Trauma and laceration repair involves assessment and treatment of cuts, soft-tissue injuries and wounds caused by accidents, falls, bites, sports injuries or other trauma.
Plastic surgical principles can be helpful when wounds involve the face, eyelids, lips, nose, hands, exposed structures, tissue loss or areas where scar placement and function are important.
The priority is safe wound management: cleaning, removal of non-viable tissue where needed, protection of important structures, appropriate closure and follow-up scar care.
This page provides general information and should not replace consultation with a qualified medical practitioner. Suitability, risks, recovery and outcomes vary between individuals.
When urgent assessment is important
Some wounds need prompt medical attention because of infection risk, depth or involvement of important structures.
- deep facial cuts or wounds crossing the lip, eyelid, eyebrow or nose
- wounds with numbness, weakness or loss of movement
- exposed tendon, bone, cartilage or foreign material
- animal or human bites
- crush injuries, dirty wounds or delayed presentation
- heavy bleeding or rapidly increasing swelling
Assessment of a traumatic wound
Assessment includes how the injury occurred, contamination, tetanus status, sensation, movement, blood supply, wound depth and whether imaging or other specialists are needed.
Not every wound should simply be stitched closed immediately. Some require cleaning, debridement, antibiotics, staged closure or specialist assessment first.
Repair and reconstruction options
Simple lacerations may be repaired with layered closure. More complex injuries may require flap repair, grafting, tendon or nerve assessment, or staged reconstruction.
For facial wounds, repair aims to align important landmarks and place tension carefully, while recognising that every cut heals with a scar.
Scar care and follow-up
Scar maturation takes months. Follow-up may include wound checks, suture removal, silicone gel or sheets, sun protection, massage when appropriate and monitoring for hypertrophic or keloid scarring.
Scar revision may be considered later if a mature scar remains raised, widened, painful, tight or poorly aligned.
Risks and limitations
Risks include infection, bleeding, wound breakdown, visible scarring, hypertrophic or keloid scar, altered sensation, stiffness, contour irregularity, retained foreign body, need for revision and functional impairment depending on injury severity.
FAQs
Will a plastic surgeon repair leave no scar?
No. Any cut through the skin heals with a scar. Careful repair and scar care can help, but scars cannot be eliminated.
When should a facial cut be seen?
Deep cuts, wounds near the eyelid, lip, nose or eyebrow, bites, contaminated wounds, numbness, weakness or heavy bleeding should be assessed promptly.
Can an old trauma scar be improved?
Sometimes. Options depend on scar maturity, location, thickness, colour, tightness and symptoms. The degree of improvement varies between individuals.
Related pages
Enquire about assessment
If you would like to discuss whether this procedure or treatment area is relevant to your situation, please submit an enquiry. A formal consultation is needed before any personalised advice can be given.