Maxillofacial injuries: Expert insights on causes, symptoms, treatment and recovery tips for facial trauma

Facial traumas are different types of physical traumas that appear on the face and they can be burns, scars, lacerations, nasal fractures or any other kind of facial bone fractures, as well as bruises or eye injuries. Facial fractures occur in the bones of the face, such as the jaw, nose and eye sockets.

Dr Debraj Shome, Senior Cosmetic Surgeon and Director at The Esthetic Clinics, explained, “Maxillofacial injuries cause disfigurement, if not treated well or fast enough. They can appear right after an accident, or even later after it. Some of the common maxillofacial injuries are the eyelid, orbital, maxillary, mandibular or general facial abnormalities.”

Causes:

Dr Debraj Shome revealed, “The causes could be accidents, or injuries while playing some sports. Contact sports like rugby and boxing are especially dangerous, as car accidents, or any other way through which damage can occur directly to your face. The most common cause is a road car accident. Because people do not wear their seatbelts or do not respect the general rules of driving safely, even in the cases when the car isn’t damaged, they can suffer trauma. Because of the motion inertia, when the car stops all of a sudden, they can hit their head on things inside the car, such as the mirror or any other thing. It is highly recommended to follow even the simplest rules of driving safely because you never know when that can save you from serious trauma.”

Symptoms:

Facial trauma can lead to a range of symptoms that should not be overlooked. Dr Debraj Shome highlighted, “Aside from the obvious physical signs such as cuts, bruises, or swelling, individuals may experience difficulty moving their jaw or opening their mouth fully. This restriction may be accompanied by pain and tenderness around the affected area, making it challenging to perform everyday tasks like eating or speaking comfortably. In some cases, facial trauma can also result in vision disturbances due to damage near the eye region.”

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He added, “Moreover, for those who have suffered facial trauma, emotional distress is a common but often overlooked symptom. The impact of an injury on one's appearance can lead to feelings of self-consciousness and low self-esteem. It is crucial for individuals experiencing these psychological effects to seek support and counseling in addition to medical treatment for their physical symptoms. By addressing both the visible and hidden repercussions of facial trauma, individuals can work towards holistic healing and recovery.”

Why ignoring facial trauma is not a good idea?

The facial trauma itself is not usually a threat to your life but it is associated, almost always, with more complicated diseases. Dr Debraj Shome cautioned, “It can cause disfigurement, in the long term, if you choose to ignore it, and it will surely cause problems with your general well-being and your facial appearance. It’s best to check and treat everything in time before it gets more complicated.”

The diagnosis:

Earlier, the most used way of diagnosis used to be radiography, the usage of X-rays to show the bones. Dr Debraj Shome elaborated, “The bones are generally the ones that get hurt most often, therefore they are checked first. The best way of discovering all the effects of facial traumas is, however, through CT scans - The current gold standard of face trauma detection and cure. The CT scan (Computed Tomography scan) can scan your facial skeleton and make 3 3-dimensional images, exactly showing each fractured bone in detail. ”

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He asserted, “This is a better way of finding out what's wrong with the face; however, it's not available in every hospital. It is the most effective one, and in cases where people have suffered multiple injuries, it is needed, but it's not always done. Another way of diagnosis is also the angiography, which provides images of the insides of the blood vessels; this way of diagnosis is used when there are large bruises on the face, as there could be bleeding somewhere.”

Treating facial traumas:

Dr Debraj Shome informed, “This kind of surgery uses plastic reconstructive surgery techniques that range from techniques of primary closure or dressings to skin grafts, free flaps, or tissue expansion. Reconstructive surgeries also include surgeries to treat unhealed facial fractures, or badly fixed facial fractures and techniques to treat asymmetry on the face, such as post a depressed maxillary or frontal bone fracture.”

Recovery after maxillofacial surgery:

Dr Debraj Shome concluded, “The recovery depends on the trauma and the type of surgery. If the surgery wasn't such a complicated one, the recovery might be fast. In just a few days, the patients may be as well as before the surgery. However, in more serious surgeries, that take a longer time, the recovery period consists of a separate treatment, rest, and a lot of care of the patient. The most common recovery time is about two weeks. After two weeks, the patients are usually able to go back to work and the other activities they used to do before. It is usually mandatory post maxillary and mandibular and Le Fort fracture repair to not chew hard food and be on a liquid diet for weeks post-trauma surgery.”