Singapore ? Laleh Bijani wants her sister’s face to be the first thing she sees after surgeons complete a risky operation next month to separate the 29-year-old twins who are joined at the head.

Sisters Laleh and Ladan have spent every moment of their lives together but have never seen each other’s face directly.

Laleh said she is most looking forward “to see each other after the operation face-to-face” after the surgery, which is scheduled for the first week of July.

“We want to see each other without the mirror,” Ladan agreed Wednesday at a news conference at Raffles Hospital, where the surgery will be performed.

The operation will mark the first time surgeons have tried to separate adult craniopagus twins siblings born joined at the head since the operation was first successfully performed in 1952.

Doctors have warned the surgery could kill one or both sisters, or leave them brain dead. But after years of trying to persuade doctors to operate, the twins say they are prepared to take the risks.

“We are very excited to be having surgery. We hope the surgery will be successful and we feel happy, excited and a little bit nervous,” Ladan said.

Iranian conjoined twins Ladan, left, and Laleh Bijani are scheduled for operation to separate them early next month in Singapore. The sisters shared their hopes for a new life at a news conference Wednesday.

Laleh and Ladan admitted their condition made it easy to cheat on tests in school but they said they have made many compromises and needed to be separated to live satisfying adult lives.

Ladan described herself as talkative and said Laleh was quiet. Ladan also said she did not share Laleh’s love of animals or video games. Both studied law because Ladan wanted to become a lawyer.

“We want to, after surgery, do different careers. I want to continue law, to become a lawyer, but my sister wants to be a journalist like you,” Ladan said at the news conference. “We have a lot of work to do and a lot of dreams to do after surgery.”

Ladan added that they were trying to stay positive.

“We don’t like to think about who will die or who will be saved,” she said.