For most people, their appearance says a lot about them. They might work out frequently, not just because it’s healthy, but also because they want to appear trim and strong. They might put up a great deal of money for the perfect wardrobe, or drop hundreds of dollars on a haircut.
Others might even get chemical peels, plastic surgery, or breast enlargements. Some of these treatments and alterations cost many thousands of dollars. It’s all so they can be confident and try to live up to a particular ideal.
But what happens if you’re in an accident, and you suffer a traumatic facial injury? If other people can easily notice the effects, then what is that going to do to the afflicted individual?
Let’s talk about some ways this sort of occurrence can impact your life, and what you might be able to do about it.
You Might Not Be as Confident
Traumatic facial injuries can occur in many different ways. You might sustain one:
- In a slip-and-fall
- In a car accident
- In a fire or explosion
- In an assault or some other physical altercation
Your facial injury might be a broken nose, fractured orbital bone, broken jaw, or severe burns. It might even be some combination of those things.
If you look in the mirror and you’re unrecognizable to yourself, it’s easy to imagine how others might see you. It’s perfectly understandable that this might shake your confidence.
Regardless of whether you regarded yourself as attractive or not in the past, you may have a hard time getting past this incident. Every time you look in the mirror, it will remind you. You might feel like people are staring at you or that the injury is the first thing they see when they meet you.
It May Cost You Work
In some instances, your new appearance might even cost you your livelihood. Models and actors make their living based on their appearance. If you severely injure your face, then your company might want to drop you.
You can probably fight back against that in court, and you might win compensation. Even if you do, though, companies may not want to use you in any more campaigns, or in any more movies or shows.
You Might Suffer Health Consequences
Facial injuries aren’t just about looks. You might also have:
- Hearing loss
- Respiratory problems
- Smell loss
- Vision loss
Any of those could impede your life quality. If what happened was someone else’s fault, then you can bring action against them and possibly win a judgment. Still, that money might be little recompense if you’re facing a permanent injury with noticeable health consequences.
Surgical Options
What to do after a severe facial injury is a complicated prospect. You might be able to get plastic surgery if that can help you get closer to your original appearance. There are other surgeries that might restore part of your vision, smell, etc. if you have partial or total loss.
With severe burns, you may be able to get skin grafts. You might seek out a specialist’s aid who focuses on vision or smell.
Counseling
You might decide that you’d like to talk to a qualified mental health professional about what happened. Severe facial injuries are no small matter, and this is a trauma that is well worth discussing. You may feel very real pain and loss when you think about this change in your life.
The counselor you see might recommend prescription drugs to help stabilize your mood. They might want you to meditate or attend group therapy sessions. Together, the two of you can figure out the best way forward.
Your Work Life
Remember that it would be illegal to fire you from any job regardless of your physical appearance. If your bosses try, then you’ll have grounds to sue.
In most cases, though, your coworkers should treat you sympathetically. You might still feel for a time like they are looking at you and seeing nothing but your injuries, but that should eventually change.
In many instances, time will reduce facial scarring. Even if you suffered permanent damage to your vision or smell, you’ll get used to it.
It will never be exactly the same as it was, but the human body has remarkable recuperative abilities. You might remain self-conscious about your appearance to some degree, but you survived whatever took place, and that’s what’s critical. Your family and friends will still love you, regardless of your appearance.