In 1997, a thrilling action movie starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage "Face Off" appeared on the movie screens. The protagonist of the film goes on an incredible adventure and performs a face transplant operation. At that time, such a plot was characterized as fantastic. Today, a face transplant is rarely associated with a story from a famous thriller and no longer seems like a fairy tale, because several dozen such operations have been performed in the world, which gave rehabilitated patients hope for a new life and face.
History
The first facial restoration surgery was performed by surgeon Harold Gillis back in 1917. Many experts consider him the founder of plastic surgery, who defined a new direction in medicine.
In 2005, the first face transplant was performed in France - one of the most complex and large-scale operations in history. Since then, more than 30 transplants have been recorded with a successful outcome. Tragic situations are also known. For example, the Chinese Goxing Li, who had a good surgical intervention, escaped from the hospital and died while trying to recover at home.
The first successful face transplant in Russia took place in May 2015. The discovery of new possibilities has become a powerful stimulus for the development of modern surgery and has given many patients hope for a possible recovery. When the first face transplant took place in Russia, the photo of the patient and the doctors who took part in the most difficult operation spread around the world.
Patients
A face transplant is a difficult and very rare operation. The story of each of the patients who received a chance to recover from irreversible lesions was made public. In some cases, the question of the aesthetic feelings of crippled people was decided, in others, life was at stake. Many victims lost the ability to hear, eat independently, see and even breathe due to severe facial lesions.
In each individual case, the decision to operate was made by both the plastic surgeon and the patient, as the process involves a serious risk to the he alth and life of the patient. Face transplantation was carried out on those who suffered as a result of a fire, became a victim of an attack, paid for their own and others' mistakes.
Surgical complications
During the operation, doctors face many difficulties. To achieve the best cosmetic effect, surgeons have to work with a complete skin flap that does not take root well. Restoration is not onlyepithelium, but also muscles, cartilage, bone tissue.
As a rule, many organs of the victim are so damaged that they need to be replaced. A face transplant requires a donor whose tissues are examined over a long period to avoid possible complications. Preparation for the operation takes more than a year, which is spent on the selection of an individual complex of tissues for the patient, his examination and preparation of donor organs. The entire procedure, including the rehabilitation period, costs several million dollars.
The operation is complex and consists of several stages, each of which requires coordinated work between specialists, composure and attentiveness. The transplant takes more than 10 hours, and it often takes several surgeries to fully recover.
Rehabilitation period
Most large-scale operations often cause complications in the postoperative period. Face transplant surgery is no exception. Difficulties are associated with the adaptation of foreign tissues and the germination of blood vessels in them. The latest technology and thorough research help to minimize the risk of complications.
Recovery after a transplant takes several years. Throughout life, patients are forced to take drugs that prevent tissue rejection. Much attention is paid to psychological work with a person who will have to get along harmoniously with a new appearance. Despite the difficulties, each of them is grateful for the opportunity to enjoy life again, not embarrassed by their faces.
PatrickHardison
In 2001, a firefighter tried to rescue a woman from a burning building.
Unfortunately, the attempt resulted in severe burns that disfigured Patrick's entire face and upper torso. Ears, nose, lips and eyelids were burned, the man practically lost his sight and faith in a brighter future. He was in dire need of a face transplant. Before and after: this is how the tragedy divided the life of the victim.
For several years, the firefighter had more than 70 preliminary operations, the preparation for the transplant itself took about a year.
After 26 hours on the operating table with over 100 medical professionals, Patrick has found a new face. This is the first operation in history, during which the victim completely replaced his own face with a donor one.
Isabelle Dinoir
In 2005, the world's first partial face transplant was performed in France, during which not only the skin, but also the nose, lips, and chin were transplanted to the patient. According to experts, these parts cause the greatest difficulties in transplantation. The success of the transplant inspired other plastic surgeons to further develop such an incredible operation as a face transplant. Photos before and after rehabilitation clearly demonstrate positive changes in the appearance of the victim.
Isabelle Dinoir was mutilated by her own dog. Wanting to take her own life, the woman drank a lot of sleeping pills. dogunable to wake up the mistress, and a desperate labrador bit Isabelle's face. She woke up in a pool of blood, and after washing herself, found that half of her face was missing. The surgeons immediately decided that it was impossible to restore the organs and offered the victim a transplant.
Dallas Vince
In 2011, a man from Texas became the owner of a new look. Three years before the operation, he received a powerful electric shock, as a result of which the upper part of his face instantly melted. They fought for his life for a day and a half, but his eyes, nose, lips and other organs were completely burned. The man lived for several years literally without a face, ate through a straw, but did not despair. Despite his injuries, he recovered and was able to walk. A stronger man was waiting for a face transplant. The photo, taken after the efforts of plastic surgeons, indicates that the appearance of the victim has been completely changed.
After the operation, Dallas spoke again, his sense of smell returned. Unfortunately, the vision could not be restored, but the patient was able to master almost all the possibilities of facial expressions again. To date, his face is almost completely functional, which not all patients who have undergone such an operation can boast of.
Oscar
In 2005, a Spanish farmer had an accident. As a result of a gunshot wound, the man almost completely lost his face, left without a nose, teeth, lips, cheekbones. According to one version, Oscar (under this name the man is presented on the Internet)shot himself by accident. The victim lived with this problem for five years, until another trouble fell on him - his mouth was covered with skin, depriving the man of the opportunity to eat, speak and even breathe.
In 2010, one of the longest face transplants in the history of plastic surgery was performed. Surgeons had to restore many lost organs and tissues. Thanks to the efforts of doctors, Oscar was able to eat and breathe on his own again.
Carmen Tarleton
Her story is as tragic as the rest of the face transplant patients. A 40-year-old woman was attacked by her ex-husband, who mutilated Carmen beyond recognition.
He mutilated his wife's body and face with a bat and a bottle of acid. The victim of violence spent three months in a coma, over the next five years she had to undergo 55 operations. The disfigured body was literally assembled piece by piece, sewing new skin taken from her own legs and from donors to the burnt areas.
Unfortunately, the efforts of the surgeons helped save Carmen's life, but did not return her face, and with it the ability to speak, eat, and smile on her own. In 2013, doctors performed another experimental operation, transplanting the face of a deceased 56-year-old woman into a patient. After a long and difficult rehabilitation, Carmen learned to eat, talk, breathe and perform other manipulations that seem simple to a he althy person. She found the strength to forgive her ex-husband and even wrote a book about herdifficult fate. Not only the appearance, but also the life of a woman was changed by a face transplant: photos before and after the tragedy allow you to see this with your own eyes.
Richard Norris
After an unsuccessful attempt to commit suicide by shooting a shotgun in the head, a young man was forced to hide from strangers for a long fifteen years. Then, in 1997, doctors were able to save his life, but the mutilated face was not restored - the bones were crushed, the jaw was deformed, and the tongue was practically absent. On the street, Richard appeared only at night, wearing a cap and a mask hiding his disfigured face.
Fifteen years later, the victim's mother found a doctor willing to perform facial reconstruction surgery, and the would-be suicide immediately agreed to take the risk. In 2012, the man underwent a 36-hour operation that gave him a new look. Richard's face was collected from several donors, whose tissues, surprisingly, quickly took root. Now he is not accompanied by the astonished glances of passers-by. He learned to speak again, eat on his own and even smile. Face transplantation before and after full recovery was the only possible way out of this situation. Fortunately, everything ended well.
Face transplant in Russia
Domestic surgeons opened the way to a new, normal life for a soldier who received a severe burn of the whole body, which resulted inirreversibly damaged face. Thirty operations were performed to save and restore a person, but plastic surgeons could not completely solve the problem of the victim.
The first face transplant operation in Russia was carried out, as already mentioned, in May 2015. Moscow doctors have been preparing for this for three years, rehearsing on an exact copy of the model of the patient's face. The transplant, which involved eight surgeons, took more than 15 hours. The event was made public only in November, when the specialists were completely confident in the successful outcome of the operation and the patient's well-being. The aspirations of the doctors came true: a face transplant in Russia, a photo of the rescued person, an encouraging result became a triumph of Russian plastic surgery.
Advanced technology and accumulated experience enable the most incredible tasks to be carried out, giving desperate people hope for recovery. Face transplantation, of course, will not become a mass procedure in the near future, as it requires a huge investment of effort, time, and money. Nevertheless, in Russia it is planned to continue such operations for patients with appropriate medical indications.
