Psychological Trauma of Facial Disfigurement

            
             This paper will discuss the psychological trauma that can result from situations which have caused an individual to suffer a serious facial disfigurement. Appearance, in particular facial appearance, can play an important part in a person's mental well-being. If the individual suffers an incident that drastically changed their facial appearance, it is likely the individual will experience trauma. Trauma specific to individuals who have suffered severe damage to their faces is not a topic that has been commonly explored. This paper will the symptoms common to individuals that have suffered a severe facial disfigurement as well as the types of treatment victims of facial mutilations receive. .
             Trauma Resulting from Serious Facial Injuries.
             Most people probably cannot fathom what it would be like to suffer an accident that changed their face. Our faces are very important to us as human beings. It is how we present ourselves to the world and the first thing people notice about us. Our face is a way we recognize ourselves. Faces cannot be completely hidden and typically are the first thing other people notice. In addition, our society is extremely image conscious and individuals can feel pressured to look beautiful and flawless. However, people who have suffered severe facial traumas no longer look like they did before the trauma occurred. Severe facial injuries not only affect the person's looks but they also leave the individual with devastating effects from the injuries as well. .
             The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons defines facial trauma as being any injury to the face, mouth and/or jaw of an individual. Any disfigurement, particularly to the face, can cause an individual to develop severe psychosocial problems such as negative body image; depression; difficulties in one's social, sexual, and professional lives; prejudice; and intolerance. This is partly due to how the individual copes with looking 'visibly different,' though the extent of the disfigurement rarely correlates with the degree of distress the sufferer feels.