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Doctors completed the first facial transplant in 2005 on a French woman. Now, she’s been one-upped by a hospital in Spain who completed the first full facial transplant on a man whose identify has not been released.

We have perspectives from Russia Today, BBC, CBS, The Times and CTV.

Russia Today talks about the details of this time consuming and intense surgery. 

“Spanish doctors have successfully performed the first full face transplant in a 24-hour operation was carried out by more than 30 medics.  The patient had lost lost his jaw, nose, and cheeks in an accident five years ago and had to breathe through and be fed through tubes since.”

The BBC says it was a long road for the man to get to the successful surgery.

“The man was operated on in March, but details of the operation have only just been revealed… He was considered for a full face transplant after nine previous operations failed.” 

At the time of the first successful partial facial transplant in 2005, CBS’ Julie Chen talked to a reconstructive surgeon about facial transplants and how they compare to other transplants.

“Essentially it’s like any other organ transplant where you have a willing donor family that’s kind enough to recognize the need of a recipient who’s missing a critical structure.  In this case instead of being a liver or a kidney, it’s a large section of the woman’s face.”

The Times discusses why some doctors don’t think facial transplants are a good idea.

“…face and hand transplants have also attracted controversy because of the need for recipients to take powerful immunosuppressive drugs for the rest of their lives, which carry a risk of serious side-effects and health problems.”

Regardless of the risks and scarring, CTV says the man who received the world's first, full facial transplant is happy with the results.