Face transplant surgery, the transfer of face tissue from a deceased human donor to a patient with a severe facial deformity, is an innovative reconstructive procedure that has the potential to significantly improve the lives of patients with severe facial injuries.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) is a world leader in promoting and performing this life-giving procedure.

  • May 2011 – A team of more than 30 physicians, nurses, anesthesiologists, and residents,  led by Bohdan Pomahac, MD, worked for more than 20 hours to replace the full facial area of patient Charla Nash,  including the nose, lips, facial skin, facial animation muscles and nerves, and upper palate, including teeth. It was the fourth face transplant procedure performed at BWH and the third full face transplant performed at BWH this year.
  • April 2011 – Less than one month after the first full face transplant in the United States was performed at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the BWH face transplant team performed the nation’s second full face transplant. The team worked for more than 14 hours to replace the full facial area of patient Mitch Hunter of Indiana, including the nose, eyelids, and facial animation muscles and nerves.
  • March 2011 – A BWH surgical team performed the first full face transplant in the country, replacing the nose, lips, facial skin, and facial animation muscles and nerves of patient Dallas Wiens.
  • April 9, 2009 – The BWH face transplant team successfully performed the first partial face transplant in New England — only the second such procedure to be accomplished in the United States and the seventh in the world.

The face transplant team, representing a wide variety of medical specialties, aims to continue building upon these successes to provide other patients with the significant benefits of this procedure. Toward this goal, BWH — supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) — is actively seeking qualified face transplant candidates.

To learn more about our face transplant surgery program, please call 617-732-5303 or email bwhfacetransplant@partners.org.

A life-giving procedure

We describe face transplant surgery as a life-giving procedure because it has the potential to dramatically improve, i.e., restore, both a patient’s mental and physical health. However, as with any other type of organ transplantation, this improvement will require the patient to make a lifetime commitment to taking medications that suppress the body’s immune system.

Conventional facial reconstruction methods, which are always considered first, do not tend to provide optimal results for patients with extensive facial deformities. Face transplant surgery, however, has the potential to deliver these desired functional and aesthetic benefits. Functionally, face transplant surgery can immediately restore a patient’s ability to breathe through the nose and speak intelligibly. With time, the ability to smile and show other emotions will also return. And the ability to restore a near-normal facial appearance can lead to tremendous psychological benefits, gradually rebuilding their confidence, elevating their mood and encouraging them to re-immerse in society. 

What Is Face Transplant Surgery?

Learn more about what happens before, during and after a partial face transplant.

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For Patients

Learn more about the potential qualifications and disqualifications for becoming a face transplant recipient, as well as the benefits and risks of the procedure.

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This page was last modified on 10/24/2011