face transplant Options

[hi-C]

I'm not sure if this is right for debate so I'll post this here. If I'm wrong, I know a wonderful mod will put it in the right section

Doctors are going attempt a radical new surgery: a total face transplant. They're going to take the face of a dead person and put it on the face of someone (as of yet not selected) whose face was horribly disfigured in some accident. You can read the article here.

When I saw this I was like "Holy crap" and actually felt a little sick to my stomach. Is the desire to look nice worth risking your life? And then the whole thing about it being the face of a dead person... I think that's effed up.

What do you guys think?

[Gigi]

I know how you guys all feel about putting a deceased person's face on yourself and becoming that person's face...but actually, I saw a documentary on this a while ago in Hong Kong talking about these very issues. I think it was BBC doc, not sure, though.

It creeped me out, but not as much as the documentary about that guy from Germany or whatever who does those world-wide tours of preserved dead bodies from vacuumed plastic or whatever. He cuts the bodies into sheets with like, a band saw butchers use and...okay. It was just way more disturbing than this.

Anyway, of course the scientists have thought about these problems...how would people feel to have the face of someone else? So they did some tests on dead people.

They swapped the faces of two corpses and gave the original and swapped photos to other scientists to inspect. If you saw this person on the street, would you know that was him?

All of the scientists answered no. Because the human face is different, and just because the skin and flesh is the same, doesn't mean the bone is the same either.

You don't have to worry about people walking in the streets and seeing their grandfather who died 2 years ago on a face of a totally different person.

It was an interesting documentary, though, watch it.

[Ington]

I know how you guys all feel about putting a deceased person's face on yourself and becoming that person's face...but actually, I saw a documentary on this a while ago in Hong Kong talking about these very issues. I think it was BBC doc, not sure, though.

It creeped me out, but not as much as the documentary about that guy from Germany or whatever who does those world-wide tours of preserved dead bodies from vacuumed plastic or whatever. He cuts the bodies into sheets with like, a band saw butchers use and...okay. It was just way more disturbing than this.

Anyway, of course the scientists have thought about these problems...how would people feel to have the face of someone else? So they did some tests on dead people.

They swapped the faces of two corpses and gave the original and swapped photos to other scientists to inspect. If you saw this person on the street, would you know that was him?

All of the scientists answered no. Because the human face is different, and just because the skin and flesh is the same, doesn't mean the bone is the same either.

You don't have to worry about people walking in the streets and seeing their grandfather who died 2 years ago on a face of a totally different person.

It was an interesting documentary, though, watch it.

THANK YOU. I love you Gigi.

People. You are not going to look like the dead person. The skin and tissue that is going to be used is from a corpse. Although it sounds weird, its much better than having it be synthetic, because it could look really weird or cause allergies. Also, you won't have freaking maggots crawling out of you or anything.

ONCE AGAIN, FREAKING HELL, YOU WON'T LOOK LIKE THE DECEASED PERSON.
Calm down.

I think its horrible how you people can take horribly disfigured people and be disgusted because they want to look good, or even humanlike.

You people have to read the article before posting. This is happening too much here.

[hi-C]

People. You are not going to look like the dead person. The skin and tissue that is going to be used is from a corpse. Although it sounds weird, its much better than having it be synthetic, because it could look really weird or cause allergies. Also, you won't have freaking maggots crawling out of you or anything.

Yeah, but there's also the possibility that your body might reject the new tissue placed on your "face." IMO, it'd be better to graft skin or clone skin cells to be used on your face. Far less chance of rejection.

[Gigi]

Yeah, but there's also the possibility that your body might reject the new tissue placed on your "face."  IMO, it'd be better to graft skin or clone skin cells to be used on your face.  Far less chance of rejection.

Yeah, that's why you have to take anti-rejection medication for the rest of your life. Which has side-effects like some liver disease or cancer (something like that).

I think that if you graft skin or clone skin cells on someone with really disfigured features...it wouldn't do them much good. I mean, their face is already so badly burned. I dunno. They probably have looked for other ways to improve someone's facial features...but they decided this was best?

umm..i'm gunna go BARF now. wow, it's sad how pathetic some people are that they'll go to that extreme to live up to other people's standards.

psshhht. damn society.

who the hell would want a dead, maybe even old person's face? that doens't even make sense. are they going to like sew it on? Ew.. i dont want to even think about HOW they would put it on you.

Anyway, I am NOT liking how some people are very closed-minded and ignorant in this discussion (NOT directed at Carrie, I love her very much and that was a respectful opinion with good backup).

Listen. People are not doing this to "live up" to society's standards. The truth is, these people have simply STOPPED becoming part of the society due to this disfigurement! That's why you guys should've seen the documentary, really. They interviewed the woman from Russia or somewhere who got her face badly, and I mean badly, burned. She was so beautiful before, but now she looks like a monster.

How would you feel? Most people would be ready to kill themselves right then and there. But not this lady. She was strong, and it was miraculous enough that she lived through it. Sure, she's independent. But she's not social. She can't go outside without people staring and pointing, and without children getting scared. She can't communicate with the outside world and has simply lost that communication with the society altogether. She is no longer a part of it.

If being burned wasn't punishment enough, now she's being banished by people because of this burn. Now how do you feel? Would you rather stick a dead person's face on yourself and regain that little bit of dignity and respect that you deserve? Or be looked at like a zoo animal for the rest of your life while still recovering from the physical and mental pain of the accident?

And about how the procedure works and "why" you would want a dead person's face on you, I am not even thinking of answering that for you.





And you know, this procedure isn't going to be used by average looking people to look not so average. This procedure is highly risky and dangerous, and is only prescribed for those who need it to seriously improve their quality of life. It is for those badly burned, cut, scraped, you name it, in rare accidents that make them disfigured and terrifying to look at. NOT the geeky girl in your math class who longs for attention.