Face

Abstract

The face is examined for many details. The general shape and contours may reveal overall swelling, obesity, wasting, and endocrine disturbance. It certainly reflects exposure to the elements. Discolorations from circulatory and respiratory disorders or from pigmentation anomalies are described, as well as the preferred areas to look for such changes. Various details in the face are emphasized where either soft tissue swelling or a neurological deficit can disrupt symmetry. Cutaneous lesions, such as nevi or exanthems, may represent systemic diseases that tend to occur on the face and range from innocuous to worrisome. Textures from excessively slack or taut facial skin are also described and are coupled with guidelines of where to look in other regions that may also be involved in systemic disorders.

Attention is given to the distribution of hair, as well as to the patterns of endocrine and feminizing syndromes. Involuntary movement, including tremor of the face, is described. Weakness of facial muscles are expanded into upper, middle, and lower motor neuronal syndromes. Excessive and reduced sensations of the face are approached similarly.