Facial Prostheses

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Artificial restorations fabricated from flexible silicone or rigid acrylic to reduce tissue lost due to trauma, malignancy, disease, congenital deformity or absence. Retention can be by using medical skin adhesives.
Artificial restorations fabricated from flexible silicone, a durable material that can be molded into any shape and is well tolerated by human tissue, retention can be by using medical skin adhesives. The other type of facial prostheses is the use of rigid acrylic. This procedure is to reduce tissue lost due to traumatic accident, malignancy, disease, congenital deformity or absence. Our facial prostheses are custom made and hand painted to meet the special needs of each patient.

The Fabrication Process:

The process of making the facial prostheses begins by taking an impression of the affected area. This procedure is called an impression and gives the Ocularist a model on which he or she will work. The prosthesis is sculpted initially in wax and tried out for shape, size and fit. From this wax form a mould is made. The color is mixed and matched to achieve the best skin tone. As the different parts of our facial features vary in color, different parts of the prosthesis will be shaded in different colors. The mould can then be filled with silicone and tinted to match skin tones of the patient. Once heat cured, the final prosthesis piece is made. A custom ocular prosthesis is fabricated and inserted in the facial prosthesis giving it a very natural appearance.
Care and use instructions are reviewed at that time and the patient leaves with a finished prosthesis.