Surgeons in France have carried out the first face transplant, it has been reported.

The woman had lost her nose, lips and chin after being savaged by a dog.

In the controversial operation, tissues, muscles, arteries and veins were taken from a brain-dead donor and attached to the patient's lower face. Doctors stress the woman will not look like her donor, but nor will she look like she did before the attack - instead she will have a "hybrid" face. This is the first face transplant using skin from another person Iain Hutchison, Barts and the London Hospital

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. But the ethical concerns of a face transplant, and the psychological impact to the patient of looking different has held teams back.

Concerns relating to immunosuppression, psychological impact and the consequence of technical failure have so far prevented ethical approval of the procedure in the UK, though doctors here are fully able to perform transplants.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4484728.stm

Yes folks it is now history. No longer the fanciful imaginings of John Woo but it is a reality. Does anyone see an ethical problem with this or are we jaded now after years of plastic surgery freak shows and this is somehow completely acceptable?

I am really getting sick and tired of "ethics" preventing people who all agree on a course of action with full knowledge of the risks and ramifications to take that course of action.

I hope this works out for the poor woman who was subjected to such an unfortunate fate. Maybe she will be able to once again enjoy a decently normal life without those of us who have such luxuries to prevent others from attaining it.

that article was in my newspaper, and i found its headline to be kind of funny
"history made, french complete surgery"

ha ha ha, what, you don't think you'll see this in the highschool history books? Yeah, you'll see her mid-op right between Bill Gates and Osama Bin Laddin.

I think, if Humans are given another good gift, it would be wrong to not use it. In a case like this, she got her life back.

Aye Missileer but this woman was nothing more than a human guinea pig. She was disfigured by a dog who tried to rouse her following her ingestion of pills in a suicide attempt. That I fear played into the minds of those who pushed for this surgery to happen. A woman disfigured who had attempted suicide, if she died or had complications it wouldn't be seen as great a loss were it a more happy and productive member of society.

Originally Posted by bulldogg

Aye Missileer but this woman was nothing more than a human guinea pig. She was disfigured by a dog who tried to rouse her following her ingestion of pills in a suicide attempt. That I fear played into the minds of those who pushed for this surgery to happen. A woman disfigured who had attempted suicide, if she died or had complications it wouldn't be seen as great a loss were it a more happy and productive member of society.

Once again, I understand your reasoning but this time, I agree. When would medical scientists and surgeons get this opportunity again. It was a win-win for the surgeons and nothing lost but something gained by the patient.

Originally Posted by rotc boy

that article was in my newspaper, and i found its headline to be kind of funny
"history made, french complete surgery"

It's just so funny.