A man named Rafael from Spain had a successful face transplant which makes him the second person in Spain and the ninth in the world to receive such operation.

Reports said that he left hospital last Tuesday and he can't thank enough the surgeons and doctors who supported his operation.

I am full of joy and happiness. I want to thank the family of the donor and the medical team. Rafael said.

Spain started its first face transplant surgery in 2009, and Rafael became the second person to undergo such treatment after suffering from benign tumors on his face caused by a rare condition which has covered up to two-thirds of his face.

Director of the Facial Surgery Clinical Unit Hospital Dr. Gonzalez Padilla said that results from the patient's progress have been excellent.

He has been able to recover feeling in his lips, on his cheeks, he can tell the difference between cold and heat, and he has even been able to shave, Padilla said.

He has undertaken a 30-hour operation at Virgen del Rocio Hospital in Seville, southern Spain, on January 26 and 27 where he has received donor tissue for the lower part of his face.

After the operation, Rafael asked for his and his family's privacy from interviews and the press.

Please, after this press conference I want you to leave me, my family and my friends in peace.

Last month, another Spanish hospital made an announcement that they had performed a complete face transplant to a man who survived a shooting accident, making it first in the world.

Medicine Privacy