Face Transplants Possible But More Research Needed

Wednesday, November 19th, 2003

You could replace “face transplants” with just about anything and this headline would be valid — Face Transplants Possible But More Research Needed:

Face transplants are technically possible and could arguably be less difficult than reattaching a severed finger, surgeons said on Wednesday, but they called for more research into the risks involved before they are attempted.

Truly a creepy image — face-transplant rejection:

The microsurgical skills needed for a face transplant are already well established, according to a report by the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

But too little is known about the psychological impact it would have on the recipient or the donor family, the ethical issues or the long-term risks of immunosuppressive drugs that would have to be taken for life to prevent the immune system from rejecting the new face.

This might surprise some people — and ruin a number of movie plots:

“We need to get across the complexities of this medical advance and dismiss the myths that have been reported — for example the first face transplant recipients will not necessarily look like the donor,” he said.

Transplanting the skin and underlying soft tissue from one individual to the facial structure of another would give an appearance that would be different from the donor and the recipient, he added in a statement.

So much for Face Off

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