Facial Trauma Reconstruction

Ohio: 216.445.9259 Florida: 877.463.2010

So much of your identity is connected to your face. And a traumatic injury to it can change your life in a split second.

Not only can these injuries shatter your appearance and confidence, but they can also make it hard to speak, smile, see or eat. And it all can leave you worrying about what’s next. Sometimes, the most important part of recovery is looking and feeling more like yourself again. But when you’re dealing with the challenges (and stress) of facial trauma, it can feel like getting back to “normal” may never happen.

At Cleveland Clinic, our skilled healthcare providers understand these concerns. And we can give you hope with the expert care and support you need to recover physically and emotionally after face trauma. A care team with unmatched expertise in facial reconstructive surgery will work to repair your injuries so you can start doing the things you want — while looking more like yourself again.

Why Choose Cleveland Clinic for Facial Reconstructive Surgery?

Recognized expertise:

Our surgeons pioneered the highly complex, free flap tissue transfer technique for total nose reconstruction and disorders of the eye sockets, cheeks and mouth. This has advanced the worldwide standard for facial trauma reconstruction.

Comprehensive treatment:

At Cleveland Clinic, all the facial trauma services you need are under one roof. From primary facial reconstruction and scar revision to physical therapy and speech therapy, you never need to go anywhere else for complete care. Meet our team.

Quality focus:

Our team’s experience leads to excellent outcomes. Our success rates in microvascular reconstruction are among the highest in the United States (98% to 99%). We also have some of the lowest postoperative complication rates and shortest hospital stays after reconstructive microvascular surgery.

National recognition:

Cleveland Clinic is a trusted healthcare leader. We're recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for our expertise and care.

Virtual visits:

Not all appointments need to be in person. For things like follow-ups, you might be able to schedule virtual visits. You can meet one-on-one with your providers from home — on a smartphone, computer or tablet.

Facial Trauma Reconstruction Diagnosis at Cleveland Clinic

To prepare for your surgery, your care team will work with you to map out exactly how we’ll be doing repairs to your face. This can include in-depth imaging tests so we can get a closer look at your face from the inside out.

The latest imaging technology like 3D CT scanners allow us to take highly detailed pictures of the bones, muscles, nerves and blood vessels in your face. We use CT scans from the start of your diagnosis and treatment to check out your injuries and see if you have damage like facial fractures and soft tissue trauma.

If you need more than one reconstructive surgery, we’ll do CT scans between each of your procedures to check on your progress and plan your next treatment. We also do these scans during surgery so we can precisely place hardware, implants and grafts — which can lead to better results.

Meet Our Facial Trauma Reconstruction Team

When you choose Cleveland Clinic for facial trauma reconstruction, you’ll benefit from our team approach to seamless care. You’ll work with providers from different specialties who’ll support you every step of the way. This team could include:

Facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons.
Plastic surgeons.
Otolaryngologists.
Neurosurgeons.
Oral surgeons.
Maxillofacial surgeons.
Dermatologists.
Neurologists.
Speech-language therapists.
Physical therapists.
Anesthesiologists.
Nurse practitioners.
Physician assistants.

Providers Who Perform Facial Trauma Reconstruction

Locations

Our healthcare providers see patients at convenient locations throughout Ohio and Florida.

Facial Trauma Reconstruction Treatment at Cleveland Clinic

We’ll carefully plan your treatment to make sure you have the best possible quality of life at every stage of the process. We include you in all the decisions about your personalized treatment plan. Keeping you involved helps us make sure we’re meeting your needs and goals.

Facial fracture treatment

Facial fractures are one of the most common forms of trauma to the face. We care for all types of fractures, including forehead, eye socket, cheekbone, nose and jaw. Our providers are experienced in the most complex injuries, including multiple facial fractures and Le Fort mid-face fractures. Facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons work with oral and maxillofacial surgeons to get the best possible results for you.

We can do different things to repair and reconstruct your damaged facial bones, including:

Open reduction and fixation: We realign the broken bones and secure them with plates, wires, screws or other hardware.
Bone grafting: Your providers may use bones from somewhere else in your body or from donors to rebuild parts of your face. This is known as bone grafting.
Implants: 3D imaging lets us create custom-fit plates and implants for severe jaw and tooth injuries.

Free flap surgery

Our surgeons are leaders in the advanced technique of free flap surgery (microvascular tissue transfer). We take flaps of tissue that contain blood vessels from one area of your body and transfer them to the area that needs repairing. Flaps may contain skin, bone, fat and soft tissue. We carefully connect blood vessels from the flap to the blood vessels in your face using tiny stitches.

This reconstructive technique leads to improved function and appearance. We may recommend free flap surgery for nose reconstruction surgery or orbitomaxillary reconstruction. Orbitomaxillary surgery involves the cheek, eye socket and roof of your mouth (hard palate).

Scar revision surgery

Past reconstructive surgeries on your face may have left large or thick scars. Severe scarring can be painful or keep you from making facial expressions. If so, we might recommend scar revision surgery to relieve pain or make the scars less noticeable.

Our providers are experts in the latest scar revision techniques and have pioneered ways to minimize the appearance of scars. This may include hiding new incisions (cuts) in skin creases, along your hairline or behind your ears to make them less visible.

Taking the Next Step

Recovering after a traumatic injury to your face can be a long, stressful process. It may involve several different surgeries and a lot of rehabilitation. Your dedicated Cleveland Clinic care team knows that it can be a challenge. That’s why they’ll guide and support you through every phase of your facial trauma reconstruction. We’ll help you manage your care and connect you to everything you need, so you can focus on healing physically and emotionally.