Dr. Shareef Jandali: Dog Bite Scar Revisions

Local Plastic Surgeon Dr. Shareef Jandali is a regular contributor to Fairfield HamletHub. In this installment, he discusses Dog Bite Scar Revisions.

Dog bites to the face are common in both children and adults. They often occur with one's own pets, but also can occur when least expected with stranger's dogs or stray dogs. These are usually treated in the emergency room by a plastic surgeon. The wounds are washed out to decrease the risk of infection. Due to the bacteria present in dogs' mouths, there is a higher risk of infection with a dog bite than a clean laceration. The lacerations are often sutured together loosely to allow them to drain. If they are closed tightly and not allowed to drain, they often become infected and need to be opened. Patients are always checked to make sure that they are up to date on their immunizations, especially tetanus. The dog's rabies vaccination status is important information which will guide further treatment also. Patients are discharged from the emergency room on antibiotics.

A recent report in the March issue of the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery showed that dog bites often require repeated plastic surgery procedures to deal with persistent scarring. The study reviewed 10 years worth of data in children and showed that regardless of the severity of the dog bite, most of them needed some sort of revision procedure to improve the appearance of the scar. The study also showed that in 95% of cases, the dog was known to the patient and family. When the dog breed was known, the most common was Pit Bull, followed by Chow, German Shepherd, and Doberman Pinscher. In more than three-fourths of cases, the child underwent additional scar revision surgery to improve the cosmetic appearance. About one-fourth of patients needed a second or even third revision surgery.

Dr. Shareef Jandali
www.JandaliPlasticSurgery.com