Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York & Los Angeles

Isabelle Dinoire, a 38-year-old Frenchwoman and mother of two, became the recipient of the world’s first face transplant during a 15-hour surgery in Amiens that took place on Nov. 27th of last year. On Monday, she revealed her new face to a room full of anxious reporters. I know how anxious I am before a big event, so I can only imagine her nerves before unveiling her new face.

Dinoire, who is still hospitalized for physical therapy, was chosen for the landmark procedure after being brutally attacked by a dog, a tragic accident that left her gums and teeth exposed and most of her nose missing. Thanks to the surgery, she now has a face where before there was only a gaping hole. The only reminder is a scar: a faint, circular line of buckled skin around her nose, lips and chin.

“Since the day of my operation, I have a face like everyone else,” reports Newsday. “Thanks to them [the donor’s family] a door to the future is opening for me and others.”

I think this is an exciting new frontier for reconstructive surgery. I’ve worked with surgeons for more than five years now, and I’m always happy to see medical advancements like this save, and in this case, radically improve a person’s life.