What are facial injuries?

Facial injuries can include:

• cuts and grazes on your face
• bruises or a black eye
• a broken nose or fractures to other bones in your face
• injuries to your eyes
• injuries that affect your mouth, tongue, teeth or jaw, including a dislocated jaw
• dental injuries
• injuries that affect your airway

Some minor injuries can be managed at home. More severe injuries will need urgent medical attention.

What symptoms are related to facial injuries?

Your injuries may cause symptoms such as:

• pain or tenderness
• swelling
• deformity
• bruising or bleeding, including nosebleed
• trouble moving your jaw or eyes
• problems with your eyesight or double vision
• numbness in an area of your face

When should I see my doctor?

See your doctor (GP) as soon as possible if you have minor injuries to your face. Anyone who has had a head injury should see a doctor.

When to seek urgent care

Some facial injuries need urgent medical treatment.

What should I do while waiting for the ambulance?

While you are waiting for the ambulance, give first aid.

To make sure the person has a clear airway:

• check if their mouth and throat are clear
• if the airway is clear, leave them in the position you found them in
• if a foreign object can be seen in the airway, roll the patient onto their side and clear their airway with your fingers
• gently tilt their head back and lift their chin to clear their airway

First aid for a facial injury:

• apply pressure to any bleeding point with a clean cloth or dressing
• if there is an embedded object in the wound, such as a long piece of glass or a stick, leave it where it is — removing it could cause more damage or serious bleeding
• apply firm pressure around the sides of an embedded object to help control bleeding
• position padding around the object to prevent the object from moving
• do not put any pressure on the object itself

What causes facial injuries?

Facial injuries can affect any part of your face. They can be caused by:

• accidents such as traffic accidents or workplace accidents
• falls in older people or children
• sporting injuries
• assault
• self-harm

How are facial injuries assessed and diagnosed?

Your doctor will ask about what caused your injury and what symptoms you have. They will examine you and will also check for other injuries.

They will check for:

• any problems with your airway, breathing or circulation
• major bleeding
• problems with your eyesight (vision)
• signs of head injury and concussion
• spinal injuries

Depending on your injuries, your doctor may recommend tests, such as:

• x-rays
• a CT scan
• an MRI scan

Your doctor may refer you to specialists, such as:

• an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor
• a maxillofacial surgeon
• an ophthalmologist (eye doctor)
• a dentist

How are facial injuries treated?

You can treat some minor facial wounds or cuts yourself. Medical treatment, often in hospital, is needed for serious injuries, including:

• a dislocated jaw
• facial fractures, including a broken nose
• eye injuries

Treatment may involve surgery.

You may need to see a dentist if you have dental injuries.

Self-care at home for minor facial injuries

First-aid for minor cuts or grazes on your face can include the following:

• Wash the injured area thoroughly but gently.
• If there is anything in a cut or graze, such as gravel, gently try to remove as much as you can.
• Pat the area dry with a clean cloth.
• Cover the cut or graze with an adhesive plaster, bandage or sterile dressing.
• Change the dressing regularly until the wound has healed.
• If the wound is not bleeding, bathe it with clean water.

Hold an icepack over any bruises to reduce the swelling. A frozen bag of peas wrapped in a clean tea towel makes a good icepack. Do not put ice directly on your skin (the bag of peas can be repeatedly re-frozen, but don't eat the peas).

Read about first-aid for nosebleeds or mouth and tongue cuts. You may need additional treatment from your doctor for a bleeding nose.

Other treatment for facial injuries

Large wounds may need:

• stitches
• closure with medical glue
• taping with a 'butterfly bandage'

Your doctor may recommend tetanus immunisation (vaccine) after some injuries.

What are the complications of facial injuries?

Complications of facial injuries can include:

• infected wounds
• bruising or bleeding
• changed facial appearance
• problems with your eyesight

See your doctor if your injuries are not healing as expected or if you develop new symptoms.

Can facial injuries be prevented?

There are some steps you can take to help prevent facial injuries, such as:

• wearing protective gear when playing sport (such as mouthguards, eyewear and helmets)
• wearing a seatbelt
• driving a vehicle fitted with airbags
• making adjustments at home to prevent falls in older people

Resources and support

For first-aid information and fact sheets in English and other languages, visit St John Ambulance Australia. You can also call them on 1300 ST JOHN (1300 785 646).

Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 for 24/7 crisis support.

1800RESPECT is the National Sexual Assault, Family & Domestic Violence Counselling Service. Call 1800 737 732 for confidential information, counselling and support.

You can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available to speak with you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.