My daughter was bitten by a dog and has a lip laceration (a chunk was taken out on her upper lip) that they didn’t close up saying it would be better to leave it be for a little bit to see if it would heal better on its own. Will she have a huge divot in her lip forever? Or is there something better we could be doing?
Hello, dog bites are very common in children, nose, cheek and lips are mostly affected.
If you could share a picture I can give you my best advice.
Thanks for the consultation.
Based on the picture posted and considering the age of your daughter, 9 month. The defect is not very large and can be surgically repaired.
Two things to consider. Dog bites can get infected, may be that is why they advised to leave open. The other factor to consider if surgery is contemplated, the child is very young to do under local anesthesia, must be general anesthesia. Also closing the defect may get infected. But approximating the white roll line is important to align the li in proper anatomical position with probably less scarring. Best to consult with a board certified plastic surgeon in your area for close follow up
From looking at the picture it is possible that a chunk was not taken out and that it is just an open wound. After waiting a few days to determine if there is no infection the wound could be closed and revised later if needed. You need to make an appointment with a board certified or eligible ABPS surgeon close to your home right now.
Thanks a lot for the picture. Seems to me that, this messing portion of the lip should be reconstructed with surgery. There are some excellent options, but basically what you are looking for is: the normal function of the lip and the best possible scar. Sometimes, with the advancement of the pink portion of the lip, will reduce a lot the lip deficit, however, some upper lip skin is missing, and this should be repaired too.
In conclusion, an excellent result should be expected with the proper reconstructive procedure. I hope this information is useful to you.
The lip was likely left open to minimize the risk of infection from the bite, which is a very dirty injury. From the picture, it seems the muscle and other soft tissue has pulled away (retracted), so unless a removed "chunk" was seen, there is probably no tissue missing. Left on its on, the edges will not pull together without leaving a divot, The lip need to be closed with precise alignment of all layers (mucosa - the wet red inner lip, muscle, outer red lip, and skin.) That can be done soon after injury or as a revision after healing. As it has been several days since the injury, inflammation and contamination may require a refreshing of the wound to close or waiting a longer period of before doing anything more, Seeing a board certified plastic surgeon now helps determine whether something might be done to hasten healing or minimize initial deformity, and what and when would be best to do a definitive repair. With care, the final appearance of the lip should be good.