A woman in Paris has undergone the world’s first partial face plant successfully. The 38-year-old divorcee was attacked by her pet Labrador retriever last year leaving disfiguring facial injuries. The decision to perform the facial transplant was made in response to the patient’s increasing difficulties speaking and eating.

The woman known as Isabelle for privacy purposes received her new face from a brain dead organ donor on November 27th of this past year and is currently in the recovery process. She can now can take walks, eat, speak and even ride a bike almost entirely without anyone recognizing her or noticing what she has endured. Her doctor commented that she actually goes out in public with the purpose of gauging people’s reaction, and has done so successfully thus far.

Surgeon Dr. Bernard Devauchelle told a newspaper in northern France, “You realize there is not something totally normal about her face’s mobility. But there is a certain expressiveness that is slowly coming back.

Isabelle is expected to continue her therapy in hospitals in Lyon and Amiens indefinitely, however she is showing significant signs of improvement regularly.

Dr. Devauchelle currently has pending plans for five more face transplants. He recognizes that the success of this case will prompt interest in this cutting edge procedure, however, selections will have to be made.