Evolution of facial prosthetics: Conceptual history and biotechnological perspectives

Abstract

The reconstruction of cephalic defect and more precisely from the face is not a recent issue. Indeed, the use of facial masks in a symbolic perspective was reported in ancient Egypt. Few references to facial prostheses are then found. It is really only with the work of the French surgeon Ambroise Paré that the first surgical techniques concerning facial epithetics are described. Techniques and materials tend to evolve over the centuries. But then came WWI, which marked a major turning point and brought to light the broken faces and the impact of maxillofacial trauma. Rehabilitation became a major issue in society. The war was a driving force for change from both a surgical and prosthetic point of view, revealing in particular such brilliant designers as the American sculptor Anna Coleman Ladd. Today, the profession is undergoing a major upheaval, linked to the growing development of biotechnological constructions. This historical review aims to retrace the evolution of the rehabilitation of facial substance loss over the ages and to outline the prospects for the foreseeable future. (Int J Maxillofac Prosthetics 2021;4:2-8)