In recent years, technology has transformed the practice of facial plastic surgery. Today, surgeons can treat a wider variety of problems than ever before, and they can do so more effectively - with more natural-looking and longer-lasting results, faster healing times and lower costs.

Consider lasers. In skillful hands, these amplified beams of light can vaporize blemishes and birthmarks once thought to be permanent. They can smooth acne scars and iron out wrinkles, and they provide surgeons with an alternative way to create a natural hairline when transplanting tiny, hair-bearing grafts to balding areas of the scalp.

Other tools and techniques allow surgeons to give the face and neck more pleasing contours. Facelifts can now tighten underlying tissue and muscles as well as skin, creating a natural look quite unlike the stretched look of earlier days. Liposuction can remove fatty deposits from areas resistant to diet and exercise. Natural and synthetic fillers can plump up deep furrows and wrinkles, and a vast array of implants can give new definition to flat cheeks, receding chins, and underprojected noses.

If technology has advanced cosmetic surgery, it has produced even greater wonders for reconstructive surgery. Advances in microvascular surgery have made it possible to transplant nerves and have increased the survival of grafts and flaps used to replace damaged or destroyed skin or tissue. The amount of healthy skin available to cover an injured area can now be increased with balloon-like devices called tissue expanders.

For injuries to the skeletal structure of the face, surgeons can use a variety of techniques - from building up depressions with synthetic materials to grafting bone taken from the skull, hip, or leg to an area where bone is missing damaged beyond repair. Broken or shattered facial bones can be repaired by attaching wires to tiny screws placed in healthy bone, or by fixing metal rods or plates over the fracture, among other techniques.

It's no wonder that facial plastic surgery today is sought by a growing number of people who want to improve facial harmony, rejuvenate premature signs of aging, or repair problems present from birth or caused by accident of illness.

If you feel you might benefit from facial plastic surgery, be assured that people all across America - from all walks of life and age groups - are opting for procedures they believe will correct a variety of problems. A number of them are featured in The Face Book.

But heed this word of caution: These patients shared their stories because facial plastic surgery helped them feel better about themselves. Facial plastic surgery is not for everyone, and The Face Book is not intended to suggest it is. A new look will not guarantee success on the job or the dating circuit. It will not make people like you more or help a faltering marriage. What it may do is simply make you look better, healthier, and more vibrant.

If that's what you want from facial plastic surgery, then The Face Book is for you. You'll get information on how to find a facial plastic surgeon and what happens during a consultation visit. You'll learn how each procedure is done, what the healing process is like, and what kind of results can be achieved. You'll learn how skin type and other factors may affect the success of a facial plastic surgery procedure. And you'll get some tips on how to enhance postoperative results by following a healthful regimen - and the doctor's instructions for care.

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