What Procedures Do I Need To Correct Craniofacial Asymmetry?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am on a search to find the right doctor to fix my facial structure problem. I’ve been very dissatisfied with the worsening of this birth defect as I age and skin becomes more loose. I started to notice it when I was in my early teens but was very skinny at that time in my life. I am average weight and I tried just having chin liposuction which helped a little but is back to where it was and never really was even close to enough to fix my issue. It’s not only completely hinged crooked (bottom jaw bone) but I think the top of my skull is also off balance (which might not be a big deal in the end if not fixable with fillers/botox) I need professional analysis and advice. I don’t know how much bone I have on that side but i basically can only take photos on one side or it looks like i h ave a huge swollen tooth (I get asked, it kills my self esteem). I need to do this now. I can’t keep living my life with the constant reminder and pain that comes with it. Not if it’s something that I know can be fixed at least some. I also have an eye issue that will not be something that has to do with this surgery other than the fact that I think my entire face being on a tilt has caused strain on a muscle or nerve causing my limited vision on one side (luckily for me the way I can look straight with both eyes is also the side that I can pose to camouflage the extreme jaw imbalance). Please help! You have a lot of background knowledge and studies that go beyond most others I’ve seen. I need to know the long term problems etc. This is a risky and major surgery but is becoming more common. I was originally told locally that I would have to have my jaw broken, re-aligned, and all my teeth realigned as well which is not something I’m prepared to endure at 31years old. I’m looking for results that aren’t going to take years of adjustments and cost to fix while suffering through the pain. Let me know if you think you can help. Thank you!

A: What I see just in these two picture you have attached is a craniofacial asymmetry of which appears to be a hypertrophy problem on your left side. The first place to start is to make an accurate diagnosis and determine the extent of the facial bone differences between the two sides of your face. While there are a wide variety of facial procedures to help, careful analysis must first be done. This information can be obtained by getting a 3D craniofacial CT scan. This will allow both a visual and quantitative of your craniofacial asymmetry. With that information, treatment recommendations can then be made.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana