There is new hope for people suffering from severe facial disfigurement after doctors performed a successful face transplant on a Chinese man.

The 30-year-old man suffered horrific injuries when he was attacked by a bear in 2004.

During an 18-hour operation, doctors re-connected arteries, veins and nerves, and repaired his nose, upper lip and sinuses.

His case is one of two which suggest that face transplants can be a successful long-term treatment for disfigurement.

Last year French doctors operated on a 29-year-old man with severe tumours.

They gave him new cheeks, a nose and mouth. Six months on he could already blink and smile again.

In a study published in the Lancet medical journal, doctors said that despite some complications, face transplant techniques were proving surprisingly effective.

In the case of the Chinese man, the transplanted tissue survived well, the researchers reported.

No infections occurred, but the patient suffered three acute rejection episodes and high blood sugar, which was controlled by medication.

The researchers wrote: “Facial transplantation could be successful in the short-term, but the procedure was not without complications.

“However, promising results could mean that this procedure might be an option for long-term restoration of severe facial disfigurement.”

Worldwide there have been three successful operations so far.

The world’s first was on a French woman whose face was bitten off by a dog.

There are thousands of people living in the UK with facial disfigurement caused by burns, tumours or car accidents.

Via news.sky.com