Professor Simon Holmes
Specialist in Complex Facial Trauma and Reconstruction
Facial trauma is never just physical. It carries profound personal, psychological, and social consequences — particularly when disfigurement, loss of function, or failed earlier surgery are involved. At such moments, patients, clinicians, and legal advocates alike need not just a skilled surgeon, but a deeply experienced, specialised expert who can guide reconstruction with clarity, precision and compassion.
I have spent over two decades at the forefront of complex facial trauma surgery — treating thousands of patients with primary and secondary injuries involving the face, orbit, jaw and skull base. As Professor of Craniofacial Traumatology at Queen Mary University of London and Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust, I lead one of the UK’s busiest and most advanced trauma services. My focus is on managing high-energy, complex, and revision facial trauma, particularly in cases where prior surgery has failed, or where injury patterns require a truly multidisciplinary solution.
Over the years, I have helped pioneer surgical techniques and treatment pathways that are now regarded as national standards — including evidence-based approaches to orbital reconstruction, anterior skull base injury, and scar revision. I established the pan-facial trauma multidisciplinary clinic at the Royal London Hospital — one of the first in the UK — bringing together ophthalmology, ENT, neurosurgery, plastics, restorative dentistry and psychology to provide holistic, patient-centred care. This model has been widely recognised for its clinical excellence and adopted by other trauma centres across the country.
My private practice is focused on four core domains:
Many patients come to me after previous trauma surgery has failed — due to poor alignment, ongoing pain, asymmetry, scarring, or diplopia (double vision). I specialise in managing these “second chance” cases, using advanced imaging, 3D planning, and digital surgical workflows to restore both form and function. This includes orbital reconstruction, zygomatic and midface recontouring, mandibular revision, and correction of traumatic deformities.
Scarring — particularly facial — is deeply personal. I work with patients to revise and optimise scars using both surgical and non-surgical techniques. Where appropriate, I combine scar revision with structural correction to address underlying asymmetry or contracture. I have published extensively on this topic, and authored textbook chapters that guide other surgeons on facial soft tissue management after trauma.
No facial injury exists in isolation. My approach always considers vision, occlusion, facial expression, airway and aesthetics together. My NHS work is embedded in a team of specialists, and I bring the same coordinated approach to private care — liaising closely with ophthalmologists, ENT, neurologists, dentists and therapists to ensure optimal outcomes.
I regularly provide expert opinion and medico-legal reports for complex facial injuries, delayed diagnosis, surgical complications, or functional loss after trauma. I am instructed by both claimant and defence teams in the UK and internationally, offering authoritative analysis grounded in clinical experience, research, and a clear, unbiased reporting style. My background as a professor, editor and author allows me to explain technical concepts clearly in court settings and written evidence.
My work is grounded in science and shaped by a lifetime commitment to education and service improvement. I hold a PhD focused on anterior skull base trauma and have authored over 150 peer-reviewed articles, including high-impact research on orbital surgery, trauma scoring, and infection risk in maxillofacial injuries. I am co-author of four major surgical textbooks, including the BMJ Surgical Book of the Year, and a contributor to Gray’s Anatomy, Scott-Brown’s ENT, and Bailey & Love.
I lead the UK’s first MSc in Craniofacial Trauma and Reconstruction, and lecture internationally at meetings including ICOMS, EACMFS, IAOMS, and Royal College of Surgeons courses. Whether training junior surgeons, leading audit into national trauma outcomes, or advising on innovation in surgical planning, I remain deeply committed to raising standards in facial injury care worldwide.
There are many excellent surgeons working in OMFS, but very few with a singular focus on complex trauma and secondary reconstruction. Even fewer combine this with active academic leadership, medico-legal expertise, and a multidisciplinary practice designed around the long-term needs of trauma patients. This is where I offer something distinct.
Whether you are a patient seeking reconstruction, a clinician referring a difficult case, or a legal team needing expert analysis — I offer experience, authority, and clarity. I understand what is at stake when the face has been traumatised. My goal is not just to repair — but to restore identity, function, and confidence, using every available clinical, academic and technological resource.