America’s First Face Transplant Completed at Cleveland Clinic

America’ first near-total face transplant surgery has been completed at the Cleveland Clinic.

Face Transplant Pictures and Details

Details of the face transplant are expected to be revealed during a news conference Wednesday, which is also likely to be the first time pictures of the patient may be shown.

So far, the Cleveland Clinic is only revealing that Dr. Maria Siemionow replaced 80 percent of a woman’s face, using the face of a donor who had died a short time ago. The patient’s age and identity has not yet been released, nor have the conditions surrounding her case.

Generally speaking, patients undergoing a face transplant surgery have to take immune-suppressing drugs for the rest of their lives to keep their bodies from rejecting the new parts.

Past Face Transplant: Isabelle Dinoire

The world’s first partial face transplant took place just three years ago. Doctors in France replaced Isabelle Dinoire’s nose, lips, and chin after she was mauled by a dog. Two other similar procedures have been performed — one in China on a man attacked by a bear, and another on a European man who had a genetic disorder.

Isabelle Dinoire before and after surgery