Anatomy of a Face Transplant

Face transplants could soon be an option for people who have suffered a facial injury.

A team of surgeons in France, led by Professor Bernard Devauchelle, made history in November 2005 by carrying out the first partial face transplant. They transplanted tissues, muscles, arteries, and veins taken from a donor onto patient Isabelle Dinoire’s lower face. Mrs. Dinoire, 38, had lost her nose, lips and chin after being mauled by her dog, and as a result was not able to eat or speak properly. The controversial operation was deemed a success with respect to appearance, feeling in the skin graft and acceptance by the patient’s body.

 

Credit: CHU-Amiens

Photo taken of Isabelle Dinoire, the first recipient of a partial face transplant, in November 2006, one year after the operation.

In October 2006, it was announced that a medical team in the United Kingdom had been given permission by the ethics board of the National Health Service (NHS) to carry out what will be the world’s full-face transplant. Mr. Peter Butler, who will be heading the team, is currently looking for an appropriate candidate who meets the selection criteria for the operation, which will include an assessment of how the person would deal with the psychological impact of having a new face.