smile surgery

smile surgery

A popular term for surgery that corrects the unilateral facial drooping which occurs with facial nerve paralysis, which results in loss of contractility of the mimetic muscles on the affected side. Smile surgery takes two formats:
(1) Static (structural), in which the lips and related tissue are tightened, which improves the appearance and reduces some of the adverse effects of facial nerve paralysis; or
(2) Dynamic (functional), in which the facial nerve is repaired.