Faces: we see them constantly, wherever we go. There are
familiar faces passing by on campus, friendly faces smiling at the
grocery store, and the faces of your friends and family that you
feel connected to and can match with personalities and
memories.
Then there is your own face, inextricably linked with your
self-concept and personality. That being said, would you donate
your face to science?
This is a question that deserves a bit of thought, considering
the fact that last week, the first partial face transplant was
completed in France.
It seems crazy to transplant a face, like something that could
only happen in a cheesy Nicolas Cage/John Travolta flick, or on an
episode of Nip/Tuck.
In fact, to me the whole idea seems downright scary ““ but
if someone could really benefit from a facial transplant, and if we
have the technology to help them, then we should do it.
In the unprecedented operation, a woman who had been mauled by
her dog received a new nose, lips and chin. The operation was
headed by surgeons Jean-Michel Dubernard and Bernard Devauchelle,
and so far it has been a success.
While the woman will have to take immunosuppressant drugs for
the rest of her life to avoid the possibility of her body rejecting
the new tissue, at the moment, it seems that she has just gotten a
new lease on life. Her own dog mauled her ““ this is as
gruesome as it is unbelievable ““ and I am glad that there is
a way to restore her life to some level of normalcy.
There are countless burn and trauma survivors all over the
globe, living with disfigured faces that could really benefit from
a procedure like this.
So what’s the holdup? Let’s start transplanting some
faces already.
Of course, it’s not that easy ““ the creepy feeling I
get when thinking about someone else wearing my face isn’t
entirely unwarranted. Just think how you would feel about someone
else wearing your face, or even your loved one’s face.
On the other side, if you were to undergo the surgery yourself,
try to imagine what it would be like to adjust to seeing someone
else’s face when you looked in the mirror. The psychological
stress of a procedure like this would surely be incredible.
In fact, these and many issues regarding facial tissue
transplant surgery have been ringing alarm bells for ethics
committees for the last few years.
The psychological repercussions of receiving a facial transplant
could be devastating.
As many trauma victims know, it can be hard for people to look
past facial disfigurement. And if the trauma victim finds a facial
disfigurement to be debilitating, a facial transplant could solve
these problems.
Some worry that if facial tissue transplants become more
commonplace, the burn and trauma survivors of the world will feel
pressured to undergo the operation. They feel that society should
be able to adjust to seeing people with scarred and disfigured
faces ““ we should be able to accept them.
While I do agree in theory, this may be all too idealistic in
our image-obsessed society.
If we have the technology and the medical know-how to help
people reclaim their lives through a facial transplant, we should
use it. Even with the psychological stress and the
immunosuppressant drugs involved in this type of transplant, the
benefits outweigh the dangers.
So, when I think about it, I would donate my face (along with my
other organs) to science. I think that there is a lot of potential
here and that we may be able to help a lot of people.
Still, with such an experimental surgery, and one with so many
possible problems, it’s obvious that precautions need to be
taken.
While the idea of trading faces with someone does seem a bit
strange, I see the future of facial transplants as a positive and
beneficial one.
With surgeons like Dubernard taking transplant surgery to a new
level, we may now have the ability to restore someone’s
confidence and give them back their life.
How would you feel about donating your face to science? Let
Deitchman know at jdeitchman@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments
to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.