Facial defects and deformities could be congenital deformities or from diseases like Tumors or neoplasm (solid or fluid-filled cyst). Tumors can be malignant, pre-malignant, benign or lesions.

Tumor means “swelling” in Latin. Tumor or neoplasm are abnormal growth of mass tissue and cell growth that could be cancerous (malignant) or non-cancerous(benign), and most of these abnormal growth of tumors causes deformities especially when the tumor attacks facial tissues. But weird diseases such as the Crouzon Syndrome & Pierre Robin Syndrome can also cause facial deformities and facial defects.

Here is our list for Human Deformities caused by Facial Tumors.

1) Jose Mestre, Face Eaten by Tumors

Jose Mestre was born in Lisbon, Portugal on February 26,1956, and was known for having 11 lbs or 15 kg Hemangioma tumor on his face. Mestre was 14 year-old when the tumor appeared on his lips, but just ignored it. As the years past, the tumor grow larger but did not bother to have medical check up because of lack of understanding about the disease, financial status and his religious beliefs (Jehovah Witness). In 2010, Jose Mestre underwent three major operation, removal of the tumor by Dr. Mckay Mckinnon, at Saint Joseph Hospital in Chicago. After the reconstruction surgery on his face, he will go back to his hometown.

Hemangioma Disease

2) Huang Chuncai was born in 1977 in Hunan province, in the southern part of China. Chuncai was suffering from a disease known as Neurofibromatosis (NF) or also known as von Redelinghausen disease, a genetic inherited disease. He was suffering from neurofibromatosis since he was age four when it was first diagnosed by the local doctors, but due to poverty they could not afford the operation needed for Huang Chuncai, that caused the tumor to grow larger and caused him facial deformity. In July 2007 he underwent his first operation, with the help of the doctors of the Fuda Cancer Hospital in Guangzou, China, who caught their attention on Chuncai’s case. And another surgery of tumor removal in January 2008.

Neurofibromatosis Disease

3) Huang Liquian, 58 years old, first noticed the tumor growth on the back of his neck in 1990, but he did not seek for medical attention. After many years, the tumor became larger in size up to 15 kg. Huang Liqian was taken to the First Affiliated Hospital in Chongging University of Medical Services in southwest China, where his tumor was removed through a surgery.

4) Gao An-ni, an 8 year-old girl from An-Yuan province, in Jiangxi, Province, East China is suffering from an underlip tumor. She was born with the tumor in her underlip but the family cannot afford the medical attention needed, due to poverty. In 2007, Gao An-ni’s father took her for medical check-up in a hospital which is an affiliate of the Gannan Medical College. But since the father was informed of the expenses for the needed operation and reconstruction surgery, the father decided to take her home.

5) Lai Thi Dao a girl from Vietnam, was suffering from Schwannoma tumor, or also known as “acoustic neuroma”, “neurilemmoma” and “Schwann ell tumor”, a benign tumor, that began as a small lump in her tongue, but became larger in size causing her facial deformity over the years. Dao has difficulty in eating, talking, and even walking because of the oversize tumor. In 2008, Lai Ti Dao, underwent a 10 hour surgery for the removal of her 10 pounds tumor, with the help of University of Miami surgeons.

6) Phuong, a 27 year-old from Vietnam, who has facial deformity caused by large tumor growth on his face which was noticed when he was seven. As he grew older, the tumor growth became larger covering his left face, enveloped his eyes and ears. He had three previous surgeries before, but the tumor keeps growing. Local doctors and international team who visited their place offered to take the risk of another surgery which may cause loss of blood and need a post-operative care, as the case was considered a difficult case and need an estimated 12 hours or more in the operating table.

7) Chantal Sebire, was born on January 28, 1955, a retired French teacher, diagnosed with Esthesioneuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer, and according to studies, there are 200 cases reported in twenty years. Sabire refused treatment or any medical attention after she was diagnosed in 2000. On March 19, 2008 she was found dead in her residence after she fought the right to die through Euthanasia. The autopsy result, found in her blood test substance of Pentobarbital drugs, which are not available in any French pharmacies.

Marile Casseus, the 14-year-old girl from Haiti, suffering from a rare disease known as Polyostotic Fibrous Dysplasia other wise known as Albright disease or McCune-Albright syndrome, is a form of fibrous dysplasia (thinning of bone and growth of lesions affecting one or more bones leading to bone weakness forming scars within the bones. Marile Casseus underwent a 14 hours surgery procedure to remove the 16 pounds tumor on her face. Dr. Jesus Gomez is one of the team doctors among dozen of doctors who conducted the long hour surgery of Marile Casseus, of University of Miami School of Medicine.

9) Cody Hall was born with a tumorous birthmark known as Hemangioma causing her face deformity as she grow older. She was one year old when the doctors in England told her parents it was a hopeless case and nothing can be done with her case. Thus, the parents decided to seek for medical attention for Cody in the United States. It took 18 reconstructive surgeries performed at the St Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital in New york within fourteen years. Now Cody Hall, grown up and turned a beautiful lady in her teens.

10) Kevin Armstrong a 12 year-old boy suffering from a rare genetic disease known as Solumoristosis causing extreme facial deformity disfiguring his physical appearance, a butt-feature looking face.

image source credit: Retardzone

11) Wu Xiaoyan a 23 year old woman from Zhejiang, China, with facial deformity looking like a frog or hippopotamus, because of Fibrous Dysplasia disease, and the large tumor almost covered her face. She was known as the “Chinese Avatar Girl. According to her father, she was blind at the age of 9, and having the hard time to breath due to severe swelling of the face and one third of occupied her brain, doctor Lioquiging revealed after he diagnosed Wu with Fibrous Dysplasia disease. Due to poverty the parents could not afford the necessary surgical resection and plastic surgery to reconstruct her facial deformity.

image credit: shutterstock

12) Myxomas tumor affected 22 year old boy from Mexico, affecting mainly the left atrium of the heart, and the most commonly affected are the maxilla bones. Myxoma tumors are commonly benign, but can be destructive if the tumor spread into the nasopharynx, nose, paranasal sinuses and the face. Primary resection and gradual surgery are the only treatment needed for facial defects and removal of the tumor, which could be sometimes fatal.

13) This image of a poor baby with severe facial deformity was used by the scammers to collect funds through “spamming emails and passed it to many”.

Ignore any emails you received using this child image.

14) Tropical Disease and Facial Deformities

Tropical disease are kind of diseases existing in a country with tropical and subtropical regions, but lesser in regions with climate changes from summer to winter. During cold season, it controls the insects to hibernate, like flies and mosquitoes, which are famous for virus, bacterium,parasites an infectious diseases carriers. Most of these infectious disease are transmitted by insect bites.

15) Baby with Apert Syndrome



Apert syndrome a congenital disorder form of acrocephalosyndactyly affecting growth of the skull, face, hands and feet and physical deformities. The disease is a branchial arch syndrome which affects pharyngial or branchial arch of the maxilla and inferior maxillary bone that forms the lower jaw (mandible).

16) Crouzon Syndrome

Young boy with Crouzon syndrome acquired at birth, underwent a frotosupraorbital Advancement with simultaneous Maxillary advancement at the Le Fort lll Level. Same procedure done with Apert Syndrome patient. (Image credit: emedicine)

17) Pierre Robin Syndrome

Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS), also know as Pierre Robin syndrome and Pierre Robin Malformation is a facial deformity and a congenital case, characterized as having an undersized jaw or micrognathia, glossoptosis or posterior displacement of the tongue and cleft palate and upper airway obstruction. There was a recent study of Pierre Robin Sequence origin, is the dysfunction of genes SOX9 and KCNJ2.

19) Kangkang a 14 month old baby from Hunan province in China, being teased and named him Mask Face baby. He was born with double-face feature, a congenital disorder known Transverse Facial-cleft or Face Horizontal cleft.

19) Hang Mioku a Korean woman now age 48 is suffering from a severe facial deformity due to obsession of plastic surgery on her face. She was 28 years old when she first underwent plastic surgery. Then decided to move in Japan for another plastic surgery and have more surgeries, that caused her face to swell and damaged and was deformed. And decided to go back in Korea, and even her own parents didn’t recognized her “total disastrous look”. The parents seek medical attention for Hang, but then doctors declined to do another surgery on her. Until she found a doctor who was willing to help her; but due to expensive “visitation”, the doctor decided to provide her silicone and syringes and she could inject herself. But the silicone was expensive and she can’t afford to buy and decided to inject herself with cooking oil.

20) Man Turns Blue : A 57 year-old American man, Paul Karason, was suffering from dermatitis as a result of stress some fourteen years ago, and decided to use substance known as silver extract. These substance are for oral consumption and with doctor’s prescriptions. But Mr. Karason rubbed it on his peeling skin, without noticing it that his skin was turning blue. This disorder is called Argyria disease, a condition caused by exposure to substances and element of silverdust or silver compound, causing the skin to turn bluish-gray or blue skin.

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