Dog bite on face - 33 years - multiple scars

[MTTA]

Hi. I'm a 33 years old male. I've been bitten 3 months ago by a dog and have now multiple scars on my face that are poorly healing. Obvious to say that i'm destroyed inside. Is anyone in similar condition that would like to chat me?

[MissUnique]

So sorry to learn this has happened to you.

[Pinkteaa]

Sorry it happened to u, just can suggest to do regular check up with doctor abt it, before the skin died and left unhealed scar properly.

[jjoy22]

Hi.I am sure you will heal a lot more as it is time you need to heal.

Have you had medical help?

If so,what?

Good medical help plus allowing time to heal is necessary.

Very important you get the best medical care asap.

[MTTA]

Hi jjoy22. Unfortunately i had a bigger bad luck than the bites. My dermatologist who was guiding me for healing wanted to apply vascular laser on my scars (she said it would be harmless). And in the 3 spots she applied she gave me second degree burns (with major blistering). Now i have burns over scars (i'm 2,5 months post burns and 4 post bite). It's been hell. I have now tissue loss over scars that were red but linear. I even don't know if that is possible a scar revision now. They are wide and in critical spots... I'm very sad about it. Feel disfigured and without hope to get ok.

[jjoy22]

You are alive so there is hope!

Is there a better professional person to seek another opinion from?

[MTTA]

I went to a second dermatologist 15 days ago. He said to come back in October and he wants to do Co2 laser or Fraxel laser. But searching on google i couldn't find any photo with atrophic scars (with tissue loss (sunken)) that got better with laser. So i'm scared to do even worse. I'm planning to see a plastic surgeon on september and listen to what he has to offer. I also saw that microneedling (dermapen) helped someone with atrophic scar, but it could be photoshop... I was applying silicone gel and sheets til now but i'm not seing improvement... Someone recommended me to apply castor oil.

I'm so afraid to be doomed with these burns+scars. If they were in a different part of the face like cheeks i wouldnt mind so much but they are above my lip, just above my hairface line, so i can't even disguise it by using beard. They are so wide and I can see them far far from the mirror.

[CALIkayak in reply to MTTA]

I'm covered in goosebumps, MTTA. My riding injury occurred twenty-three years ago this Friday and I can't believe there's someone else out there that has also had similar horrible experience with animals. I want to hear about your story, and maybe share some coping advice together, especially around meeting new folks. Now, what I'm going to share is that I've never gotten used to telling my story; I was 42 when it happened, and I've gotten such widely different responses, so I rarely speak of it, just try to "wear it well;" let foks wonder and then think, "Wow. She is not fazed in the least by that..." Anyway, you coming forward has made me brave enough to tell my story.

I was visiting a ranch one weekend, standing with some other women and horses in a pasture and one horse turned around and grabbed me by the face. He tossed me thirty feet through the air, his teeth leaving a quarter-sized hole in my chin; he also crushed my mandibular nerve, paralyzing the left half of my face. I was concussed so all I remember is thudding onto the ground and coming to afterwards, my face absolutely on fire from the bite.

It was 3:30 when I arrived at the ER and was hospitalized for eleven days. Over the next four years, I had major reconstructive surgeries, including a transplant to resolve the paralysis. I have learned a lot along the way; luckily my injury occurred near San Francisco, where the most exceptional medical healers (micro-neurosurgeons, psychologists) came forward over and over for me; the universe has a way of doing that.

One last note: even though I had ab exceptional support team throughout those years, my injury broke me. Completely crushed me. I never showed it but if you'd asked me back then, how long I thought I'd "be around" ... twenty-three years is two decades longer than I'd have guessed.

So lets be survivors.

Lets show the world just how one can thrive, even with visible differences

[MTTA in reply to CALIkayak]

Thank you for this post. I'm very sorry about what you experienced. In addition to the trauma, it must have been extremely scary. I never thought a horse could do such a thing. It is true that anyone who has gone through this type of event acquires a new outlook on life, as if they were given new lenses. It is also true that with each passing year our self-image seems to move towards acceptance. But the spark of sadness is always there, especially because nowadays we are constantly invaded by models of (external) perfection. I'm not currently in a relationship, but without a doubt it would be a source of anxiety to go on a date with someone... no matter how much I try to be strong and accept, there will always be the insecurity of not knowing what the other person will think. Of course, above all is our self-love.

[CALIkayak in reply to MTTA]

Thank you for saying you're sorry --- believe it or not, something so simple as that comes to mind for very few people. Hope you're doing well...if you can share more on where you are restoratively, I'd like to know. ..be sure to get multiple opinions and options on your procedures, and make sure your dr and you are aligned and have the same expectations for a good result... plastic surgery isn't magic but on a case by case basis, there is a lot that can be done to restore and/or soften damage...on your own, though, don't give up. I've found that using a hand massager over my thicker scars continues to break them down all these years later—honestly. Explore what creams and oils might exist as topical treatments for post-pregnancy stretchmarks and the like and try them on your facial scars. And try to take note of all the models of external imperfection — Seal, Winnie Harlowe, Tina Fey — they're out there too, showing true character. Good luck and I'l watch for you in here!

[CarolinChangingFaces Partner in reply to CALIkayak]

Hi CALIkayak

Thank you for taking the big step to open up and share about your situation with us, especially as you shared it’s not something you speak about it often.

It sounds like you have been through a traumatic experience, and I can see that you shared you needed lots of medical treatment following this. It’s really positive to hear you felt the medical team who treated you were exceptional, but I can hear that it had a significant impact on you and that it was something you didn’t think you would be able to cope with.

It’s great to hear that you are feeling driven to thrive and show others what is possible with a visible difference. I hope you find this space one, where you can openly talk about your experiences of living with a visible difference and as you mentioned, share things that have been helpful in overcoming the challenges that come with this too.

Take Care

Caroline - Changing Faces

[CALIkayak in reply to CarolinChangingFaces]

Thank you so much for writing Caroline and welcoming me to the forum

I want to share a formative experience I had at a diner in Montreal many years ago... Lots of energy, friendliness, laughter, as our waitress ambled over, mid-joke, in a sleeveless, open-backed top, which revealed a port-wine stain spattered all along her back and shoulders, her arms and hands. Her poise, her likeability, her lack of concern about what others might think was SO amazing: Strength in motion.

The impression she made, the way she behaved said: She was just like everyone else --- working, happy, popular --- she was in her element and completely unconcerned about what anyone thought about her birthmark. I think she'd quit thinking about it years before.

To me, that is a good lesson on how to live with a visible difference.

[cargo1199]

i have scars on my face too because of a serious dog bite!