It’s not about the mask: reframing psychosocial recovery after disfiguring head and neck cancer treatment

Facial disfigurement following head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment carries profound psychological consequences that often exceed physical morbidity. This opinion piece uses a representative clinical case to explore the use of a face mask as a coping mechanism and highlights the need for psychosocial recovery to be embedded routinely in HNC care pathways. We strongly believe that HNC patients should have access to structured screening, earlier psychological support and wider definitions of successful outcomes.