Facial Trauma FAQs

The easiest thing for you to do if you have swelling of the face is to ice it as quickly as possible. Keeping your head elevated, even while you’re sleeping, can also help reduce the swelling of your face due to an injury. 

In most cases a facial bruising will go away on its own in about two weeks. Icing your bruise and keeping your head elevated can provide some relief. After a day or two, use warm treatment to increase blood flow to the affected area. 

There are some common symptoms that may indicate you have a broken cheekbone. If you notice a flatness of the cheek, vision problems, pain when moving your jaw or an uncomfortable sensation under your eye, your cheekbone may be broken. 

How long a fractured eye socket takes to heal depends on many factors. Swelling and bruising will normally go away after one week, but the fracture itself can take much longer to heal. How severe your facture is will determine your length of recovery.

Facial swelling can be caused from minor or major medical situations. It’s considered dangerous if your swelling is the result of an allergic reaction, eye infection, side effect of medication or hormonal disturbance. 

Facial fractures can be treated in one of two ways - an open or a closed reduction. A closed reduction is performed by resetting bones without the patient undergoing surgery. An open reduction requires surgery to reset the alignment of broken bones. Reconstructive surgery may be needed for complex fractures or several broken bones.