A Turkish doctor who says he is the first person to use 3D printing in rhinoplasty and aesthetic surgery, is employing the technology to show patients a realistic preview of how their planned surgical procedures will look. Joel Flynn has more.

As the 3D printing revolution continues, its application in medicine is among its most fascinating potential uses. And now Turkish Doctor Yakup Avsar claims he's taken a new step with the technology. He's started using it to help patients see - and feel - a preview of their future face after cosmetic surgeries. SOUNDBITE: Turkish Plastic Surgeon, Dr Yakup Avsar, saying (English): "We could show the patients two dimension and three dimensional designs on the screen, but it was not enough, as in the screens, in the monitors you cannot feel the part of your body that you want surgery on." Amanda Koskela approached Avsar when she wanted a rhinoplasty - cosmetic surgery on her nose. She's among the first to be able to experience ahead of surgery how the procedure would change her face. SOUNDBITE: Dutch Plastic Surgery Patient, Amanda Koskela, saying (English): "I don't know how it is to see your child for the first time or to, I don't know, when the minister says you are married now, I don't know those happy moments yet. But it was pure happiness seeing the faces, it was magical. It was magical actually." Experiments using biomaterials to print 3D body parts are ongoing. But while this is still some way off, 3D printing directly from CT scans and MRIs is allowing doctors unprecedented insight into patient's bodies. The Holy Grail of printing replacement body parts or organs is still some way off. But the likes of Dr Avsar are already helping patients like Amanda Koskela face a brighter future.