Incurring any form of facial trauma is a distressing life event. Not only does the victim of facial trauma experience psychological damage, but their physical appearance and physical functioning can be severely altered in a traumatic episode.
In the terrible event of you or a loved one experiencing facial trauma, highly specialized and experienced facial reconstructive surgeons offer many procedures that can help restore your appearance.
Depending on the nature of your injuries, your doctor will need to fix traumatic facial lacerations, traumatic facial fractures, or a combination of the two.
Here, Dr. Derrick Gale, a highly respected facial reconstructive specialist and founder of Gale Facial Plastics, explains when and why patients may start considering facial reconstruction.
How Patients Incur Traumatic Facial Injuries
In the United States, there are over 3 million non-fatal traumatic injuries each year, which leave patients with psychological and physical scars and trauma.
The most common causes of these injuries are from falls, violence, and transport accidents, respectively. Other accidents that often lead to traumatic facial injuries include animal attacks and athletic pursuits.
Depending on the scenario where facial trauma occurred, physical injuries fall into either facial fractures, facial lacerations, or a combination of both. While a patient’s appearance can be significantly changed in such an event, the physiological functions of sight, hearing, chewing, and breathing that can also be impaired in such tragic circumstances.
This is why facial reconstructive surgeons are amongst the most highly specialized surgeons in the field—they are tasked with helping patients get their appearance back and must have the intricate physiological understanding to restore function to traumatically injured facial organs.
Traumatic Facial Lacerations
Facial lacerations occur when the face’s skin or organs are cut or sliced, leaving significant scarring or even removing part or all of the organ completely.
Patients with traumatic facial lacerations will consider facial reconstructive surgery as a way of reducing or eliminating scarring and restoring organ function.
Traumatic Facial Fractures
The brow, eye sockets, cheekbones, and jawbone are the facial features most susceptible to traumatic fractures. In such events, these bones may be broken or shattered in such a way that requires the use of plate-and-screw fixation devices to restore appearance and function.
When Might you Consider Facial Reconstructive Surgery?
For most patients, health insurance will cover facial reconstructive surgery as it is likely to be deemed a necessary surgery—one that is required to maintain quality of life.
As such, you should consider facial reconstructive surgery if you have experienced any form of traumatic accident that has altered your appearance or physiological function. Doctors are here to help, and they can help.
Facial Reconstruction in Riverton and Salt Lake City, Utah
Facial reconstruction is a wonderful solution to a tragic accident. In many cases, facial reconstruction is your best chance at reclaiming some degree of normalcy after a traumatic accident or episode.
But to do so successfully, facial reconstructive surgery demands intense specialization, which is why we strongly encourage all those considering facial reconstructions to consider the doctor carefully.
To consult with a leading specialist in the facial reconstructive fields, we encourage you to arrange a commitment-free consultation with Dr. Gale by calling 801 506-6344 or by filling out his online form.