LAM FACIAL PLASTICS

Hello Dr. Lam,

I will try to be as brief as possible, but first off, thank you for this site. I don't know if your answering of topics reaches beyond those that are potential plastic surgery patients, but as an aspiring plastic surgeon (I'm currently studying for my MCAT next Saturday), it's nice to know that there are doctors make time outside of work to address the concerns of others.

My father works in Korea and he returned home today in San Diego. He suffered a fall in which his face was injured and had to undergo some minor surgery. The injury was under his right eye...I think at about the cheekbone. In order to prevent scarification, my mother told me that he opted for a process that opens up the skin.
I don't know whether it was a lack of skill or whether it's a frequent occurrence during this type of surgery, but it looks as if someone took the skin from the back of his head and pulled it upwards and backwards. The distortion is symmetrical, but quite severe and I can't tell if the issue is strictly muscular, neural, or that of another nature. It has been a month since the surgery and although he said that there's been improvement, and the doctor said that his face would return to normal, I'm wondering if this is a permanent disfigurement or whether it's just an issue of time before it heals. And could you please briefly describe how this might have happened? I'm very interested to know what the physiological cause for this is.

I'm very hazy on many of the details as my father's been reluctant to discuss it and I'd like to not push the issue so as he doesn't feel any more self conscious than he already is. His obvious discomfort is seen in his reluctance to make eye contact, and initially, he greeted me by grabbing my face and shaking it back and forth; presumably so I couldn't stare at him. We've had a rocky relationship at best, so this type of greeting was definitely abnormal.

Again, thank you, Dr. Lam.

Sincerely,
Michael Jung

thanks for your trust in me to ask such a question. however, as you know this forum i cannot dispense direct medical advice without seeing your father in person; and i do not do traumatic cases anymore in my practice. whenever someone falls, you have to always worry about more than just soft tissue deficit. you have to be concerned of eye damage, brain injury, bone injury, bony floor of the eye damage, nerve damage, etc. most likely your father did not have all of this but you should see a physician possibly in the emergency room sooner than later to determine all of this. conditions like entrapped muscles of the eye or a broken floor of the orbit should be evaluated sooner than later. soft tissue injuries should be evaluated for infection, repairability, etc. early by a physician. all of this should be seen by a local physician, and i am truly unable to answer in more detail. please see a physician asap.
best wishes,
sml

thank you for your response Dr. Lam.

Since posting this thread, I have considered that my father may not be telling the truth about the nature of the disfiguration. The only no-scar procedures I have heard of are performed using minimally invasive techniques, and seem to be reserved for controlled surgeries; not as a method of patching up a trauma wound. And although I'm limited in knowledge, the fact that the effect is bilateral makes me doubt that a trauma wound on one side of the face could have had contralateral effects.

Whatever the case may be, I think he has seen a physician and he knows fully what it is and what will happen.

Thank you again for your help.

glad you figured out what is going on for him. again, thanks for asking the question. best wishes to both of you.
sml