Changing Faces

About the charity

There are over one million people in the UK who have a disfigurement which affects their face, hands or body. Over 500,000 of these have facial disfigurements. There are many, many causes.

Some people are born with disfiguring conditions. These include birthmarks (for example, portwine stains, haemangiomas and moles), cleft lip and/or palates and unusual formations of the skull and other features of the face as a result of craniofacial syndromes like Apert and Crouzon syndromes.

Others acquire disfigurements through accidents such as scars from a road traffic accident or burn injuries as a result of a house fire; some from violence – scarring as a result of acid attacks, stabbings or shootings – or after treatment for a disease such as facial cancer; others still from illness e.g. facial paralysis after a stroke or from medical accidents such as mistakes in cosmetic procedures.

Disfigurement can also be caused by common skin conditions like acne, eczema, vitiligo or psoriasis, and by others which alter the texture of the skin such as neurofibromatosis and epidermolysis bullosa.

Modern reconstructive surgery and medical treatments can be effective in making some disfigurements much less noticeable but a disfigurement can rarely be removed completely. Some scarring, asymmetry or complexion change usually remains.

Largely as a result of other people’s reactions and the culture in which we live, living with a disfigurement can be a major challenge for an individual and their family. People with disfigurements can experience serious problems in social situations, leading to high levels of social anxiety and depression, lowered self-esteem and self-confidence, and difficulties in getting employment. Many children at school experience name-calling and other forms of bullying as well as being ostracized because of their appearance. This can often lead to behavioural problems, poor academic performance and difficulties in making friends.

Overcoming these difficulties is possible. In 1992 James Partridge founded Changing Faces to address the psychological and social impact of living with a disfigurement. He pioneered a package of support which has enabled thousands of children, young people and adults to develop strong self-esteem and the confidence to get on with their lives in a positive way.

Our extensive research and experience in supporting people with disfigurements show that three factors are particularly important in enabling someone to adjust to living with an unusual appearance:

1. Getting realistic information about the treatment options available.

2. Learning how to manage other people's reactions in social situations of all kinds.

3. Getting quality support from family, friends, and an appropriate professional or support group.

Our mission is to work for a better and fairer future for people with disfigurements.

Our aim is to support and represent the interests of people with disfigurements.

Our goal is a just and fair world where:

• Everyone with a disfigurement will have high self-esteem and self-confidence.
• Every health clinic, school and workplace will address disfigurement with confidence.
• Everyone in society will be able to face disfigurement with confidence whether or not they have a disfiguring condition.