There are as many different reasons to have plastic surgery done as there are patients. Some may simply have a certain look for themselves in mind and want to be able to match that as closely as possible. For others, the choice may be rooted in psychological reasons and wanting to improve one’s self-esteem by changing their outward appearance. And there are those who may elect to go under the knife to help correct or undo any damage that may have been inflicted on their body.

This was the case for Abbie Honeycutt, a teenage resident of Durham, North Carolina. At age six, Honeycutt learned she had a brain tumor. While doctors were successful in removing the malignancy, damage done to her facial nerves left her physically unable to smile. For years, Honeycutt had to live with this loss of facial muscle function. Now, she doesn’t have to anymore, thanks to a new technique called facial reanimation.

“It’s giving people the ability to interact just like any other person, to smile like any other person,” Honeycutt’s plastic surgeon told local news outlet WFMZ. “It gives you a very, very strong kind of contraction for a smile.”

For the operation, doctors can either connect a nerve graft from the other side of the patient’s face to the paralyzed half, or use the nerve that commands chewing to help restore the ability to smile.

Thanks to the procedure, Honeycutt — who, until now, didn’t talk often — is now beaming with self-confidence and enthusiasm over her newly recreated smile.

Whatever your reasons for electing to have plastic surgery, make sure to have done it with a reputable and experienced professional. Dr. Christopher Craft is one of the best plastic surgeons in Miami and can help you achieve the look that you want.