Deformities hinder job prospects.

• Position: Plastic Surgery - Social acceptance research - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

People with facial deformities are perceived as less capable, employable, honest, and intelligent than those with a normal appearance, according to a study by Gregory Borah, chief of plastic surgery, Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, New Brunswick, N.J., that examined how the general public perceives people with facial deformities. Borah and colleague Marlene Rankin took pictures of 10 patients--five male and five female--with facial deformities from congenital defects, trauma, and cancer. The photographs were digitally altered to produce an image of the same person without the deformity. Each patient's set of photos was separated, with the normal one given to a group of 105 people and the "abnormal" shot to a second group of the same size. Both groups, recruited from all walks of life, were shown 10 photos total--five with facial deformities and five with a normal appearance. The two groups were asked to rate each picture based on nine social-function categories: honesty, intelligence, optimism, attractiveness, capability, popularity, effectiveness, trustworthiness, and employability.

It was found that patients with abnormal facial features were rated as significantly less employable, attractive, intelligent, honest, trustworthy, and capable than patients with a normal appearance. The negative perceptions occurred across sex, age...