Reply #3: Like most organ donors, a face-donor would be dead first

[Hekate]

A face-transplant was successfully performed in France quite recently. It made all the news, so you can google for it and get diagrams, explanations,etc.

The woman in France had her face ripped off by a dog she rescued from the local animal shelter. (The dog, understandably, was subsequently put to sleep). She had no nose left, no lips, jaw muscles had been severed, she couldn't chew or swallow properly. She couldn't go out in public without a mask. Her social life was effectively over, and her personal life was no picnic either.

Time was of the essence. If the transplant team waited too long, too much scar tissue would have hardened into place. That's why I question whether the Chinese girl's transplant surgery will be successful -- it's been two years.

In France, consent for organ donation is assumed; a family has to go out of its way to say no if they don't want their loved one's spare parts used. (I've carried an organ donor card for over 30 years, and "spare parts" is how I think of what I will no longer have a use for some day.) However, because of the highly personal nature of a face, the family was asked first if it was okay with them.

The skin, muscle, cartilage, tendons, were taken from the donor by a highly skilled transplant team. It was not the entire face, but nose, lips, chin, and so on that were missing from the recipient. There is really no chance that the end result will look like the donor's face, as the recipient has a different bone structure.

The transplant patient will have to take anti-rejection drugs like anyone else. I hope this is very successful -- a mutilating facial injury is a terrible fate. It has nothing to do with "vanity" or getting a face lift; it's about giving someone their life back.

Hekate