A Spanish man has appeared before TV cameras after becoming the first person in the world to have a full-face transplant
The man, known only as Oscar, spoke with difficulty as he thanked the family of the person whose face he now has and the doctors at Vall d'Hebron in Madrid where he had the operation in March.
During the 24-hour surgery, doctors lifted an entire face, including jaw, nose, cheekbones, muscles, teeth and eyelids from one person and placed it, mask-like, onto Oscar.
The 31-year-old recipient is a farmer who was unable to breathe or eat on his own after accidentally shooting himself in the face five years ago.
He has now been discharged from hospital and will need between a year and 18 months of physical therapy but is expected to regain up to 90% of his facial functions, said the head of the surgical team, Dr Joan Pere Barret.
Oscar is now able to drink liquids and eat soft foods, and has been able to speak for the past two months, the hospital revealed.
Doctors also said he has regained the feeling in most of his face and is partly recovering movement of his muscles.
One good sign, apparently, was that a week after the operation, he had to be shaved because of beard growth.
But he also suffered acute rejection twice - once four weeks after the surgery and again between the second and third months. Both times, the new face was saved with medication, a hospital statement said.
At the news conference, Oscar seemed relaxed as he looked out at reporters with eyes he cannot yet close completely.
His sister, who has not been identified to protect the family's privacy, said her brother looks forward to leading a normal life.
He is eager to enjoy "little things, like walking down the street without anyone looking at him, or sitting down for a meal with his family. Doing things that all of us do on a normal day", she said.
A French team announced a similar operation earlier this month, saying a 35-year-old man with a genetic disorder has been given an entirely new face, including tear ducts that cry and a chin that sprouts stubble.
A partial face transplant was carried out first in France in 2005 and since then around a dozen have taken place, including three in Spain.
World First: Full-Face Transplant Man On Show - Yahoo! News UK
The man, known only as Oscar, spoke with difficulty as he thanked the family of the person whose face he now has and the doctors at Vall d'Hebron in Madrid where he had the operation in March.
During the 24-hour surgery, doctors lifted an entire face, including jaw, nose, cheekbones, muscles, teeth and eyelids from one person and placed it, mask-like, onto Oscar.
The 31-year-old recipient is a farmer who was unable to breathe or eat on his own after accidentally shooting himself in the face five years ago.
He has now been discharged from hospital and will need between a year and 18 months of physical therapy but is expected to regain up to 90% of his facial functions, said the head of the surgical team, Dr Joan Pere Barret.
Oscar is now able to drink liquids and eat soft foods, and has been able to speak for the past two months, the hospital revealed.
Doctors also said he has regained the feeling in most of his face and is partly recovering movement of his muscles.
One good sign, apparently, was that a week after the operation, he had to be shaved because of beard growth.
But he also suffered acute rejection twice - once four weeks after the surgery and again between the second and third months. Both times, the new face was saved with medication, a hospital statement said.
At the news conference, Oscar seemed relaxed as he looked out at reporters with eyes he cannot yet close completely.
His sister, who has not been identified to protect the family's privacy, said her brother looks forward to leading a normal life.
He is eager to enjoy "little things, like walking down the street without anyone looking at him, or sitting down for a meal with his family. Doing things that all of us do on a normal day", she said.
A French team announced a similar operation earlier this month, saying a 35-year-old man with a genetic disorder has been given an entirely new face, including tear ducts that cry and a chin that sprouts stubble.
A partial face transplant was carried out first in France in 2005 and since then around a dozen have taken place, including three in Spain.
World First: Full-Face Transplant Man On Show - Yahoo! News UK
roud:Although listening to some people on here perhaps its already been done lol
