What You Need To Know About Minor Face Trauma

Minor Face Trauma is often an occupational hazard for any tradesman, especially those who work in high-risk environments like construction or mining. More often than not, it’s a result of a major blow to the face that leaves you with a black eye or swollen cheek. In many cases, you’ll even have some bruising on the other side of your face from where your skull absorbed the impact. This blog is designed to give you a better understanding of what causes minor face trauma and what you can do to prevent it.

Causes of Trauma to the Face

Facial injuries mostly affect the skin, cheek, nose, lower jaw, or forehead. Here are the common reason for face trauma:

• Blow to the face, usually due to ‘blow back’ from falling on an object or hitting your face in a machinery.
• Knife attack, usually in a crime situation.
• Struck by a heavy object, like a refrigerator or car. This is more common in car accidents.
• Falling from a height onto your face.
• Falling stairs.
• Slipping and falling onto your face, usually on the ice or slippery floors. This is a common cause among older adults who are unsteady.
• Dropping heavy objects on your face.
• Collision with an object, like a bike, or when you trip onto it.

Symptoms

If the impact is greater than your bone and soft tissue, then you will have an obvious injury. The area can be swollen, red and tender, especially around the eye. If you have any bruising on the other side of your face or around your ears, then it’s likely that your skull has absorbed the impact. The severity of the trauma depends on the force of the impact and how it was absorbed. Thus, minor trauma can become a major one if it’s not properly treated.

Tests and Exams

Health care will conduct a physical examination of your head and face, looking for the following:

• Size and location of swelling;
• Direction and type of any lacerations;
• Examination of the ear canal, nose and mouth to ensure no bleeding or obstruction. It’s also important to find a broken or loose tooth to extract it without surgery safely. A CT scan can help determine any fractures of the skull. Moreover, take note of any stains on your face that may indicate blood.

Treatment

The treatment depends on the seriousness of the trauma and the extent of damage done to your face. If you’re lucky, you might only need some medical treatment for stitches and pain medication. If not, surgery may get recommended. Major reconstructive surgery is needed if your face gets severely damaged. The treatment usually takes 2-3 weeks, depending on the extent of the damage and aftercare requirements.

Skin care, Facial trauma, Oral hygiene and Mucus drainage can be found here to keep your face healthy and looking good.

Prevention

Certain measures can help prevent minor face trauma:

1. Wearing of Helmet

A helmet is a great way to prevent face trauma, especially if you work in an environment where there’s a higher risk of it, such as construction or mining. More and more states are making it mandatory for construction workers to wear helmets when on the job.

2. Always Wearing Safety Glasses

Safety glasses are important for work in industries where dust and debris are common, such as construction or mining. Depending on the industry, safety glasses are also more exposed to face damage as they absorb more force than regular glasses.

3. Take Safety Precautions in Your Workplace

It’s essential to take safety precautions when working in any environment where there are risks of minor face trauma. The main point is to reduce the risk by taking protective measures that keep you away from falling objects, like installing handrails and other safety measures. Always use the proper safety gear and wear your helmet if working in a risky environment.

4. Wear Face Guard

We all know that helmets can be pretty uncomfortable and restrictive. In such cases, a protective face guard is a great alternative that keeps your face protected while still allowing you to enjoy the full functionality of your face.

6. Wear an Ear Protector

Wearing an ear protector is a great way to prevent minor face trauma. It protects your ears from breaking apart in case of an impact, or when you hit something hard. Depending on the type of ear protector you’re wearing, it can also absorb some of the force and reduce the pain. Be careful when buying these, as some aren’t made to be worn inside your ear.

Possible Complications

There are a lot of possible minor face trauma associated with the following:

1. Bleeding in the Nose or Mouth

This is very common in cases where the nose, lip, or mouth have been struck, bitten, or broken by an object. Often, stitches and nasal packing are needed to stop the bleeding.

2. Loss of Vision

If you suffer from a blow to your eye, it can easily result in a loss of vision. Even a minor blow to your eye can cause a lot of damage to the fragile tissues. It’s important to bear in mind that your vision is extremely precious and worth more than any minor face trauma.

3. Disfigurement

Depending on the location of the injury, it might result in disfigurement like scars, lacerations and missing sections of skin. The extent of the damage depends on the force of the impact, your blood pressure and whether you have a history of any previous injuries to your face.

4. Broken Tooth

If you have a tooth that gets broken, it’s important to try to avoid further damage. The best way to do this is by getting it fixed quickly and without an anesthetic. If you experience any pain or swelling from the extraction, you can choose an alternative, such as an oral surgical extraction or an oral extraction splint.

5. Traumatic Brain Injury

A minor head trauma can cause a severe traumatic brain injury if you don’t take proper measures for it. It’s important to seek medical assistance if you don’t experience any improvement to the condition after 2 days. The warning symptoms of a TBI are headache, nausea, vomiting and feeling tired. If your situation gets worse and you start to see problems with short term memory or make bad decisions that affect your job or social life, then you should consider visiting a neurologist.

6. Infections

Minor face trauma can easily lead to infection. The wound can easily become infected, especially if it is not cleaned properly or if the wound is not properly treated. Take note of any redness, swelling, or pain that might indicate a potential infection.

Conclusion

Minor face trauma is a prevalent condition that can affect anyone at any time. It’s important to understand the risk factors and the proper ways to prevent them. These tips can help you keep your face as safe and comfortable as possible.