Face Transplants Carry Psychological and Physical Risks

Posted on December 20, 2008

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.