What Do You Recommend To Make My Face Affected By Scleroderma Look Better?

Q:  I have scleroderma and there are quite a few things that bother me about my face. Because of the scleroderma, it has caused a lot of damage to my appearance and the whole left side of my body is smaller than the right. If I could change how I look, I would want to look as close to normal as possible. I know I won’t look perfect but just looking like I’m not sick is good enough for me. My main issues are my cheeks which are sunken in, my chin which is uneven, my lips in which the top and bottom left sides are smaller and my nose which I think is too pointy. There is also an indentation on my forehead and the area under my eyes seems very hollow, all these affected more on the left side. I would really like to hear your opinions are on what I mentioned and your recommendations. I have attached a series of pictures for you to review.

A:  I have taken a look at your pictures and your overall problem which is two fold; a short lower face and a lot of soft tissue thinning and atrophy. (more on the left than the right) In making an effort to get you looking better, you need a two-level approach. First, it is necessary to change the bony foundation by making the chin longer, more even and further forward by a chin osteotomy as well as a rhinoplasty to bring the nose/middle part of the face back into better balance. (this is what is imaged in the side views) Cheek implants are also needed to add some fullness to the cheek area. (this is what is imaged in the front views) The soft tissue deficiencies, which are difficult to image, are addressed by the placement of multiple dermal grafts and/or fat injections (if you have any fat elsewhere on your body to harvest) in the forehead, lower eyes, side of the face below the cheeks and in the left upper and lower lips. All of these could be done in one single surgery.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana