Facial Reconstruction

THE HEALING CURVE: FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION

Unfortunately, when life throws us lemons, it is not always possible to “make lemonade.” Unforeseen events in our lives often leave scars that are both physical and emotional. In the fight against cancer or to save the life of an individual in a serious accident, the primary goal is saving lives and returning the patient to health. Little thought can be spared for the potentially disfiguring side effects of cancer treatment, such as losing an ear or part of a nose. Little thought can be spared for the emotional side effects that stem from facial scarring and disfigurement. Yet for individuals facing these unanticipated consequences of life’s unexpected challenges, the visible signs of trauma can be embarrassing, even emotionally devastating, and can cripple attempts at recovery and full health.

At The Healing Curve in West Hollywood, California, we believe that “recovery” from a congenital abnormality, traumatic injury, or disfiguring cancer treatment is not simply clinical or medical, only involving the restoration of normal functionality. “Recovery” also means emotional recovery: overcoming a traumatic illness or injury should not mean sacrificing either your appearance or your self-esteem. Founded in 2008 by Board Certified plastic surgeon Dr. Gary Motykie, The Healing Curve is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals find the financial and emotional means to undergo facial reconstruction surgery necessary to restore their emotional as well as their physical health. While amazing advances in medical technology allow doctors to cure even more diseases and save even more lives, those advances also offer skilled reconstructive surgeons such as Dr. Motykie the opportunity to help victims complete their recovery by removing the visible results of the trauma and restoring their healthy, naturally-beautiful appearance.

WHAT IS FACIAL RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY?

Facial reconstruction is as diverse as the patients who need it, and each surgery must be carefully tailored by an artistic, highly-skilled plastic surgeon to meet the exact needs of each unique patient. Because the symmetry of the human face is such an important aspect of modern “beauty”, facial reconstruction often involves rebuilding or recreating a facial feature to match the existing feature in order to maintain and even enhance the natural symmetry of the face. And in order to ensure that the final results are as natural and invisible as possible, facial reconstruction must involve careful placement of incisions and sutures to minimize visible scarring and complete the return to a “normal” appearance.

The most common reasons for facial reconstruction include (but are certainly not limited to):

• Correction of birth defects such as cleft lip and/or cleft palate, microtia (the underdevelopment of the outer ear), and other craniofacial birth defects;
• Facial reanimation to correct paralysis and loss of muscle and nerve control resulting from a stroke, seizure, illness, or prior surgery;
• Rebuilding facial features and contours that have been removed or disfigured as part of treatment for ear, nose, throat, and skin cancers;
• Reconstruction of complex wounds and deformities caused by accident or trauma;
• Recreating facial features that have been disfigured by a prior attempt at cosmetic surgery.

Most facial reconstructions involve microsurgery, which utilizes powerful microscopes and tiny, precision instruments, and a variety of “flap” techniques, in which a “flap” of muscle, tendons, tissue, and/or skin are taken from the patient’s own body and used to rebuild the damaged feature. While artificial prosthetics and materials are sometimes required, using the patient’s own tissues minimizes the danger of rejection, infection, and other post-operative complications. When these complex surgical techniques are performed by a qualified, experienced plastic surgeon with extensive knowledge of the delicate, intricate features and contours of the face, head, and neck, they offer patients a more complete recovery, correcting and even hiding the visible damage done by illness or trauma, and enabling them to smile, laugh, cry, and return to their “normal” lives more completely than ever before.

THE HEALING CURVE CAN HELP!

The Heading Curve, located in West Hollywood, is committed to helping individuals who have suffered a disfiguring life event get access to the state-of-the-art surgical techniques they need for a complete recovery. The Healing Curve is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing funding and support to individuals who do not have the financial means to undergo reconstructive surgery. The Healing Curve’s founder—Board Certified plastic surgeon Dr. Gary Motykie—has extensive experience helping people obtain the medical and aesthetic assistance they need, including researching the development of prosthetic limbs and studying at one of the nation’s premier burn and reconstructive hospitals. Focused originally on working with breast cancer survivors, Dr. Motykie and The Healing Curve now seek to offer cutting-edge reconstructive technologies to all who need it, ensuring that cancer survivors as well as victims of trauma have the natural, beautiful appearance they want and the full, happy life they deserve.

If you have a physical deformity due to a birth defect, illness, traumatic event, or previous surgical experience, but cannot afford the reconstructive surgery you require for complete recovery, contact us today to find out how The Healing Curve can help. We look forward to speaking with you today!