Facial reconstructive surgery restores the facial appearance after a traumatic injury or birth defect via methods such as cleft lip repair, cleft palate repair, facial trauma reconstruction, and scar revision. The first step in facial reconstructive surgery is to determine the extent of the damage, trauma or birth defect. The surgeon then tailors the treatment to meet the individual needs of the patient using surgical methods to transplant tissue, remove injured or dead tissue and alter the function or appearance of the damaged area.