reconstructive

Craniofacial is a medical term that relates to the bones of the skull and face. Craniofacial abnormalities are birth defects of the face or head. Some, like cleft lip and palate, are among the most common of all birth defects. Others are very rare. Most of them affect how a person's face or head looks. These conditions may also affect other parts of the body.

Treatment depends on the type of problem. Plastic and reconstructive surgery may help the person's appearance.

Surgeons can reshape the appearance of body parts through cosmetic surgery. Some of the most common body parts people want to improve through surgery include:

• Breasts: Increase or reduce the size of breasts or reshape sagging breasts
• Ears: Reduce the size of large ears or set protruding ears back closer to the head
• Eyes: Correct drooping upper eyelids or remove puffy bags below the eyes
• Face: Remove facial wrinkles, creases or acne scars
• Hair: Fill in balding areas with one's own hair
• Nose: Change the shape of the nose
• Tummy: Flatten the abdomen

Botox is a drug made from a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. It's the same toxin that causes a life-threatening type of food poisoning called botulism. Doctors use it in small doses to treat health problems, including:

• Temporary smoothing of facial wrinkles and improving your appearance
• Severe underarm sweating
• Cervical dystonia - a neurological disorder that causes severe neck and shoulder muscle contractions
• Blepharospasm - uncontrollable blinking
• Strabismus - misaligned eyes
• Chronic migraine
• Overactive bladder

Botox injections work by weakening or paralyzing certain muscles or by blocking certain nerves. The effects last about three to twelve months, depending on what you are treating. The most common side effects are pain, swelling, or bruising at the injection site. You could also have flu-like symptoms, headache, and upset stomach. Injections in the face may also cause temporary drooping eyelids. You should not use Botox if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Your eyelids help protect your eyes. When you blink, your eyelids spread moisture over your eyes. Blinking also helps move dirt or other particles off the surface of the eye. You close your eyelids when you see something coming toward your eyes. This can help protect against injuries.

Like most other parts of your body, your eyelids can get infected, inflamed, or even develop cancer. There are also specific eyelid problems, including:

• Eyelids that turn in or out
• Eyelids that droop
• Abnormal blinking or twitching

Treatment of eyelid problems depends on the cause.

Face injuries and disorders can cause pain and affect how you look. In severe cases, they can affect sight, speech, breathing and your ability to swallow. Fractures (broken bones), especially in the bones of your nose, cheekbone and jaw, are common facial injuries.

Certain diseases also lead to facial disorders. For example, nerve diseases like trigeminal neuralgia or Bell's palsy sometimes cause facial pain, spasms and trouble with eye or facial movement. Birth defects can also affect the face. They can cause underdeveloped or unusually prominent facial features or a lack of facial expression. Cleft lip and palate are a common facial birth defect.

A scar is a permanent patch of skin that grows over a wound. It forms when your body heals itself after a cut, scrape, burn, or sore. You can also get scars from surgery that cuts through the skin, infections like chickenpox, or skin conditions like acne. Scars are often thicker, as well as pinker, redder, or shinier, than the rest of your skin.

How your scar looks depends on:

• How big and deep your wound is
• Where it is
• How long it takes to heal
• Your age
• Your inherited tendency to scar

Scars usually fade over time but never go away completely. If the way a scar looks bothers you, various treatments might minimize it. These include surgical revision, dermabrasion, laser treatments, injections, chemical peels, and creams.