Who received the first successful face transplant in 2005?

Isabelle Dinoire received the first successful partial face transplant in 2005.

French surgeons transplanted part of a deceased donor’s face, including the nose, lips, and chin, after Dinoire’s face had been severely injured by a dog attack. The operation took place in Amiens, France, and was announced in December 2005.

The procedure was medically complex because surgeons had to connect blood vessels and nerves while managing the risk of immune rejection. Dinoire required lifelong immunosuppressive treatment and later experienced complications, but the transplant established facial transplantation as a possible reconstructive treatment.

It was a partial face transplant, not a complete replacement of every facial structure. Later patients received more extensive transplants, and the field developed alongside advances in microsurgery, tissue matching, rehabilitation, and psychological care.