Before & After
Five years ago, it was the stuff of science fiction: Replace someone’s face with one from a dead donor. But on Thursday, Boston doctors performed the world’s seventh such transplant — less than a week after one in France — and plans are in the works for more.
“Society is allowing us to do this. I think you’re going to see more and more,” especially in soldiers disfigured in recent wars, said Dr. Frank Papay, a surgeon who helped perform the nation’s first face transplant, in December at the Cleveland Clinic.
Some of the successes have been dazzling. People who couldn’t eat, speak normally, or go out in public now can walk the streets without being recognized as someone who got a new face.
Even so, face transplants are likely to remain uncommon, used on only the most severely disfigured, because of the big risks and lifelong need to take medicines to prevent rejection.
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At a news conference on Friday, Pomahac said: “There is no risk of recognizing the donor on the new patient. There’s a 60 percent chance the patient will look how he used to look.”
It gets interesting when we start using stem cells to grow new organs – such as skin, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, etc – no chance of rejection since they use your DNA.
You start by helping burn victims, wounded soldiers, etc. But it gets paid for by charging the rich to upgrade to new organs, extending life spans, etc.
My face is fine but how about them doctors replace the foreskin they cut off my dick?
The story would be more interesting with some surgery pictures 🙂
The old guy on the right is pretty hot.
LOL, John, who is picking out your clothes?
OMFG look at that collar and tie! John your a good looking guy (no homo) but take a step back and look. ouch!
“There’s a 60 percent chance the patient will look how he used to look.” So this means, I suppose, the facial bone structure molds the soft tissue so the recipient looks much as he did before the injury. Plus, I wonder if John has some sort of secret life he doesn’t share with us here on DU. Or maybe his wife makes him wear the pink shirt?
The photos aren’t labeled, which one is John?