Removal of Metal Plates from Face?

I would see someone who does a lot of facial trauma. I have a cosmetic practice but cover trauma call at Cook county of Chicago so I see a lot of facial truama there. Seeing someone in a high volume center is a good idea.

The goal of facial plating is to secure the bones while they heal. It is not uncommon to have to remove the plates after things have healed because of the delicate facial skin, nerves and muscles. The plates can be replaced but if everything is healed you likely no longer require that support.

Best of luck,

DrC

The plates that are used to hold the bones in place as they heal rarely need to be removed. However, the plates can sometimes cause problems and if they are causing trouble, they can be removed after about 6 months in most cases.  I would suggest you get evaluated by a surgeon with an interest and expertise in taking care of facial trauma to evaluate you, because not all surgeons have that interest.  Good luck!

Repair of facial fractures is technically difficult. The plates and screws hold the bones in position while they heal. If you see a board certified plastic surgeon or oral & Maxillofacial surgeon the can be removed without replacement. The bone should be healed now.
Good luck.

Dr. ES

You have been through a lot and you can be helped.  It will be necessary to obtain your hospital records and all the scans. The operative report by the surgeon and the records can be reviewed at your consult.The reconstruction plates can be removed but it will entail re-opening the area and risking new scar.It is important to see several surgeons to see who might do the best job of helping you.

Thanks for your question and I'm sorry to hear of the problems you've been having.To answer your specific question about what kind of doctor should you go to, the short answer is: you should go to someone who specialises in post traumatic facial reconstruction - whether that be a plastic surgeon, facial plastic surgeon, maxillofaciallosurgeon, craniofacial surgeon, whoever. I am a plastic surgeon so I am biased towards my own discipline, but you need someone good to handle your revision case.In terms of what needs to be done, you will need imaging, such as CT, to determine where things are. Your surgeon will then make a plan to get things to where they should be - removing plates/ performing osteotomies (cut the bones)/ bone grafting (taking bone from elsewhere to place in any bony defects)/ putting things back where they should be and then holding them there with plates and screws.Nerve damage is often a consequence of the initial injury and not the treatment, so there are no guarantees of cure there. Sometimes medications can help with this. The swelling following revision facial trauma surgery is often worse than that associated with the original injury.Good luck with your treatment and I hope this helps.