Surgeons Perform Full Face Transplant in Spain

Plastic surgeons and other doctors in Barcelona say they recently performed a very extensive face transplant operation. The patient was a man who had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The 24-hour operation replaced his cheekbones, facial muscles, lips, jaw and other facial structures.

The surgery is said to be even more extensive than any operations performed in the U.S., even the 2008 face transplant operation done at the Cleveland Clinic. “This is the first full face transplant performed worldwide, as the 10 operations performed previously had been only partial,” said a statement released by Vall d’Hebron University Hospital.