Craniofacial prostheses are
prostheses made by individuals trained in
anaplastology or
maxillofacial prosthodontics who medically help rehabilitate those with facial defects caused by
disease (mostly progressed forms of
skin cancer, and
head and neck cancer), trauma (outer ear trauma,
eye trauma) or
birth defects (
microtia,
anophthalmia). They have the ability to replace almost any part of the face, but most commonly the
ear,
nose or
eye/
eyelids. An
ocular prosthesis and
hair prosthesis can also be classified as craniofacial prostheses. Prostheses are held in place either by biocompatible drying
adhesives,
osseointegrated implants,
magnets, or another mechanical means (although rare) such as glasses or straps. Prostheses are designed to be as similar as possible to the natural anatomy of each individual. Their purpose is to cover, protect, and disguise facial disfigurements or underdevelopments.