posted on Nov, 30 2005 @ 04:40 PM
A 38-year-old French woman who lost her nose, lips and chin after being savaged by a dog, has recieved the worlds first face transplant. Tissues,
muscles, arteries and veins taken from a brain-dead donor have been grafted onto the womans face. The French doctors who carried out the procedure
stated that the woman would not look like the donor, nor would she look like her past self. They say she will have a 'hybrid face'.
news.bbc.co.uk
It has been technically possible to carry out such a transplant for some years, with teams in the US, the UK and France researching the procedure.
Skin from another person's face is better for transplants as it will be a better match than skin from another part of the patient's body, which
could have a different texture or colour.
The 38-year-old French patient from the northern French town of Valenciennes underwent extensive counselling before her operation, which is believed
to have lasted at least five hours, and which took place at the weekend at a hospital in Amiens.
The French magazine Le Point reports that the tissues, muscles, arteries and veins needed for the transplant were taken from a multi-organ donor in
the northern city of Lille, who was brain-dead.
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
WOW...I knew doctors were planning the first transplant but wasnt expecting it to happen just yet!
This is a massive step forward for victims of facial disfigurement.
Hopefully one day this will become common practice to help burns victims etc...
[edit on 30/11/2005 by MickeyDee]
[edit on 30/11/2005 by MickeyDee]