Forty-five patients with postoperative or post-traumatic paresis of the facial nerve were studied and it was found that in only 2.6% of the postoperative cases was there some temporary facial nerve palsy, while in 11% of the cases with facial lacerations the paralysis was permanent. The preauricular area was the most hazardous, while in the submental area no paresis was recorded. It is our opinion that (excluding the preauricular area) when designing a surgical approach to the face, no particular attention need be paid to the preservation of terminal branches of the facial nerve as no permanent paralysis will ensue.