First face-off transplant

Surgeons in France have carried out the world's first full-face transplant.

These pictures reveal the amazing transformation of Pascal Coler - a modern-day Elephant Man.

The controversial operation, which involved replacing Mr Coler's face with that of a dead donor, took 16 hours, the News of the World reported.

In the operation, tissues, nerves, arteries and veins were all attached to the patient's face.

Mr Coler described the day of his surgery as the happiest of his life.