A 17-year-old girl from southeast China's Fujian Province has received a
face transplant that was grown on her chest. Xu Jianmei, a resident of a
small fishing village, was severely disfigured in a fire that occurred
when she was five years old. She lost her chin, eyelids, and a large
part of her right ear.
She was not able to receive treatment during the optimal treatment time,
as her family could not afford it. But last year, the chance to get a
new face came to her after doctors boldly proposed growing a new face on
her chest using tissue grafted from her leg. "First, we took a piece of
blood vessel fascia from her thigh and implanted it in her chest.
"Then we inserted a skin expander beneath the part of skin where the
blood vessel fascia was planted, so that the part could expand
and produce enough skin for her new face,"
Jiang Chenghong, Xu's surgeon, explained. After making sure that the
tissue making up a new face can be kept alive, it can be transplanted to
the patient's face.
The last stage of the surgery was completed last Monday. Xu's new face
was successfully transplanted. Doctors believe that the wounds left by
the surgery will heal over the next several weeks. "With her new face,
she will be able to express herself in a more precise way. She will even
be able to blush when her emotions change", said Jiang," but it may
take a long time."
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