| Sinopsis : The importance of face is eloquently expressed in the maxim 'Face is the index of the mind'. Great philosophers, artists, scientists and architects of the past like Plato, da Vinci, Michelangelo, Phidias and others, have realized the importance of beauty and its relation to function. Recent researches indicate that beautiful people are often more successful in life (may be due to the higher level of self confidence); though this is not always true. A study by the author, on the proportion of the facial structures in lieu of evolution, indicates that, by each advancement, the hominid species gets closer to the 'Golden/Divine proportion'. To reach perfection in proportion (beauty), we, Homo sapiens, may take another one million years of evolution through two more advanced species, provided, we do not face the wrath of nature, leading to our extinction. Surgical correction of facial deformities has achieved a status of its own as a specialty of Maxillofacial and Plastic Surgery. Conceived as a textbook for residents and aspiring young surgeons, this could be useful to the practicing surgeons as well, who would like to hone their skills in Orthognathic and facial esthetic surgery. I am delighted and privileged that Dr HS Adenwalla, a world renowned cleft lip and palate surgeon, has contributed two chapters on cleft lip and palate, in this book. He being my mentor, philosopher and guide, has penned the foreword as well. My gratitude to him is boundless. The predecessor to this book, 'Orthognathic Surgery-Esthetic Surgery of the Face', published by Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers in 1995, was well received by practitioners, faculty and students. However, the fast and ever-expanding technological and scientific advancements made this book a little vapid, and demanded something more than a mere revised edition of it. This conviction, along with nudging from fellow surgeons, pressure from students and request from the publisher, made me venture into the writing of this new textbook, Surgical Correction of Facial Deformities. |
