We’ve been following the story of Dallas Wiens, a construction worker who lost his entire face after his head got too close to a high-voltage power line. Now, Wiens has gone public with his new face following transplant surgery.
“Miraculous” is one word that comes to mind when you look at the before and after photos. (The before photo may be disturbing to some readers.)
Wiens, 26, received the transplanted face during a 15-hour procedure in mid-March.
Doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Massachusetts gave him a donor forehead, nasal structure, nose, lips and facial skin.
It’s the first full face transplant in the U.S.
The facial hair you see in the photo is real. The transplanted face has the ability to grow hair.
Right now, Wiens can feel pressure on his face. In the next six to nine months, doctors say he’ll be able to feel light touch and to move his face and lips.
Wiens’ goal: to feel his 4-year-old daughter Scarlette’s kisses again.
Scarlette has already issued her seal of approval for the new face. Wiens reports she’s said to him, “Daddy, you’re so handsome.” (Click here for a photo of Wiens with his daughter.)
Wiens’ hardest adjustment has been his loss of eyesight. Doctors originally said there was no chance of restoring his sight, but they now say there’s hope that could change in the future with new technology.
He’ll have to take anti-rejection medication for the rest of his life.
Wiens’ head touched a high-voltage power line while he was standing in a cherry picker making repairs to a church window in Fort Worth, TX.