Overview

What Is Facial Aging and Trauma?

The head and neck surgeons in the Department of Otolaryngology treat the effects of aging, congenital (present at birth) defects, and trauma with plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Aging, trauma and medical conditions affecting the face can have a huge impact on our everyday lives, including how we feel about ourselves, how we communicate and interact with others, and how we use our senses of sight, smell, hearing and taste. Northwestern Medicine plastic and reconstructive surgeons understand the impact of aging, trauma and diseases on patients and offer a variety of solutions.

Cosmetic procedures include:

• Rhytidectomy (face lift)
• Rhinoplasty
• Implants in cheeks or chin
• Injections
• Brow lift
• Otoplasty (reshaping of ears)
• Blepharoplasty 

Congenital conditions that require reconstruction may include:

• Cleft lip and palate
• Coffin-Lowry syndrome
• Facial nerve palsy
• Moebius syndrome
• Parry-Romberg syndrome

Conditions that can be treated by facial reconstructive surgery include:

• Bell palsy
• Hemifacial spasm
• Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome
• Trigeminal neuralgia
• Deviated septum

Trauma treated by head and neck surgeons may include:

• Facial fracture
• Displaced jaw or nose
• Deep wounds
• Post-surgical repair