Psychological difficulty, particularly in social situations, is widely reported by disfigured people, but many receive no formal psychological treatment. This study randomly allocated 106 facially disfigured people either to receive a self-help leaflet offering cognitive-behavioural guidance or not. Participants were assessed pre-treatment and at 3 month follow-up. The untreated group then received the leaflet. Participants in the leaflet group fared better than controls on 3 of the 9 scales employed (Social Leisure [SAQ] (t=2.31, p=0.012), HADS anxiety (t=2.22, p=0.015), HADS depression (t=1.83, p=0.036). There is support for a cognitive-behavioural approach and the usefulness of self-help instructions in addressing the social difficulties of facially disfigured people. The approach merits further development and investigation.