Risks

Face transplant is a challenging procedure. It's fairly new and very complex. Between 2005 and 2017, approximately 40 people are known to have undergone a face transplant, ranging in age from 20 to 60. Several have died as a consequence of the infection or rejection.

Complications can result from:

• The surgery
• Your body's rejection of the transplant tissue
• Side effects of immunosuppressant drugs

You may need further surgeries or hospital visits to treat complications.

Surgical risks

This is a complicated, lengthy procedure. You could be in surgery for 10 or more hours. Surgical and post-surgical risks can be life-threatening. They include blood loss, blood clots and infection.

Rejection risks

Your body's immune system may reject the new face and other donor tissues. You could lose part or all of your new face and some function.

You may experience more than one episode of rejection. To control a rejection response, you may need to go to the hospital for an intensive IV dose of anti-rejection drugs. Your doctors may switch the type of anti-rejection drugs you take. Rarely, tissue rejection requires a new transplantation. Rejection that isn't controlled could cause death.

You'll need to learn the signs and symptoms of rejection so that you can take timely and appropriate action. They include swelling and a change in the color of your skin.

Immunosuppressant risks

The anti-rejection drugs (immunosuppressants) you'll need to take daily for the rest of your life will weaken your immune system. This helps prevent tissue rejection, but it also puts you at risk of a variety of infections. Immunosuppressant drugs are also linked to an increased risk of kidney damage, cancer, diabetes and other serious conditions.