Appearance is a fuction of the face
Insurance carriers often deny verage to patients with post traumatic and congenital facial deformities because these are not seen as “functional”. Recent facial transplants have proven that severely deformed patients are willing to undergo life-threatening surgery in search of a normal appearance. The researchers at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School published a paper to assess the perception of the general population as to “appearance as a function” of the face.
210 people between the ages of 18 to 75 were questioned about the face and the important functions that it provides. Appearance was the fifth most important function of the face, after breathing, sight, speech, and eating. Half of those surveyed reported that normal facial appearance was very important to be a functioning member of the society. Majority of the respondents rated normalization of the face after facial nerve injury, birth defects, and scars from accidents or infections as functional. Whereas, normalization of a bumpy nose, baggy eyelids, or facial wrinkles was judged to be non-functional.
This study helps patients and their plastic surgeons in demanding insurance coverage for facial reconstruction following trauma, infection, or congenital anomalies.