Interesting. I always just assumed that LFS was the collection of (unfortunate) physical characteristics you listed above. The very fact they deviate from the norm is a deformity, no?
well not necessarily. there are only a few genetic conditions that manifest lfs, namely enlarged adenoids or adenoid facies. also FAS can present superficial lfs conditions but not always.
some people just have a long midface (e.g richard gere, marko jaric).
as ive talked about a lot when it comes to growth influenced by the environment there is no real standard. people's faces will react differently because there are so many factors - cause of growth, duration, amount of applied force and direction and the person's own genetics. ive seen extreme cases and mild cases.
the real issue we should be asking is how orthos and dentists have gone so long without accepting the role of growth in their profession, such as allowing backwards treatments (headgear for example) in spite of overwhelming research that concluded beyond a doubt headgear undermines facial growth.
i dont know if headgear continues to be used. but extractions are still performed for trivial reasons (crowding LOL) and the novelty appliances orthos pick up at industry conferences that claim to grow the jaw etc...
when this is dealt with and the industry is reformed i guarantee you we will be seeing seeing far less people growing up to have long face syndrome and many other problems.
