Tissue transplantation in plastic surgery

The functional and aesthetic outcome following application of conventional reconstructive procedures or prosthetic materials is not satisfactory, especially in patients who have severe deformities and disabilities. Since the first successful hand transplantation in France in 1998, composite tissue allograft transplantation has gained a great deal of interest in the field of plastic surgery. It is obvious that composite tissue allograft transplantation will improve patients' life quality, but this might be at the expense of decreasing life expectancy. Currently, the main obstacle for composite tissue allograft transplantation is the use of life-long immunosuppression therapy because of their well-known side effects. In addition, the ethical, social, and psychologic issues are raised when discussing face transplantation. The long-term results of the recently performed partial face transplantations will be critical to judge the future applications of partial or total face transplantation.