The world's first full-face transplant was carried out at the Vall d'Hebron Hospital in Barcelona, Spain in late March 2010. The patient, a 31-year-old man, was given an entirely new face, including skin, jaw, nose, lips, cheeks, palate, teeth and muscles in a 24-hour operation performed by a 30-member medical team. Dr. Joan Pere Barret, who led the medical team said that the operation involved removing what was left of the man's face and giving him a replacement "in one piece."

The patient lost his face in a shooting accident five years ago and had since been unable to swallow, speak, or breathe properly, and had to breathe and be fed through tubes. Dr. Barret said the patient asked to look in a mirror one week after the surgery and he reacted very calmly and with satisfaction and in writing said "he said he was very grateful and satisfied."  The patient underwent psychiatric tests before the operation to determine if he would be able to confront having a totally new face.

Dr. Barret said there had been 10 partial face transplant operations carried out in the world so far but that this was the first one involving a person's whole face. The world's first partial face transplant was carried out on 38-year-old Isabelle Dinoire in France in November 2005. She received a new nose, chin and mouth from a brain-dead donor in a 15-hour operation that took place at the Amiens Teaching Hospital.

Editor’s note: In July 2010, Dr. Barret’s patient, identified only as Oscar, appeared before television cameras for the first time since his surgery in March 2010. Although he spoke with considerable difficulty, he thanked the entire medical team, the donor’s family and his own family for supporting him.