Face transplant for severe dog bite attacks

     The world's first face transplant procedure, completed in 2005, using  tissue from a brain-dead donor to rebuild the face of a woman whose original face was torn apart by a dog. The 36-year-old woman lost her nose, lips and chin as a result of the attack.

    This transplant received considerable publicity at the time it was performed. Physicians have indicated some success in this novel procedure, and in the United States a hospital in Pittsburgh plans to offer the procedure when needed. Note that a facial transplant is not reconstructive surgery, but rather taking the face of another person and transplanting it to the victim. The final result is a face that neither has the appearance of the donor's face or the victim's face.

      Reports  indicated that side effects include clotting in facial blood vessels, and rejection of the transplanted skin. In addition, experts caution about the  emotional difficulties in adjusting to a new face. In addition, the face transplant patient usually needs to consume massive amount of medication postoperatively.
 
      Medical experts note that facial transplants have not been widely undertaken in part because of ethical concerns. This is starting to change, however. A news report published on August 10, 2011 from the Associated Press indicates that 18 face transplants have been done worldwide. And also the report states that the US Department of Defense is funding research into the procedure for possible use on disfigured combat soldiers.

      A well-publicized case of a facial transplant needed because of a chimpanzee attack on a middle-aged lady happened in Connecticut in 2009. This  incident is reviewed elsewhere on this website.  It is mentioned here, because in 2011 the victim appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show.  Photographs of Before, after and the new face of the victim appear below.

  Facial disfigurement of victim in 2009 chimpanzee mauling in Connecticut. Before  -after photographs as shown on the Oprah Winfrey show.

                    

                       Transplanted face of the victim is shown on the right

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