It has been suggested that mutilation be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Disfigurement is the state of having one's appearance deeply and persistently harmed. This could be by a medical condition, such as wounds (accidental or intentional), disease e.g skin condition, or a birth defect. Disfigurements affecting visible areas such as the face and hands are thought to be more difficult for the sufferer to cope with. Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Disfigurement. ... Superficial bullet wounds A wound is type of physical trauma wherein the skin is torn, cut or punctured (an open wound), or where blunt force trauma causes a contusion (a closed wound). ... A disease is an abnormal condition of the body or mind that causes discomfort, dysfunction, or distress to the person afflicted or those in contact with the person. ... A congenital disorder is a medical condition or defect that is present at or before birth (for example, congenital heart disease). ...

Disfigurement, whether caused by a benign or malignant condition, often leads to severe psychosocial problems such as negative body image, depression, difficulties in one's social, sexual, and professional life, prejudice, and intolerance. This is partly due to how the individual copes with looking 'visibly different', though the extent of the disfigurement rarely correlates with the degree of distress the sufferer feels. An additional factor which affects sufferers of a disfigurement is the reaction they get from other people. Studies have shown that the general population respond to people with a disfigurement with less trust, less respect and often try to avoid making contact or having to look at the disfigurement. Psychosocial pertains to ones psychological development in the context of ones social environment. ... Body image is a persons perception of his or her physical appearance. ... Clinical depression is a state of sadness, melancholia or despair that has advanced to the point of being disruptive to an individuals social functioning and/or activities of daily living. ...

Physical disfiguration has also been adopted by many cultures throughout human history for cosmetic, religious or judicial purposes.

During the Byzantine Empire, the emperor was considered God's viceregent on Earth, and as such the physical wholeness of his person was an essential complement to the perfection of Heaven. For this reason, many deposed emperors were blinded, had their noses cut off, or their tongue split by their successors, as these permanent disfigurements disqualified them from ever reclaiming the throne. Byzantine Empire (native Greek name: - Basileia tōn Romaiōn) is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire of the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... Tongue bifurcation, or tongue splitting, is a type of body modification in which the tongue is cut centrally from its tip partway towards its base, forking the end. ...

A case of voluntary disfigurement is that of St. Aebbe the Younger and the nuns of Coldingham Monastery in Scotland. When the monastery was attacked by Vikings and they feared being raped, she and the nuns cut off their own noses and upper lips. In revenge, the Vikings burned down the building with the nuns inside. This is said to be the origin of the phrase "cutting off the nose to spite the face". Saint Aebbe the Younger (died 870) was an Abbess of Coldingham Monastery in southeast Scotland. ... The term Viking though used to denote ship-borne explorers, traders and warriors, is actually a verb describing the acts of the Danes who originated in Denmark and raided the coasts of the British Isles, France and other parts of Europe from the late 8th century to the 11th century. ... Cutting off the nose to spite the face is an expression used to describe a needlessly spiteful or self-destructive overreaction to a problem. ...

Conditions that can cause disfigurement include:

• severe acne
• acromegaly
• amputation
• argyria
• birthmarks
• burns
• cancer
• cataracts
• circumcision
• cleft lip
• eczema
• neurofibromatosis
• paralysis
• Proteus syndrome
• smallpox
• severe strabismus
• vitiligo

Plastic surgery or reconstructive surgery is available in many cases to disfigured people. Some health insurance companies and government health care systems cover plastic surgery for these problems when they do not cover plastic surgery for cosmetic purposes. Acromegaly (from Greek akros high and megas large - extremities enlargement) is a hormonal disorder that results when the pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone (hGH). ... Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma or surgery. ... There is also a village named Argyria in Greece (pronunciation: ar-YEE-ree-a) , see Argyria, Greece. ... A birthmark, is a blemish on the skin formed before birth. ... In medicine, a burn is a type of injury to the skin caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, or radiation (an example of the latter is sunburn). ... When normal cells are damaged beyond repair, they are eliminated by apoptosis. ... Cataract is also used to mean a waterfall or where the flow of a river changes dramatically. ... It has been suggested that Circumcision advocacy be merged into this article or section. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Neurofibromatosis is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder. ... Paralysis is the complete loss of muscle function for one or more muscle groups. ... Proteus Syndrome (PS) is a congenital disorder that causes skin overgrowth, atypical bone development, and tumour appearance over half the body. ... Smallpox (also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera) was a highly contagious viral disease unique to humans. ... Strabismus prevents bringing the gaze of both eyes to the same point in space Strabismus, also known as heterotropia, squint, crossed eye, wandering eye, or wall eyed, is a disorder in which the eyes do not point in the same direction. ... Vitiligo (IPA ) or leukoderma is a chronic skin disease that causes loss of pigment, resulting in irregular white patches of skin. ... Plastic surgery is a general term for operative manual and instrumental treatment which is performed for functional or aesthetic reasons. ... Reconstructive surgery is in its broadest sense the use of surgery to reconstruct damaged or malformed tissues or organs. ...

The term "disfigurement" is sometimes used pejoratively to describe the results of intentional body modification. Body modification (or body alteration) is the permanent or semi-permanent deliberate altering of the human body for non-medical reasons, such as spiritual, various social (markings), BDSM edgeplay or aesthetic. ...

See also

• Face transplant -- an experimental treatment for severe facial disfigurement
• Dermatology

A face transplant is a skin graft that involves replacing a patients entire face with a donor face. ... Dermatology (from Greek derma, skin) is a branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its appendages (hair, nails, sweat glands etc). ...

External links

• Changing Faces - a British organization for people with facial disfigurements
• Let's Face It - an American organization for people with facial disfigurements
• Unique Face - a Japanese organization for people with facial disfigurements