Facial trauma, no matter the cause, upends your world. Besides physical pain and the loss of certain abilities, your trauma is evident to anyone you meet. Don’t despair — help is available. Top Mount Vernon facial plastic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Grant of Cascade Facial Surgery & Aesthetics explains how plastic surgery offers hope for those with facial trauma.
Facial Trauma
In an instant, your life changes because of a serious facial wound. While trauma refers to the severity of the wound, emotional and psychological trauma is a byproduct of such a severe injury.
Common causes of facial trauma include:
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Assault
- Animal attacks
- Burns
- Cancer
- Falls
- Sport injuries
Facial Trauma Surgery Goals
Facial trauma usually affects more than appearance. Patients may have difficulty speaking, eating or seeing. Nerve damage may impact facial expression.
The goal of facial trauma surgery is twofold. First, restore functionality — chewing, speaking, swallowing, focusing and movement of facial features — to the greatest extent possible. The secondary goal is restoring the patient’s appearance. Some patients opt to take advantage of plastic surgery and improve their features. Sometimes the worst thing that happens to you turns out to have positives. There is always the potential to look better than ever once your healing is completed.
Healing can take time. Facial trauma surgery recovery requires patience and regular follow-up visits. Your surgeon explains the process and what to expect in great detail.
Facial Fractures
The face contains 14 bones, and the skull has an additional eight bones. Broken noses are the most common form of facial trauma and affect not only appearance but breathing. Fractures involving the orbital socket need painstaking repair due to the bones’ delicacy and the necessity of vision protection.
A broken jawbone requires surgery to restore function as well as appearance. The latter includes profile restoration.
Facial Soft Tissue Injuries
Facial soft tissue injuries include burns and lacerations. Some facial soft tissue injuries require microvascular reconstructive surgery to restore blood flow and reestablish nerve connections.
Scarring
There are circumstances in which the facial wound leaves considerable scarring. Scar revision can mitigate the appearance. In this procedure, the old scar is excised. The area is then repaired with specialized stitching for scar minimization.
Contact Us
If you or your child suffers facial trauma and would like to know your options for surgical reconstruction, call Cascade Facial Surgery & Aesthetics in Mount Vernon today at 360-336-1947 or contact us online to schedule a consultation with dual board-certified facial plastic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Grant. All facial trauma surgeries are tailored to your goals.
