A facial transplant is a surgery that replaces an individual's face with a partial or entirely new one.
It's a procedure often mimicked in old spy movies; the bad guy gets one in order to hide his true identity from the police.
The process only takes a few hours and works out perfectly.
However, in real life, it's not so easy.
Medical professionals waited until 1994, when a 9-year-old girl in northern India lost her face and scalp in a threshing machine accident, to perform a facial transplant.
At the time, doctors reconnected her lost face to its base - arteries and all.
Since then, the procedure has evolved.
Real facial transplants are nothing like in the movies.
How is it Performed? A facial transplant is a technical operation that takes 8 to 12 hours and includes six basic steps.
Each one must be performed properly for the transplant to work.
They are as follows: Step 1: A donor is found.
Race, sex and age are considered in the search.
These things increase the chances of an aesthetic match.
Step 2: Compatibility is tested by HLA typing.
HLA typing checks antigens or proteins on the surface of skin tissue.
It helps doctors see if the immune system will accept or automatically reject the facial transplant.
Step 3: The donor's face is surgically removed.
It is cut off the deceased donor and set on ice until it can be transported to surgery.
Step 4: The recipients face is surgically removed.
Everything is cut away except the underlying muscles.
This includes fat, nerves and blood vessels.
Step 5: Underlying nerves and muscles are connected on the donor.
Surgeons use microscopic needles and thread to connect the nerves, muscles, arteries and veins of the recipient's face.
It ensures proper blood flow.
Step 6: The new face is attached.
The donor face is draped across the base of the recipients and set into place.
Although there are only six steps in a facial transplant, each one requires a team of experts to pull off.
Each expert must have a special skill set in order to make the process successful.
The recovery time is around two weeks.
Who is a Good Candidate? A facial transplant is rarely done, especially a full one.
A man or woman who gets one usually does so under duress.
Either he or she has been in an awful, traumatic accident or fallen prey to a disease that has marred his or her face.
The transplant is performed in order to maintain the recipient's quality of life.
Yet, even in this kind of situation, the general health of the potential recipient must be considered because of the risk of death.
What are the Pros and Cons? The obvious benefit of a facial transplant is social acceptance.
People with facial deformities often attract unwanted attention in public, struggle to find gainful employment and, at times, love.
A facial transplant is one way doctors can help them improve the overall quality of their life.
Yet, it comes with a price.
The immune system in the human body is powerful.
As a result, facial transplants are often rejected.
Immune-suppression drugs are prescribed to facial transplant recipients, which do help.
However, over a long period of time, these drugs can lead to cancer, kidney malfunctions and infections.
Also, if they fail, the recipient may need more surgery.
Where can You Get One? Facial transplants aren't easy to get since they require a team of surgeons and hospital approval.
The best way for a person to see if he or she can get one is to work with a primary care physician.
A primary care physician can give an initial assessment and do a portion of the leg work to get a team of specialists together.