Facial reconstruction and face transplants

World class facial reconstruction at the Royal Free London

Facial reconstruction surgery is used to restore a person’s appearance to a relatively normal condition after a traumatic injury or event that has severely damaged a person’s face and appearance. Such an injury may remove part or all of the face. 

Huge advances in facial reconstruction mean that it’s now possible to transplant all or part of a person’s face. The first partial face transplant was performed in France in 2005 and the first full face transplant was performed in Spain in 2010.

Pioneering full-face transplants: our leading UK plastic surgery team

Face transplants are a pioneering form of facial reconstruction surgery that the Royal Free London has permission to provide. The UK face transplant team based at the Royal Free Hospital in London, hopes to perform a full-face transplant in the near future.

The team was given permission to perform a series of full-face transplant operations in 2006 and is currently evaluating patients to draw up a shortlist of people who want to undergo the procedure. This advanced facial surgery can offer a vast improvement in appearance and quality of life to those with life-changing facial injuries.

Find out more about the history and science behind face transplants here.