Facial Injury Repair for Soft Tissue Injuries

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons says that the anatomy and position of your face make it susceptible to any type of trauma. You can get soft tissue facial injuries from sports, accidents, or fights. Once you incur soft tissue facial injuries, you should have an immediate and complete medical examination. Your doctor should start early treatment to lower your risk of complications like loss of function and infection. If you want to understand facial repair for soft tissue injuries, here’s what you should know.

 

Neurovascular Injuries

These injuries can cause hemorrhaging and loss of blood in your craniofacial complex. If the injury is inside your mouth, interventions like angiography might be necessary. Facial soft tissue damage can also have trigeminal nerve injuries. If your trigeminal nerve has been cut, the site will need urgent repairs within 72 hours of your injury.

 

Cheek Injuries

If you have a cheek injury, your parotid duct may have some degree of damage, as well. Expect significant swelling and pain. Your doctor should assess the depth of your wound right away. The repair for this type of injury involves the suturing of your affected parotid duct over a stent.

Lacerations

For facial lacerations, doctors usually follow an established treatment approach:

• Anesthetic use. Before the surgery, your doctor can use regional block, topical, or local anesthetics. Specialists often use a regional block in facial soft tissue repairs because it keeps the edges of the wound intact.

• Assessment. Your specialist needs to respect anatomic borders and realign them properly to prevent any degree of deformity.

• Irrigation and cleaning. Your doctor will explore, irrigate, clean, and, if necessary, debride your wound of dead tissue before closing it.

• Repair. If you have deep lacerations, your doctor will repair them in two layers to prevent scarring.

Abrasion

This type of soft tissue injury results from forcible and sudden friction. Your doctor should clear this wound of all traces of debris to avoid tattooing. You may need a regional or local anesthetic to keep you comfortable during wound cleaning. The application of topical antiseptic and sterile bandages can help heal your injury.

Contusion

This is a common soft tissue injury in the facial area. A dull trauma to your face usually causes this. You should apply some ice on the affected area for about 10-20 minutes for 48-72 hours. This reduces pain and inflammation. Take over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications for relief.

Epistaxis

Also known as nose bleeding, epistaxis usually goes away by applying 10 minutes of continuous pressure. You can do this by pinching your nose. Tilt your head forward to prevent any blood from entering your pharynx. Release your nose after 10 minutes. If bleeding continues, apply pressure again for another 10 or 20 minutes. Your doctor should apply chemical cautery with silver nitrate if bleeding persists. Nasal tampons or ribbon gauze with petroleum jelly can also help stop the bleeding.

 

Facial soft tissue injuries should receive proper treatment and repair to prevent permanent damage. At Oral Surgical Associates, we work with our patients carefully to achieve optimal results from their procedures. For an in-person consultation, please visit our clinics in Missoula, and Hamilton, Montana. You can also call us at 406-282-8768 if you want to schedule an appointment or make inquiries about our treatment packages for facial soft tissue injuries.

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3580340/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3324223/