Facial trauma can significantly impact not only your appearance but also critical functions, such as breathing, chewing, speaking, and blinking.
At UPMC, our plastic surgeons use advanced facial reconstruction techniques to help you regain both function and confidence.
Facial trauma results from incidents such as falls, motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries, animal attacks, and assaults. These injuries can involve blunt trauma (such as hitting the pavement), penetrating trauma (knife or gunshot wounds), and avulsion (tissue torn away forcefully).
Facial trauma can cause broken bones, nerve damage, and soft tissue injuries to areas such as the ears, nose, eyelids, and lips.
Facial trauma includes:
Our goal is to restore facial contours and symmetry and improve vital functions like breathing, chewing, and speaking.
We provide comprehensive care for a wide range of facial trauma injuries, including:
Facial fractures (broken bones) including:
Soft tissue injuries, such as lacerations (cuts) or avulsions (parts torn away), including:
Our plastic surgeons are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and specialize in reconstructing complex facial injuries. Timing is critical – most facial fractures and nerve injuries need to be treated within a two-week window to ensure proper healing.
Our treatment includes:
Certain injuries may need several months to heal before reconstruction is completed. For complex cases like nose and ear reconstruction, we often perform procedures in stages for the best outcome.
At your initial visit, your plastic surgeon will perform a comprehensive physical examination and review your imaging studies. Most patients have already been evaluated in an emergency department before coming to the plastic surgery clinic.
If a CT scan was performed at a UPMC facility, your plastic surgeon will have direct access to it. If you were seen at a non-UPMC emergency department, our office can request the necessary scans before your visit.
During this consultation, your surgeon will discuss all available treatment options and help you determine if surgery is the right choice for your recovery. For fresh facial fractures, surgery is ideally scheduled within the first two weeks of the injury.
Our team uses advanced techniques, including 3D-printed models and custom surgical plates. We may collaborate with oral surgeons or other specialists to provide the best possible care.
Being seen early — ideally within the first week — allows our plastic surgeons to effectively plan your treatment and use the latest technology to achieve optimal outcomes.
It’s never too late to seek care. Even if weeks, months, or years have passed since the injury, our skilled plastic surgeons can still perform reconstructive procedures to improve both appearance and function. We can develop a personalized plan to help you, no matter when the trauma occurred.
If you’ve experienced a facial injury, time is critical.
Schedule a consultation with our expert plastic surgery team at UPMC for a customized treatment plan that will help restore both your appearance and function.
By UPMC Editorial Staff. Last reviewed on 2025-02-28 by Mario Solari, MD.
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