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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4491310.stm
French doctors have revealed details of the first ever face transplant, carried out at the weekend.
The patient had lost her nose, lips and chin after being savaged by a dog.
The operation involved taking tissues, muscles, arteries and veins from a brain-dead donor and attaching them to the patient's lower face.
But one doctor questioned the procedure, saying traditional reconstructive surgery should have been attempted first.
The 38-year-old patient, who wishes to stay anonymous, sustained her injuries when the family dog tried to wake her after she had taken an overdose in an attempted suicide, her 17-year-old daughter revealed.
She added: "After that we don't know what happened with the dog, whether it bit or clawed her, but it managed to pull her awake. In a way, it was lucky for her that the dog was there."
The dog was later put down, against the families wishes.
French doctors have revealed details of the first ever face transplant, carried out at the weekend.
The patient had lost her nose, lips and chin after being savaged by a dog.
The operation involved taking tissues, muscles, arteries and veins from a brain-dead donor and attaching them to the patient's lower face.
But one doctor questioned the procedure, saying traditional reconstructive surgery should have been attempted first.
The 38-year-old patient, who wishes to stay anonymous, sustained her injuries when the family dog tried to wake her after she had taken an overdose in an attempted suicide, her 17-year-old daughter revealed.
She added: "After that we don't know what happened with the dog, whether it bit or clawed her, but it managed to pull her awake. In a way, it was lucky for her that the dog was there."
The dog was later put down, against the families wishes.