunk Nose": This version has a warmer pink and red tone, helping it match the rest of her face when her complexion becomes flushed after a glass of wine.

The range means she does not have to wear the same shade throughout the year. She can select the closest match before leaving home, just as someone else might choose makeup or clothing for the day.

Jayne now wears a number of interchangeable noses to suit her mood Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock

The prosthetics helped restore confidence as well as appearance

Removing the diseased tissue also helped Jayne regain two senses she had lost for about five years: smell and taste. The prosthetic restored the shape of her face, while the surgery cleared tissue that had blocked normal function.

Before treatment, Jayne often avoided leaving home and found it difficult to look at herself in the mirror. The reactions and intrusive questions from strangers made her feel as though her medical condition had become the first thing anyone noticed about her.

She now speaks publicly about vasculitis and facial differences. By showing how her prosthetic works, Jayne hopes to make the subject feel less unfamiliar and encourage people to respond with respect instead of staring or asking personal questions.

Looking back at the years before she received the prosthetics, Jayne said: "I hated the way I looked and couldn't look anyone in the eye," Her life now feels very different, and she added: "Now, I'm loving life again. My prosthetics gave me my freedom back."

The prosthetic did not erase the illness or the difficult treatment that came before it. What it changed was Jayne's ability to go out, meet people, and take part in daily life without feeling that she had to hide her face.

She continues to manage the underlying condition and has spoken about receiving ongoing treatment while in remission. Her experience has also given her a platform to help doctors and patients understand how much a facial difference can affect confidence, work, relationships, and ordinary social contact.

What granulomatosis with polyangiitis does to the body

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis, or GPA, is the current name for the condition once called Wegener's granulomatosis. It is a rare, non-contagious autoimmune disease estimated to affect roughly three in every 100,000 people.

GPA is a form of vasculitis. The immune system attacks healthy blood vessels, causing inflammation and limiting the flow of blood to tissue and organs. The disease can affect different parts of the body, so symptoms vary from one patient to another.

The nose, sinuses, ears, throat, lungs, and kidneys are among the areas most often involved. Early warning signs may resemble a long-lasting cold or sinus infection, including congestion, nosebleeds, crusting, facial pain, coughing, tiredness, or hearing problems.

Why early GPA symptoms can be difficult to recognize

Many of the first symptoms are common and may have several less serious causes. A blocked nose, repeated sinus problems, fatigue, or a cough does not automatically point to a rare immune disease, which can make diagnosis take time.

The difference is often the pattern. Symptoms may fail to improve with standard treatment, keep returning, or begin affecting several areas of the body. Blood tests, scans, urine tests, and tissue samples may then help doctors look for signs of inflamed blood vessels and organ damage.

NHS guidance on GPA advises seeking medical care when symptoms continue or worsen. Early treatment matters because the disease can cause permanent damage to the nose, lungs, kidneys, and other organs when active inflammation is not controlled.

Ongoing inflammation can create clusters of immune cells known as granulomas. These areas may damage nearby tissue, bone, and cartilage, especially around the nose and upper airways.

Inside the nose, that damage can create a hole in the septum or weaken the cartilage that supports the bridge. In severe cases, the bridge may sink inward and produce the type of complete collapse Jayne experienced.

Nasal collapse is only one possible effect of GPA. Some people develop lung or kidney problems without major changes to their face, which is why doctors base treatment and monitoring on the organs affected in each individual case.

How doctors bring GPA under control

Treatment aims to stop the immune system from attacking blood vessels, reduce inflammation, and protect organs from further damage. The exact medication plan depends on how active the disease is and which parts of the body are involved.

For more serious GPA, doctors may use high-dose corticosteroids with medicines such as rituximab or cyclophosphamide to induce remission. These drugs reduce immune activity, but they also require close medical supervision because they can increase the risk of infection and other side effects.

Once the disease is controlled, patients often move into a maintenance stage that may last several years. Medicines such as azathioprine, methotrexate, or rituximab can be used to reduce the chance of another flare, with regular checks to watch for signs of returning inflammation.

Even when GPA enters remission, earlier damage may remain. Follow-up care can include blood and urine tests, scans, hearing or breathing checks, infection prevention, and monitoring of organs that may have been affected.

Some patients also need reconstructive surgery or custom prosthetics after the active disease has settled. Those treatments do not cure GPA, but they can restore lost function, protect damaged areas, and help someone feel more comfortable with changes to their appearance.

For Jayne, the magnetic noses became the final part of a much longer medical recovery. They gave her back a familiar profile, helped her return to public life, and allowed her to face the world with the confidence the disease had taken away.