Face transplant

From ArticleWorld

Face transplant is a type of transplant that involves replacing one's entire face. It is basically a skin graft, but one that replaces face completely.

Face transplant has had a considerable impact in popular culture, being depicted in a number of movies and books.

Indications

Many of those who decide to take a face transplant are people disfigured by various diseases, birth defects or physical injuries like burns. Face transplant is an active branch of plastic surgery, as the only possible alternative is the usage of about 50 skin grafts, which does give the face some of its initial functions, but not much of its aspect.

There have been reports of a face replant, the most famous being a 1994 incident reported by The Guardian. An Indian nine-year-old lost her entire face and scalp in an accident. The child's parents took her face and held it in a bag, and rushed to the hospital. The plastic surgeons managed to replant the face, reconnecting the arteries. The operation did leave scars but they were minor compared to the initial state.

Some similar operations have been reported.

Procedure

The surgery is very complex, and requires several teams of specialists. The surgery may last anywhere between 8 and 17 hours, preceding a two-week hospitalization. The procedure depends on a number of parameters, including age, sex, tissue type, skin color etc. However, the operation has two main parts -- replanting the skin and reconnecting arteries. The transplant does not include replacing the underlying muscular tissue.

Note that the transplant only involves replacing the skin. The physionomy of the face is given by the bones and muscles that lay underneath it, so the person's face traits remain unchanged. The surgery may leave some scars.

Risks

The face transplant includes a number of risks. A lifelong treatment with immunosupressives is necessary, in order to prevent the receiver's immune system to reject the transplanted tissue. This may lead to infections, due to the fact that the body's immunity action is impaired. There is also a risk of psychological trauma.