How much can/will stormlight change the physical aspect of

[Owlgal she/her]

My question has to do with how the use of stormlight is supposed to restore the physical aspect of the Radient back to the way their spiritual aspect views itself. 

I have this weird thing where I don't really remember what people look like until I see them again (it's not face blindness), and it applies to me as well. When I'm not looking in the mirror, I have a lot of trouble remembering what I look like when I'm not staring at myself in the mirror. As a result, my mental image of myself is like a larger version of the way I looked when I was a child. 

So, if I or someone like me formed a nahel bond and gained the ability to draw in stormlight to heal, do you think they would be restored to their mental image of themselves rather than how they look physically? Does such a strong mental imprint count as being part of the spiritual aspect of a person? What if the Radient had never looked into a mirror or suitably reflective surface; would their spiritual aspect of themselves be closer to the way they see themselves or the way they're actually put together? 

[Archer he/him]

1 hour ago, Owlgal said:

I have this weird thing where I don't really remember what people look like until I see them again (it's not face blindness), and it applies to me as well. 

I thought I was the only one who had this problem... I have no theorizing to offer in response to this question, I just wanted to say that you're not alone in having a selective memory. 

By the way, welcome to the Shard!

[RShara she/her]

So the soul knows how you're supposed to look. But then your cognitive self has a mental image, which affects what you heal to. If your cognitive self image is low or missing, then you'd just heal to your soul default.

Although I don't think the cognitive self-image involves what you think you look like when you see yourself in the mirror, but rather things that you know about yourself. Like, Kaladin probably doesn't constantly walk around thinking of "my face but with scars," or picturing his face with scars. Rather, he thinks, "I have scars."  And he feels that so deeply that when he tries to heal or even cover them up, they always come through.

[Corax]

Warbreaker spoiler

Spoiler

I think what we see with the Returned is an indication that it's possible to drastically alter how a person looks based on their perception of themselves. But. The Returned seem to be at least mostly disconnected from their own Identity. Meanwhile KRs don't have that Identity disruption. Their self-image is shown to be important to their healing via Kaladin's brand, and other healing systems draw upon the Spiritual aspect as well. 

I guess what I'm getting at is that I expect that there are both Cognitive and Spiritual aspects to Stormlight-powered healing. I expect that it would take some time, though, and rarely be very dramatic. (Though I also would bet that dramatic alterations, especially in the long run, are rare but possible.)