Head and neck cancers are generally treated by a clinical team; the plastic surgeon’s role is to reconstruct those tissues and organs which have been removed, by using techniques such as microvascular surgery to obtain a good cosmetic result.
Sometimes, despite the techniques available, the use of a simple prosthesis such as an artificial nose or eye attached to eyeglass frames can be much better at camouflage than plastic surgery.
Another exciting development called craniofacial surgery tackles the treatment of problems that were, until recently, in a kind of medical limbo, such as hideous facial deformities, either present from birth or resulting from disease or accident. At present this type of surgery is only available in a few specialist centers.