Soft tissue injury
It can vary from small cut wounds to big abrasive wounds and degloving wounds. The primary aim is to clean the wound thoroughly and help heal with minimal scarring. The surgical procedure will vary according to the type of wound and amount of soft tissue loss. Simple cut wounds can be sutured whereas bigger wounds will require skin graft or flap surgery to aid in healing.
- Does a small cut would which is less than a centimeter needs to be stitched?
- Do I need to stay in the hospital?
- How to take care of the wound?
- Treatment of scars
- Will I need a second surgery?
- Will the lost hair lost on the mustache and eyebrow regrow?
A deep small cut needs to be sutured as it will help to minimize the scar.
If the procedure is done only under local anesthaesia then the patient can go home after the operation
Bigger wounds which are bleeding profusely or multiple wounds that need to be cleaned and stitched may require general anaesthesia. In some cases where there is tissue loss, a skin graft or flap surgery may be done to close the wound. In such instances the patient will need to be admitted in the hospital.
If there is no dressing, the patient can start to wash his face regularly with facewash and then apply antiseptic ointment. This will help to keep the wound clean and prevent any infection. The sutures then are removed after a week. In case of skin grafting the patient will have a dressing for 2 weeks. Patient can start to wash the face after the dressing is removed.
The patient initiates scar massage about a week after the stitches are removed. The process of massaging the scar is taught to the patient who will do it for about a year. Sometimes a little extra help may be required to settle scars. This involves the use of pressure garments and silicone gel sheet application.
This will depend on the scar healing. Scar massage needs to be done for a minimum of 6 months to soften the scar and prior to deciding on the need for a correction surgery. There are chances for the scar to become big or distort the facial structures, we can correct them with flaps or fat grafting.
Hair does not regrow on the scar line. However once healing occurs hair growth in the adjacent area may mask the scar. If required a procedure called Hair Transplant maybe done to help cover the scar.