World War I brought devastation on a scale never seen before. New weapons and trench warfare caused horrific injuries, including faces blown apart by shrapnel and bullets, leaving many soldiers disfigured beyond recognition. Unlike hidden scars or amputated limbs, severe facial wounds carried a social and psychological stigma that many men could not escape. Doctors and surgeons were suddenly faced with injuries far worse than anything previously encountered. At the time, cosmetic surgery was lim