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Heavy makeup camouflaged the two deep scars on both sides of Isabelle Dinoire's cheeks and her voice was muffled because she was not used to her new mouth.

But she was grateful and ready to resume a normal life. Ms. Dinoire, the woman who made medical history when she underwent the world's first facial transplant, appeared in public yesterday for the first time since her surgery three months ago.

As she hesitantly walked into the auditorium of the Amiens University Hospital in the northern French town of Amiens, the room lit up with the flashes from dozens of cameras awaiting her arrival.

"Since the operation, I have got a face like everyone else," she said in a slurred voice, as her psychiatrist sat to her left, nodding encouragingly. "A door to the future is opening. I want to start a normal life again with my family and I want to get a job."

She sat quietly as the surgeons explained the elaborate procedures to graft a nose, chin and lips on her face after it was torn off by her Labrador-cross last May as she slept at her home in Valenciennes in northern France. Graphic photographs of her mangled face flashed on the screen, but if Ms. Dinoire, 39, was overwhelmed, she did not show it.

The operation, led by Prof. Jean-Michel Dubernard and carried out by two teams of 50 medical specialists, was also a triumph for France, which was competing against medical teams in America and other parts of Europe in what has been called the "face race."

Prof. Dubernard dismissed suggestions by European and American critics who have said the team put its interests above that of the patient, and that normal reconstructive surgery should have been attempted first. He has also denied reports that Ms. Dinoire was attacked after she passed out from the pills following a suicide attempt, which may have meant she was not psychologically ready for such an operation.

"As doctors, we have to do the best we can for our patients," said Prof. Dubernard, who is also renowned for performing the world's first single and double hand transplants.

"Six months ago, we thought her best chance was a transplant and this was our decision. It's our duty, we got all the authorizations we needed and I ensured Ms. Dinoire was aware of the risks involved," said Prof. Dubernard.

Before the surgery, Ms. Dinoire's lipless gums and teeth were permanently exposed and most of her nose was missing. Food dribbled from her mouth.

Ms. Dinoire, still hospitalized for physical therapy, said she was regaining sensation and was not in pain.

"I can open my mouth and eat. I feel my lips, my nose and my mouth," she said. Her mouth appeared slightly lopsided and was usually open slightly. When she laughed, she seemed unable to bring her lips together to form a full smile. She also had difficulty pronouncing letters like "b" and "p" that require pursing the lips -- a skill that is expected to improve with time.

But her doctors said it would be months before they would know just how much motor control she would develop in the transplanted part of her face. Ms. Dinoire said that "being able to show emotions through my face" was the best thing about her transplant, noting she hopes to eventually be able to smile and grimace.

The doctors are now seeking approval for five more partial facial transplants from the French medical authorities, Prof. Dubernard said. "We want to launch this new kind of technique to give hope to people all over the world," he said, adding that full facial transplant was still not possible.

Since the 15-hour surgery last November, Ms. Dinoire, a divorced mother of two teenaged daughters, has been under intense scrutiny and so have the details of the donor, 46-year-old Maryline Saint Aubert, who hanged herself.

The news media have been clamouring for information about the transplant since it was first made public in November. Every aspect of Ms. Dinoire's life, from the fact that has resumed smoking, to what she has eaten -- chocolate cake, omelettes and the odd glass of red wine -- has been reported.

While Ms. Dinoire didn't say why she chose to step into the spotlight now, tabloids have offered her friends and relatives large sums of money in exchange for interviews.

Yesterday, the cameras clicked as she took a sip of water from a cup, and as she smiled -- which appeared to be a struggle as she has not regained full feeling in her face.

Ms. Dinoire explained the circumstances under which she was injured by her dog. She said last May she took "some pills to forget everything," following a "very turbulent week with a lot of personal problems" without elaborating. She fell against a piece of furniture and when she woke up, she tried to light a cigarette. "I couldn't understand why it wouldn't go in my lips, and that's when I saw the blood and the dog next to me. I went to look in the mirror and I couldn't believe what I saw. It was horrible."

She refused to leave her hospital room for a month and a half after the accident, fearing what people would say. Her mouth did not open more than three millimetres. In the months leading up to the operation, doctors kept her face bandaged in such a way that she could not see the damage. They were worried the sight of the horrific injuries would be psychologically disturbing.

"Slowly, slowly, the nurses and doctors explained about the graft and gave me back a lot of my confidence. I even managed to go home afterward," she said. "The most difficult part was not knowing when I'd have the operation because then I had to face looks and strange stares from people because of my face mask. I now understand what handicapped people have to go through."

After the surgery, her first word was merci. She went outside briefly a few times wearing a mask, even visiting a bar with her psychiatrist, who assesses her twice a week.

She is still recovering in hospital, where she is being given immunosuppressant drugs to prevent her body from rejecting her new face. The doctors warned she was still at risk of developing tumours and was 30 times more likely to develop skin cancer.

Ms. Dinoire also thanked the family of Ms. Saint Aubert. "Nothing would be possible if it hadn't been for a donor. I want to thank the family and apologize for the intrusion on their lives. Despite the pain, they agreed to give a second life to someone in distress.

"Thanks to her, they have given me a chance for the future."

Special to The Globe and Mail, with files from Associated Press and The New York Times