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Face Injury

Injury to the face, including cheeks, forehead, jaws and soft tissues
Does not include injuries to the teeth, nose and eyes which are covered in other care guides

Cut or Scratch. Small cuts heal on their own. Deep cuts and cuts on lips may need stitches or glue to heal with less scarring.
Bruising. Swelling and bruising can get worse for a few days after an injury. The bruising may show below the injury. Bruises go away on their own over a few weeks. Bruises may change colors as they heal. If you have bruising around both eyes, call your doctor. This can be a sign of a broken bone.
Fractures (serious) can happen from hard hits to any part of the face. Symptoms of a facial fracture are:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Sore to touch
- Changes to face shape
- Vision problems
- Numbness
- Trouble chewing
Facial fractures sometimes need surgery to fix the bones. Call your doctor right away if you think you have a fracture.

Any head or facial injury could lead to a neck injury.
A broken neck can be deadly. Always call your doctor if you pass out or have a bad head or facial injury.

When to Call for Face Injury
Call 911 Now Major bleeding that can't be stopped Seizure Knocked out. Person is unconscious now. Hard to wake up, acting confused or slurred speech Chemical injury to the face (chemicals thrown in face) You think you have a life-threatening emergency Call Doctor or Seek Care Now Severe face pain Loss of feeling or tingling in any part of the face Increasing swelling or redness in the injured area Skin is cut and No past tetanus shots Change in vision in either eye or can't look up You think you have a serious injury You think you need to be seen, and the problem is urgent	Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours Bruises near the eye Teeth do not feel lined up right when the mouth is closed Dirty cut or hard to clean and no tetanus shot for more than 5 years Clean cut and no tetanus shot for more than 10 years You think you need to be seen, but the problem is not urgent Contact Doctor During Office Hours Pain is not better after 3 days Pain keeps you from work or other activities You have other questions or concerns	Self Care at Home Minor bruise or scrape, not involving the eye, nose or ear

The face has a good blood supply which means that it bruises and swells easily. It can bleed a lot if there is a wound. It also means that it often heals well.
For any bleeding, put direct pressure on the wound. Use a gauze pad or clean cloth. Press for 10 minutes or until the bleeding has stopped.
Wash the wound with soap and water for 5 minutes. Protect the eyes with a clean cloth.
To avoid scarring, even small wounds may need some form of wound closure, such as paper stitches or glue. This is also true of wounds that cross the edge of the lip. Ask your doctor if you are not sure what is needed.
For cuts or scrapes, use an antibiotic ointment (such as Polysporin). No prescription is needed. Put it on the cut 3 times a day. Do this for 3 days.
Cover large scrapes with a bandage. Change daily.

Cold Pack. Put a cold pack or ice wrapped in a wet cloth on to a bruised area. Do this for 20 minutes. This will help stop the bleeding and swelling. Repeat as needed. Do not put the ice directly onto the skin.
Bruising. A black eye often takes 1 to 2 days to show. You may see bruising lower down your face than the actual site of the injury.
Sleeping propped up at night will help reduce swelling and may help with pain as well.
Then Heat. After 48 hours, use a warm wet cloth for 10 minutes. Do this 3 times per day. Reason: to help reabsorb the blood.

Wash the skin right away with clean water.
Get someone to check the information on the bottle of the chemical (if available) for what to do if you get the chemical on your skin.
If in doubt, wash the skin for 15 to 20 minutes and seek care.
The Poison Control Center is a good resource for what to do and how to manage chemical splashes. Call them at 1-800-222-1222.

To help with the pain, take an acetaminophen product (such as Tylenol).
Another choice is an ibuprofen product (such as Advil). Ibuprofen works well for this type of pain.
Use as needed but do not take more than the maximum recommended dosage as stated on the package.
If you are not sure what to take, ask a pharmacist.