About Face

Through the influences of vanity, aging, and insecurities, many find fault with their own faces, and few achieve their own notions of perfection. Yet in the course of such self-criticism, most people take for granted their own ability to explore and employ the full range of facial expressions and the emotions those expressions convey. In "About Face", Sage Sohier's photographs portray people who have varying degrees of facial paralysis, a condition that usually occurs on just one side of the face and can result from a multitude of causes, including Bell's palsy, tumors, strokes, accidents, and congenital nerve damage. Working in a clinic in Boston that provides physical therapy, Botox treatments, and sometimes surgery, Sohier documents patients before treatment, and in some cases captures their progress over time, witnessing hope and excitement as they regain the ability to smile, speak, and eat.