First U.S. face transplant!

The Cleveland Clinic announced yesterday that reconstructive surgeon Dr. Maria Siemionow had performed the first face transplant in the U.S. a couple of weeks ago. The patient's name, age, and photo have not been released, although there is a press conference scheduled for today. The first face transplant was performed in France in 2005 on a woman who had been attacked by a dog. The face of a man attacked by a bear was repaired in China in 2006. And a third transplant was done in France last year on a man disfigured by neurofibromatosis. As these photos show, a transplanted face improves the appearance dramatically, but does not transfer the donor's look to the recipient - the family would not recognize the face of their deceased loved one on the street!