Deformities hinder job prospects - Plastic Surgery - social acceptance research - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Oct, 2002

People with facial deformities are perceived as less capable, employable, honest, and intelligent than those with a normal appearance, according to a study by Gregory Borah, chief of plastic surgery, Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, New Brunswick, N.J., that examined how the general public perceives people with facial deformities. Borah and colleague Marlene Rankin took pictures of 10 patients--five male and five female--with facial deformities from congenital defects, trauma, and cancer. The photographs were digitally altered to produce an image of the same person without the deformity. Each patient's set of photos was separated, with the normal one given to a group of 105 people and the "abnormal" shot to a second group of the same size. Both groups, recruited from all walks of life, were shown 10 photos total--five with facial deformities and five with a normal appearance. The two groups were asked to rate each picture based on nine social-function categories: honesty, intelligence, optimism, attractiveness, capability, popularity, effectiveness, trustworthiness, and employability.

It was found that patients with abnormal facial features were rated as significantly less employable, attractive, intelligent, honest, trustworthy, and capable than patients with a normal appearance. The negative perceptions occurred across sex, age, and educational boundaries. Moreover, female patients were evaluated lower than men. "This study indicates that, without necessary reconstructive surgery, people with facial deformities live their [lives] at a significant disadvantage, particularly in the workforce," Borah indicates. "This is vital information because often insurance companies deny reimbursement of reconstructive surgery for facial deformities, claiming the surgery is solely cosmetic if it does not improve mechanical function. This study documents that facial deformities can negatively impact a person's life both economically and socially."

Due to insurance denials for people with deformities, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons is working with members of Congress to pass the Treatment of Children's Deformities Act, which would require insurance companies to cover reconstructive surgical procedures for children with congenital or developmental deformities, diseases, or injuries. Coverage would be required for surgical procedures designed to improve the function of abnormal body structures and to restore those body structures to a more-normal appearance.