Facial Trauma
Traumatic injury to the face can result in fractures of the facial bones or soft tissue injury. Commonly broken facial bones include the frontal bone (forehead), orbits (eye socket), nose, cheekbones, and mandible (jaw). The facial soft tissues can be damaged, leading to superficial and deep lacerations. These facial injuries most often occur from sports, falls, car accidents, or any other major trauma to the face.
Broken facial bone(s) and soft tissue injuries can result in both cosmetic deformity and functional problems. For this reason, patients will often desire surgical reconstruction. Your doctor at Surburban Ear, Nose, and Throat has extensive experience in the reconstruction of simple and complex facial fractures. Sometimes, the surgery is done in conjunction with an oculplastic surgeon. The surgery is designed to restore the pre-injury facial appearance and re-establish normal facial bone function.
Usually, facial fracture surgery can be done through hidden incisions that leave little or no scarring on the face. Facial lacerations are repaired using techniques to create the most favorable cosmetic result. Some laceration repairs require more than one stage to achieve the ideal outcome. After surgery, patients will often be discharged home the same day, but some patients may spend one night in the hospital.
For more information
- Fact Sheet: Children and Facial Trauma (American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery)
- Facial Trauma (U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health)
