Surgeons may have the skill to perform face transplants, but they should first consider the ethics, safety, and psychological impact of the procedure, says a panel of English surgeons.

Face transplants would primarily benefit people with severely burned and disfigured faces. No face transplants have yet been reported, but some physicians have said they're ready and willing to perform the surgery.

Much like transplanted organs, faces for transplantation would come from recently deceased donors. However, once grafted in place, the donated face wouldn't look like the donor because the tissue would require extensive adjustment and would be reshaped by the recipient's facial bones.

Although appealing for patients with damaged faces, the procedure would carry substantial physical risks, such as blood vessel blockages and tissue rejection. An estimated 10% of patients would experience acute rejection, which might require extensive skin grafting to replace the transplanted face.

The panel report also cited psychological and emotional repercussions, as well as the possibility that some people would seek out surgery for purely cosmetic reasons.

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