Plastic Surgery Experts Available To Comment On Face Transplant Surgery

Main Category: Cosmetic Medicine / Plastic Surgery
Also Included In: Transplants / Organ Donations
Article Date: 18 Dec 2008 - 4:00 PST

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Facial transplantation is plastic surgery. In fact, Maria Siemionow, MD, who performed this country's first face transplant at the Cleveland Clinic recently, is a reconstructive plastic surgeon. Facial transplantation plastic surgery offers great hope for those who suffer from severe facial disfigurement.

"The nation's first face transplant is another great example of plastic surgeons performing reconstructive plastic surgery that gives patients their lives back," says John Canady, MD, President of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

ASPS members are uniquely qualified to add perspective to the history of transplantation and are making themselves available for comment.

Plastic Surgeons have been at the forefront of transplantation medicine since its inception. The first organ transplant, a kidney transplant, was done by a plastic surgeon in 1954, and the first successful hand transplant was performed by a plastic surgeon in 1998.

In 2006, ASPS and the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery (ASRM) took a strong stand and issued Guiding Principles to assist plastic surgeons who may choose to participate in facial transplantation.

"The guiding principles help plastic surgeons decide who is a good candidate for this procedure through everything from in-depth evaluation of prospective patients' physical and psychological condition to informing the patients of the very latest information about risks and outcomes," Canady says.

As remarkable as the potential possibilities are for facial transplant plastic surgery recipients, we recognize there are many questions associated with the procedure. There are medical, technical, and ethical issues, which ASPS has and will continue to examine thoroughly.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons is the largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons in the world. Representing more than 6,700 physician members, the Society is recognized as a leading authority and information source on cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. ASPS comprises more than 94 percent of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States. Founded in 1931, the Society represents physicians certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

American Society of Plastic Surgeons
http://www.plasticsurgery.org