Parry Romberg syndrome is a rare disease characterized by slowly progressing, irreversible deterioration and shrinkage (atrophy) of the skin and soft tissues of the face. Most commonly it affects only one side of the face. That is why this disease is also called progressive hemifacial atrophy.

In this condition, there is progressive degeneration of the skin, soft tissues and fat below the skin. Depletion of tissues leads to craniofacial asymmetry and marked changes in appearance. In severe cases, bones may also be involved in the form of osteoporosis. The severity and extent of the disease is highly variable and differs from person to person. Occasionally, there may be some neurological complications like headache, seizures, severe facial pain or involvement of the eye.

Altered appearance affects normal psychological growth and intellectual development of the person. Deflection from normal appearance poses many psychosocial difficulties. Therefore, expert and timely care is warranted.
Reconstructive or microvascular surgery is required to treat the facial asymmetry. Specialized facial reconstructive surgery involves correcting the facial asymmetry using fat grafts. Fat graft is harvested from the patient’s abdomen or gluteal region. The harvested graft is sculpted and inserted beneath the skin of the affected region to restore symmetry of the face.

Dr SM Balaji is exceptionally skilled in facial reconstructive surgery and his surgeries have shown excellent results with barely any scarring. He has successfully treated many patients with varying degrees of the disease and atrophy.