Whether they are the result of a birth defect, an illness or an accident, disfigurement, facial abnormalities, facial paralysis, scars on the face can have major psychological consequences: many patients suffer from a lack of self-esteem, poor self-image and more than half of them show signs of depression and loneliness.

Indeed, patients who show those abnormalities often are rejected or singled out by society: people either look away or, on the contrary, stare quite uncomfortably at the abnormal physical feature.

It is therefore important to study the psychological, legal, societal impact of the physical difference in order to improve the quality of the care to the patient and ultimately their quality of life, and to design and organize events (bringing sciences and art together) with the goal of changing how society treats the facial handicap.