What is the Face to Face Program

FACE TO FACE, founded 1992, is a humanitarian and educational surgical exchange program conducted under the sponsorship of the Educational and Research Foundation for the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS). In the United States and abroad, AAFPRS surgeons provide complimentary care to those who suffer from facial deformities caused by birth or trauma. The FACE TO FACE program offers individuals the opportunity to overcome the physical limitations placed on them by circumstances beyond their control – deformities at birth, domestic violence, and war. AAFPRS surgeons use their expertise to perform plastic and reconstructive surgery of the face, head, and neck.

Mission

FACE TO FACE is staffed by medical personnel – facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons, nurses, speech pathologists and anesthesiologists – who donate their time and expertise, frequently for two weeks at a time. AAFPRS surgeons travel all over the world, with a single mission… to treat one face at a time, one person at a time.

Programs

FACE TO FACE — International
Members travel all over the world to help individuals whose faces were damaged at birth, by disease or by war. In addition, AAFPRS members share their knowledge and the latest techniques in facial plastic surgery with their international colleagues. To date, it is estimated that AAFPRS FACE TO FACE volunteers have helped approximately one thousand people worldwide. (Recent missions have included: Vietnam, Croatia, Russia and China.)

FACE TO FACE — The National Domestic Violence Project
Members volunteer to help victims of domestic abuse who cannot afford to receive treatment for facial injuries. These efforts repair both physical and psychological scars and help women to regain self-esteem and begin to rebuild their lives.

The AAFPRS is the world's largest association of facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons – with more than 2,600 members – whose cosmetic and reconstructive surgery focuses on the face, head and neck. Academy fellows are board-certified and subscribe to a code of ethics.

FACE TO FACE Humanitarian Programs