Mrs Dinoire lost her nose, both lips and her chin after her pet Labrador attacked her while she slept in June 2005.  After this terrible incident the dog was put down, against the family's wishes.

At the press conference on Monday, she spoke but with some trouble. Isabelle Dinoire has fine scar lines running from her nose across her cheekbones and down to her jaw and she seemed to find it hard to close her mouth.

Isabelle Dinoire described the moment when she had first seen her disfigured face after being bitten by her pet. She explained how she had taken medicine to forget personal problems and the medication had knocked her out.

Mrs Dinoire went on to explain that her disfigurement caused her "psychological and physical pain".
Isabelle Dinoire said that she was stared at when she went out with her children and that she realised that a transplant operation might help change the situation.

Mrs Dinoire said that just three days after the transplant surgery she was able to go out again into the streets of Lyon.

She paid thanks to the medical team who treated her and to the family of the transplant donor.
Her surgeon Dr Bernard Devauchelle told a French newspaper in January that there were plans for five similar face transplant operations.

Although the operation has been a success so far Isabelle Dinoire still has an uphill struggle and at present it is impossible to say how much movement she will regain in her face. She also must take immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of her life.