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Perceived functional impact of abnormal facial appearance
Marlene Rankin1, Gregory L Borah
1Division of Plastic Surgery, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Brunswick, 08901, USA.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
|June 10, 2003
Summary
Facial deformities significantly impact social perceptions, affecting employability and trustworthiness. This study highlights the need for recognizing the social consequences of facial disfigurement beyond functional impairments.
Area of Science:
- Plastic Surgery
- Social Psychology
- Reconstructive Surgery
Background:
- Functional facial deformities impairing respiration, eating, hearing, or speech are well-documented.
- Facial scars and cutaneous deformities have a significant, yet poorly understood, negative effect on social functionality.
- Insurance increasingly denies reconstructive surgery for non-mechanically impairing facial deformities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the perceived social functioning, interpersonal characteristics, and employability of individuals with varying facial appearances.
- To provide a large-scale, sample-based assessment of the social impact of facial deformities.
- To analyze the consequences of facial deformity on preferential treatment.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study design using digitally altered facial photographs of actual patients with normal and abnormal appearances.
- Adult volunteer evaluators (n=210) rated 10 pairs of photographs on nine social functioning parameters using a visual analogue rating scale.
- Photographs depicted individuals with congenital deformities or post-traumatic scars, with 'abnormal' versions digitally altered to appear 'normal'.
Main Results:
- Patients with abnormal facial characteristics were rated significantly lower on honesty (p=0.007), employability (p=0.001), trustworthiness (p=0.01), optimism (p=0.001), effectiveness (p=0.02), capability (p=0.002), intelligence (p=0.03), popularity (p=0.001), and attractiveness (p=0.001).
- Adverse perceptions persisted regardless of the evaluator's sex, educational level, or age.
- Facial deformities significantly negatively impact perceptions of social functionality.
Conclusions:
- Facial deformities, whether congenital, post-traumatic, or postsurgical, result in significant adverse social functional consequences.
- There is a demonstrable negative effect of facial disfigurement on perceptions of employability, honesty, and trustworthiness.
- The study underscores the importance of addressing the social and psychological impact of facial deformities in clinical practice and insurance considerations.