Kerala, Nov 14 (V7N) - In a groundbreaking medical procedure, 19-year-old Indian woman Shreya Siddanagowda has successfully received both hands from a living male donor following a severe road accident that left her hands beyond repair. The incident occurred three years ago when Shreya was traveling by bus, which overturned, crushing both of her hands. Surgeons were forced to amputate her hands below the elbows.

The historic transplant took place at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kerala, Asia’s leading hand transplant center. Her donor, 20-year-old college student Sachin, provided his hands for the operation. A team of 20 surgeons and a 16-member anesthesia team conducted the complex 13-hour surgery, marking Asia’s first male-to-female hand transplant.

Initially, Shreya’s new hands appeared darker and bulkier than her own. Remarkably, over the months following the procedure, the transplanted hands gradually changed color, eventually matching her natural skin tone. Doctors believe this transformation is driven by her body’s melanocyte cells, which slowly replaced the donor cells through the opened lymphatic channels, producing her own skin pigmentation.

In addition to the color change, the hands’ structure also adapted. The previously thicker, male-pattern hands became slimmer, with longer, narrower fingers and smaller wrists, closely resembling natural female hands. Shreya’s mother confirmed that the hands now appear almost indistinguishable from her daughter’s original hands.

Shreya is currently undergoing regular physiotherapy. Although she has not yet fully regained nerve and muscle control, she can perform daily activities, including writing and basic tasks, using her new hands.

Doctors describe this as an unprecedented physiological adaptation in medical history and are studying the case for future insights into gender-adaptive hand transplantation.

END/WD/SMA/