Facial Reconstructive Surgery

Facial Reconstructive Surgery Basics

For people who have serious facial abnormalities, facial surgery isn't just a matter of vanity. These people aren't simply seeking facial surgery in order to look better than others at a party, or at the beach. Rather, they're seeking to simply look normal. Facial reconstructive surgery is a huge blessing to these people. It can help them to lead more normal lives than ever before.

There are a number of reasons why a person could undergo facial reconstructive surgery. One large cause is birth defects. Every year, thousands of American babies are born with facial deformities. Approximately one out of every seven hundred babies is born with a cleft palate, cleft lip, or some other deformation of the face. Some children are born with their skulls imperfectly or incompletely formed. Reconstructive facial surgery can help to give all of these children a more natural appearance. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), 34,345 reconstructions of birth defects were performed in 2010. Many of these involved facial anomalies.

Also, facial defects can be caused through accidents. Blows to the face experienced during sports, car accidents, fights, or any other setting can result in damage to the bones of the face. Injuries of the zygoma, the maxilla, the mandible, the nasal bones, and the orbit are among the most common. If left untreated, these can cause severe pain, inconvenient side effects, and an unusual and unpleasant appearance. However, with proper reconstructive surgery, these bones can be fixed. Sometimes these surgeries are classified as maxillofacial surgeries. According to the ASPS, 87,024 maxillofacial reconstructive surgeries were performed in 2010.

Accidents involving the soft tissue can also cause severe disfigurement. Burns and cuts to the face can result in a severely altered appearance. Similarly, diseases such as cancer can cause serious deformations of the face and neck. This sort of damage to the soft tissue and skin of the face can also be addressed, resulting in an improved appearance. Procedures of this sort are very common. In 2010, 32,961 facial reconstructions were performed for dog bites alone.

Whatever your reason for seeking facial reconstructive surgery, you will find that there are procedures to help you. Because there are so many different procedures which are included in the blanket term of facial reconstructive surgery, it is difficult to give exact details on price or recovery time. These will vary greatly depending on the procedure.

However, a piece of good news is that insurance companies are much more likely to pay for facial reconstructive surgery than they are for cosmetic surgery. For more information on whether your insurance company would pay for part or all of your surgery, speak with your insurance company and with a surgeon in your area. Your surgeon will be able to help you to know what you can do to maximize your chances of getting help from your insurance provider.