face transplant
You must have heard about kidney, liver and heart transplant, but do you know that like these organs, face transplant can also be done. In medical language this is called face transplant. In this, the face damaged in an accident is completely or partially replaced. This facility is available in selected hospitals of the world. Even in India, the government has given permission to some hospitals for face transplant. The expenditure in this also runs up to crores of rupees. But now Delhi AIIMS is starting it for patients. Where the cost of treatment will be almost zero.
face transplant It is a process in which the face of a donor (dead person) is implanted into the face of a person. This is not just plastic surgery. In this, everything from the patient’s skin to muscles, veins, blood vessels and sometimes even bones and jaw are changed. This procedure is so difficult that it can take up to 20 hours. It depends on what part of the face is being transplanted. Face transplant is mainly done for those people whose face has been badly damaged due to fire, acid, bullet injury or any road accident. This process is quite difficult and is completely different from normal plastic surgery.
(face transplant)
What is the difference between face transplant and facial plastic surgery?
Face transplant is similar to transplanting an organ. Face transplant also requires a donor (a dead person). In this, even the damaged facial nerves of the patient are connected through surgery. Whereas in plastic surgery, the structure of the face is improved by using synthetic materials, like if the shape of someone’s nose is bad then it is corrected or if the shape of someone’s lips is bad then it is corrected. The face is not changed in this.
Facial bones or tissue are never changed in plastic surgery. In face transplant, the damaged face is replaced with a new face, whereas in plastic surgery, there is slight improvement in the original structure. Plastic surgery is much easier than face transplant.
When did the first face transplant take place in the world?
The world’s first partial face transplant was performed on Isabelle Dinoire at the Amiens-Picardy University Hospital in France in November 2005. In a 15-hour surgical operation, the nose, lips and chin of a bread-dead man were transplanted into the patient. The world’s first complete face transplant was performed in 2010 by a team at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona, Spain. Talking about India, the country’s first complete face transplant took place here in 2017 at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi.
(This is how the face changes after transplant)
How is a face transplant done?
Face transplant is a surgery in which doctors specialized in anesthesiology, pain medicine and critical care, anatomy, oral and maxillofacial surgery, organ retrieval banking organization (ORBO), otorhinolaryngology, pathology, plastic, reconstructive and burns surgery, psychiatry, surgical disciplines, transplant immunology are involved in different ways. This surgery takes 10 Can last up to 30 hours also.
For face transplant, a bread dead donor is required, whose face is lighter than the patient’s face. After this, skin and veins are removed from the donor’s face. Then, through surgery, the damaged part of the patient’s face is first removed and after this, other parts from the donor’s tissue are transplanted into the patient’s face. In this, muscles are transplanted so that one can smile, speak, feel and regain facial expressions with the help of nerves and the blood flow through the blood veins remains on the face.
Why is face transplant difficult?
Dr. Sunil Chumber, head and professor in the surgery department at AIIMS, explains that the body’s immune system can reject someone else’s facial tissue. For this reason there is a lot of risk in this surgery. After surgery the patient is given anti-rejection drugs. If rejection is not controlled, it can be fatal for the patient. This is the reason why face transplant is very difficult and till date only 50 transplants have been done worldwide.
Does the entire face look like the donor?
It is not that in face transplant the entire face of a person does not look like the donor. It gets mixed. Some parts are original and some look like donor.
How will this facility be available in AIIMS?
For face transplant in AIIMS, the patient will have to register himself first. After this, whenever there is a donor, a date will be given for the surgery. Before that, there will be many types of tests, the further procedure will be done only after the correct report comes.
