Congenital disabilities, accidents, illnesses, and complex treatments will likely alter your facial structure and function. Damage to your face’s soft tissues and bones will affect your ability to eat, smile, blink, and talk. You will always feel conscious about your social interactions for fear that people will be staring at your scar, reminding you of how you gained it. Dr. Dustin Heringer is a skilled facial reconstruction in Scottsdale plastic surgeon who helps patients recover from injuries long after the pain is gone.
What Techniques Will Your Doctor Use in Facial Reconstruction?
Facial reconstruction aims at returning your facial form and structure as close as it was to your normal skin so that you do not have permanent consequences from a mole, accident, or cured cancer. Wound healing is a complex process that might take approximately a year for scar maturation to occur. During the healing phase, your scar could look worse before it improves, and it could take more than a single procedure to achieve optimal results. Throughout the treatment, your doctor’s goal will be to allow you to live your everyday life without worrying about how other people will view your face. The techniques your surgeon could use include:
Primary Repair
The reconstruction involves repairing your wound edges with sutures. Your surgeon will first make the wound longer before he sutures the wound to make them even. Your final scar will be approximately two or three times longer than the original scar. A seemingly longer scar with smooth edges will appear less visible than a compound and short bunch-edged scar. Your doctor will make the incisions along your face’s natural lines for them to blend in and result in less visible scars. During the whole treatment, your surgeon’s goal will be to have the best orientation of your scar and minimize your scar’s visibility when you finally heal.
Skin Grafting
The procedure prompts your doctor to harvest skin from one of your body parts to repair the defect. Your doctor can either take the skin as partial-thickness (shaving your top layer skin without an incision) or total thickness (surgically removing the skin). The skin your doctor will select depends on the color, thickness, and texture similar to the treatment area.
Local Flap Reconstruction
The reconstruction type involves using the skin adjacent to the treatment to repair the defect. The flap your surgeon will choose will depend on location, defect size, and your skin’s unique characteristics in that location. Though the final result might have an irregular shape, your doctor’s goal will be to re-drape your skin and hide your scars in your facial lines.
How is Recovery From Facial Reconstruction Surgery?
Recovering from the reconstructive procedure is a variable experience. Your recovery will depend on factors like your age, general health, attitude, pain tolerance, your face’s underlying damage, and your surgeon’s techniques. Your surgeon will advise you to avoid specific environments, activities, and go for your follow-up appointments after the surgery. He will also expect you to alert him when an issue arises, especially in your treatment area.
Though you cannot erase the experience of your scar’s cause, you do not have to live with a permanent reminder that you had cancer or were involved in an accident. Book an appointment today to discuss the best option you could use to hide your scars.
