Living with a new face

last updated 8 January 2015

Amiens, France

Five months after undergoing the world’s first face transplant, Isabelle Dinoire has regained feeling in her new skin, she said last week. She also said her ability to speak has improved markedly in recent weeks. “The scars have considerably healed. The doctors are confident,” the 38-year-old mother of two told Le Journal du Dimanche. Dinoire, whose face was torn off by her dog after she overdosed on sleeping pills, said one of the greatest benefits of the operation is that she can leave home without hiding behind a mask. “I have become visible again,” she said. When asked if she has “accepted” her new face, she deflected the question. “It’s too difficult to explain,” she said.