Facial Aesthetic Surgery

Facial appearance is of the utmost social and psychological importance. There tend to be fairly standard ideals which constitutes a "normal" or beautiful/handsome face and many attempts have been made to quantify the proportions of the face and the produce the "ideal" face as a guide to artists and surgeons. Variations from the "norm" are often perceived as imperfections, or even outright ugliness by individuals who seek surgical correction. They are often self-conscious, lack confidence and may even be psychologically disturbed by their appearance. Other people may suffer an exaggerated ageing appearance which can be accelerated and accentuated by excess ultra-violet irradiation (photo-ageing), smoking, excess alcohol, diet or a combination of all four. Finally, and probably most importantly, faces can be disfigured as a result of facial injury or as a result of surgery for malignancy.

Facial aesthetic surgery is part of the training programme for higher surgical trainees in oral & maxillofacial surgery and as a speciality we have extensive knowledge of the growth, development, anatomy, function and inter-relationships of all components of the face and jaws. The commonest procedures undertaken are :

• Rhinoplasty, to alter the shape/size of the nose and to improve
  nasal function
• Pinnaplasty, to correct the fairly common deformity of "bat ears"
• Genioplasty, to correct deformity of the chin
• The ageing face, where the muscles start to sag, causing the over-lying skin to sag also. This causes lines, grooves and wrinkles to appear. The problem can be improved by many procedures, including forehead lift, blepharoplasty ("eye bag" removal), rhytidectomy (face lift), cheiloplasty, where lips can be re-shaped with or without fillers such as collagen, Gortex strips or fat transfers. Skin texture and appearance can be improved by topical application of vitamin A related components, chemical peels or laser skin resurfacing. The latest chemicals include fruit acids. Acne scars can also be improved by these techniques and collagen can be injected as a filler for wrinkles, depressed scars and thin lips. The results can be quite good, although may be temporary and require frequent repeat treatment sessions.

In addition, the techniques of orthognathic surgery can vastly improve facial appearance and function and overall well being and can be done in combination with facial aesthetic procedures.