Most comprehensive face transplant revealed

Surgeons from the University of Maryland Medical Center set out what they said was the world’s most comprehensive face transplant – allowing a 37-year-old man to emerge from behind a mask, 15 years after a gun accident almost killed him.

Richard Norris of Hillsville, Virginia, was shot in the face in 1997 and lost his nose, lips and most movement in his mouth. Since then, he has had multiple life-saving and reconstructive surgeries, but none could repair him to the extent where he felt he could return to society.

He wore a prosthetic nose and a mask even when entering hospital for the transplant.

Surgeon Dr Eduardo Rodriguez, associate professor of surgery, University of Maryland told a news conference about Mr Norris’ reaction when he saw his new face for the first time: “He put the mirror down, and thanked me and hugged me. It was a wonderful gift to give him and ever since that day you could see that we are going to restore those 15 years that he’s lost and make him a functioning member of society again.”

He continued: “Before people used to stare at Richard because he wore a mask, and they wanted to see the deformity. The hardest thing for him was to eat and obviously he understands that children would look at him, and that’s fine, but to have adults stare at him .. but now they have another reason to stare at him.”

The first full face transplant in the US took place in 2011 when Dallas Wiens underwent surgery to reconstruct his face which had been burned off following an industrial accident involving a power line.

Mr Norris’s transplant was the 19th ever to take place, in 11 centres around the world.

Even before the full face transplant operation takes place, the recipient needs to be thoroughly prepared for the physical, emotional and psychological consequences, Professor Iain Hutchison, chief executive of the Facial Surgery Research Foundation told Channel 4 News.

And even after the operation, the physical implications are huge: “The patient needs to take immunosuppressant drugs to stop the body rejecting the face. However these drugs also increase your risk of getting cancer or other illnesses,” said Professor Hutchison.

One recipient of a full face transplant in China stopped taking the drugs because of the side effects, and died, says Mr Hutchison.

“However none of those who have had a full face transplant, have had their face rejected yet,” he adds. “They’ve all had a kind of rejection episode which has been suppressed by taking immunosuppressant drugs.”