A Spanish man who underwent a partial face transplant in January appeared in public Tuesday for the first time since his operation. There appears to be a great deal of swelling that has not gone down, but he looks great considering the bottom two-thirds of his face were replaced. You can read more about the patient, known only as Rafael, here and here. Take a look:
Face Transplants Carry Psychological and Physical Risks
The first partial face transplant was conducted in France in 2005. The 38-year-old female patient named Isabelle Dinoire had lost her had nose, lips and chin after being attacked by a dog. The transplant was a success but the French woman says she is "still struggling to come to terms with what she sees in the mirror every day." CBS says the transplants are complex and they carry the risk of both physical and psychological effects. Wikipedia lists a few other face transplants done on patiented who had suffered severe face damage in thresher accidents. The first U.S. face transplant was recently done and the patient is said to be "very happy." Julie Chen talks to a plastic surgeon in the clip below about facial transplation.
