Facial lacerations are cuts on the face and occur commonly during incidents such as assault, car accidents or falls. They can occur in any age group.

In addition to the cuts on the skin, other structures under the skin such as nerves and tissue ducts may be cut. These may need to be repaired.

If you have suffered any trauma to your face and sustained a cut on your skin, then you should seek medical attention for possible treatment.

If the skin edges are gaping and you can see yellow fat just under your skin it means your cut has gone all the way through your skin. In this case you would benefit from repair of the laceration.

If your wound has gone through your skin and you choose not to repair it there are a number of things that may happen. Your wound may become infected. Your wound may heal with an irregular or lumpy scar. The scar may contract leading to disfigurement.

It may be possible to glue your wound. Our plastic surgeons will discuss this option with you if it is suitable.

The earlier the better, ideally within 6-12 hours from the injury to prevent infection.

You most likely will be able to claim from your insurance policy.

Most lacerations can be repaired under local anaesthesia. General anaesthesia may be needed if your laceration is very large or other structures, such as nerves, need to be repaired or if the patient is very young and unable to co-operate during the procedure.