Face transplant is an extreme option taken when there is no other way to fix a face. Today, there have been only 6 people in the world who have received this procedure. Currently there aren’t any strict rules as to who should undergo this procedure unlike other transplants which require the patient to abstain from alcohol and drug use.

People who have burnt their face beyond recognition, people who have met with an accident which has lead to the destruction of the face, etc. are the ones who take face transplant as the last option. This gives them a new lease of life and can roam around freely in the world without attracting strange looks wherever they go. But it comes at a price and they will have to take medication to prevent rejection for the rest of their life.

This procedure itself is not the hardest part. It’s the rigors and the side effects of immunosuppressant therapy to prevent the organ rejection. Brigham and Women’s Hospital has changed the strict rules and now allows people who are already undergoing immunosuppressant therapy for other transplants to undergo face transplant as well. 

Since a very small number of patients waiting for a face transplant and the donors are few too, there isn’t a selection criteria yet but this may change in the future. As the procedure is being done successfully, the demand will increase and a limited donor number will lead to the need for a system that will govern the allocation.

“Although the face may not be a scarce or life-saving ‘organ’ in the same sense that solid organs are, the expense and investment in the procedure will require a similar selection process with the possible requirement of additional increased psychological scrutiny,” says an expert.

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