If you have experienced facial trauma, you know how devastating it can be. Not only is the physical damage painful and disfiguring, but the emotional toll can be overwhelming. You may feel like you have lost your sense of self-identity. Fortunately, some procedures can help repair the damage and restore your appearance. Discussed below are some of the most common procedures used to repair facial trauma.
1. Face Lifts
After an accident, your face may change due to the damage that has occurred. If you have lost volume in your cheeks or the chin area, for example, this can greatly affect your appearance both physically and emotionally. A facelift is one of the most popular procedures used to restore fullness to these areas so you can feel confident in your appearance. In some cases, minor surgery is all that is needed to restore your look, while in more severe cases, you may require major surgery for optimal results. You can expect the stitches to be removed after about three weeks following the surgery. A special feature of facelifts called a trichophytic incision means that no scar tissue will form, helping to make a facelift a quick and effective way to repair facial trauma.
2. Ear Reconstruction
Your ears are part of your overall facial structure. When they become disfigured due to an accident, it can obstruct your view of the world and greatly affect your self-image. To repair a damaged or missing ear, your reconstructive surgeon may use a combination of tissue from other parts of the body, such as the rib cartilage. Using these materials can help restore an anatomically correct structure to the ear. Depending on the extent of the damage, this procedure may be performed at different times during your recovery; it is usually carried out around six weeks following surgery.
3. Dental Repair
Tooth loss can also have a major impact on your appearance. If you are missing teeth, this can make you appear older and lead to the breakdown of the jawbone. When these teeth are replaced with implants, however, it can help restore the structure of your face and boost self-confidence. You can expect to have an implant fitted about six months after the replacement.
4. Fat Grafting
In some cases of facial trauma, the fat tissues within the face have been lost or damaged. In addition to being used in procedures such as a facelift, this type of tissue is also valuable for repairing areas of sunken skin and softening lines around your mouth. A reconstructive surgeon can place the fat tissue where needed and allow the body to absorb the cells naturally. This process may take several months before optimal results can be seen, but you will begin to see a difference in your appearance soon after the procedure is carried out.
5. Using Laser Surgery
Another procedure that may be used to repair facial trauma is laser surgery. Depending on the cause and extent of your injuries, a surgeon may use a specific laser to help minimize bruising and speed up healing. This procedure can work quickly and effectively to correct problems such as excessive scar tissue or skin that has been discolored due to the injury. Using lasers to treat facial trauma can help restore your appearance quickly without the need for invasive surgery.
6. Tissue Expansion
During this procedure, your tissue is expanded to be used later to repair injuries and implants. This method involves the surgical insertion of a balloon under your skin and then covering it with protective plastic. This is then gradually filled with fluid, allowing the skin to expand and creating more cellular tissue that you can use for reconstructive surgery. The good news about this method is that it will not affect your natural appearance as you heal; however, the downside is that it does take some time to complete and may require an additional procedure. During the initial surgery, you will have a tube inserted near your skin so they can add fluid to expand it. This is usually followed by several follow-up surgeries where the balloon is gradually filled with saline over several months.
7. Double Nose Repair
Facial trauma may lead to changes in the shape of your nose, for example, which can have a major impact on your appearance. To correct damage or injury to the structure of your nose, you may benefit from surgery to reshape the bones and cartilage within this area. Although it is not possible to completely restore your original nose after an accident, using tissue expanders during this procedure can help restore a similar appearance.
8. Chin Augmentation
If you have had an injury to your chin, it may affect the structure of this area and lead to changes in your appearance. Using implants or fat grafts during surgery can help reshape the jawline and restore balance to the face.
9. Facial Scar Repair (Scar Revision)
Even if you have received treatment for a facial scar, this may still affect your appearance and make you feel self-conscious about certain areas of your face. Scars can be treated using various forms of surgery, including laser treatments or dermabrasion; however, the best results are often achieved when combined with these methods is used to treat scars.
10. Using Fillers
If you have facial trauma that has created sunken areas of the face, dermal fillers can be used to improve the appearance of these while correcting damage to other parts of your face. Treatments using dermal filler injections are carried out in an outpatient setting, and the results will be visible immediately after the procedure is completed. As with many other treatments, you will need to have several sessions before optimal results are seen; but once you begin to see a difference in your appearance, you should feel more confident about your appearance again.
11. Cheek Augmentation
Another option for restoring your smile is cheek augmentation. This procedure can be used to increase the size of your cheeks and reduce the appearance of sagging skin around this area, such as after facial trauma. Depending on how you want to look, the implants used in this procedure can provide a full, plump look or something slightly subtler.
When considering facial reconstruction surgery to correct damage caused by an injury, the surgeon will discuss what type of procedure is right for you. You can use different strategies to restore your face after trauma, including bone grafting, tissue expansion, and dermal fillers. During the initial consultation, your surgeon will discuss what is possible for you and whether they think any of these techniques can help you regain your original appearance. More information about these procedures can be found here.
