A study of social supports for people afflicted with facial disfigurements and their families

2003 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 14572283
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Clinical nursing
• Research Institution: Kumamoto University
• Principal Investigator: FUJII Teruaki KUMAMOTO UNIVERSITY, prof., 医学部, 教授 (50290119)
• Project Period (FY): 2002 – 2003
• Keywords: Face of destiny / discrimination / benign tumor

Research Abstract

This research resulted that head investigator Teruaki Fujii with a pink, round mark began to show on hi's right cheek when he was two, an omen for harsh discrimination carried out other looks disorders to direct interview in our country firstly. His mark was an angioma, a benign tumor consisting of dilated blood vessels.
This research suggested that psychological suffers of looks disorders were serious. The family's encouragement and friend's urge were most important of all the social support systems.
The head investigator also visits schools to tell children how unfair discrimination is, letting them touch the soft, warm tumor in which his pulse can be felt.
This research suggested that educational practical activity in the elemental school and junior high school of looks disorders were first in our country and this research were watched in the foreign researchers.
With the release of his autobiography, entitled "Face of Destiny", last October, the head investigator became a torch bearer for one million people in Japan with deformed faces. The head investigator and eight other people who "have lost normal faces" jointly published a book. In future this research were certainly spread all over the world.