"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE?"
This is a question I go through everyday. I know people are curious and concerned, not hostile. What I say however, is up to me. I may not feel like answering or I may feel like telling all the details. It depends on who they are, what the occasion is and how I am feeling at the time. My golden rule is I'm prepared. I may think that questions about my face is the thing that I dread most, but most people find that anxiety is completely resolved by having an answer prepared.
"I was injured in a bicycle accident 6 months ago, but it's not a problem now" (simple and closes down the subject)
“I damaged my facial nerve in an accident. I never think about it now. Tell me, what do you think of this weather?” (This is also closing down the subject of your face, and is very effective when you follow that immediately by a question about the other person?”)
“Oh, I don’t want to bore you with all my medical details, it’s not a problem now.” (Assertive and reassuring, but makes the point clearly that it is not something that you want to discuss.)
It is always worth having some answers prepared. If you don’t, then you leave yourself open to the question that catches you completely off guard, and makes you anxious about future social occasions.
The other strategy you can use, is to bring your appearance into the conversation yourself, on your own terms. You will be surprised at how skilled you will become at doing this. When your face is clearly noticeable and people often ask you about it, then this is worth considering.
“The advantage of an unusual appearance is that people can always remember who they spoke to.”
If you can bring some humour into your statement, you will go a long way to reassuring the other person that you feel comfortable about your appearance and that they can relax and treat you exactly as they would treat anyone else.