What Are The Benefits To Craniofacial Reconstruction?

Q: Hi, I am a 16 year-old that is doing at school an assignment called the Research Project. It is where we have to choose a topic and learn about it and, in the end, we have to do a 10 minute oral presentation on it. I was wondering if you could help me with some questions. The question that I am focusing on is ‘How does craniofaical reconstruction change someone’s life?’. And also how would I write a survey for this type of question or topic. I hope that you can help me. I need all of this done in about three weeks so if you could email me that would be good.

A: Craniofacial surgery is a specialized area of plastic surgery that involves the reconstruction of deformities of the skull and face, whether they be from birth defects, traumatic injuries or from various benign or malignant tumors. Much of this work is about the rebuilding or moving of misplaced or missing bones of the face and skull. While not exclusively done in infants and children, much of craniofacial surgery is done early in life when possible to work with the growing face and to help children develop more normal social interactions. While there may be many functional problems that come with craniofacial deformities, creating a more normal looking skull and face helps provide a significant psychological benefit as well. While we may not always like it, how we look and are seen by others plays a tremendous role in one’s self-image and acceptance by society.

If one was constructing a survey on the topic, one would want to ask how the craniofacial reconstructive procedure made them feel after surgery and what specific impact it had on their lives.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana