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People who undergo a face transplant have scars (Jim Maki and Bohdan Pomahac in the picture above)
2005 was a memorable year because it was the year of the first face transplant in the world. The patient, Isabelle Dinoire, underwent a 15-hour long surgery. The news of her death came earlier this week, on Tuesday. She died at forty-nine years of age.
Isabelle Dinoire is a French woman who became famous for being the first face transplant patient in the world. She received a partial face transplant. She required the surgery after her face being damaged by a dog’s bite. Doctors at Amiens Picardie hospital used skin from a dead woman to reconstruct Isabelle’s face. The lead surgeons were Bernard Devauchelle and Jean-Michel Dubernard.
The surgery occurred eleven years ago, on November 27, when the patient was 38. Doctors provided Isabelle with new nose and lips. They also reconstructed large areas of her damaged chin. Surprisingly, the dog which attacked Isabelle Dinoire was the woman’s pet.
The French woman’s relatives wanted to keep as much privacy as possible about her death. The Amiens University Hospital made the sad announcement. It is not sure what was the cause that led to the unfortunate event. However, it is believed that complications with the transplant started to emerge last year. It seems that her organism rejected the transplant, and there were complications about the woman’s lips.
Isabelle Dinoire was a brave woman who decided to take the chances with a surgery which had never been performed before. However, since her courageous act, at least thirty more people followed her footsteps. Face transplants are important and delicate surgeries which give people a new chance to live.
However, face transplants also require a lot of mental strength from patients. For instance, Isabelle Dinoire had to learn again simple things like talk and speak and use the muscles of her face. This is by no means an easy procedure.
In addition to all the changes that face transplant patients have to deal with, they are also prescribed certain medication to help them with their recovery. However, there are side effects of these drugs which can cause other health problems, such as distinct diseases, including cancer. Doctors have the obligation of informing patients about all the advantages and disadvantages of the procedures they are to undergo.
The medical community in France in thinking about an in-depth analysis of face transplants. If they find that there are more risks than benefits, they indent to stop performing the procedure.
Image courtesy of: Wikipedia
