Facial soft tissue resuspension following upper facial skeletal reconstruction

Only recently has the importance of precise soft tissue repositioning to extend access to the cranio-maxillofacial skeleton been appreciated. The authors examined 39 patients who underwent procedures requiring a combination of coronal, lower lid, and buccal sulcus incisions to provide maximal skeletal exposure of the periorbital, zygoma, and maxillary regions; the patients were examined both prior to and following the use of soft tissue resuspension techniques. In this article, the authors demonstrate the need for soft tissue resuspension in procedures of the upper facial skeleton when large areas of soft tissue have been mobilized for the purpose of exposure. They suggest a difference in soft tissue positioning following the degloving approaches to the upper facial skeletal area when intentional soft tissue resuspension is undertaken.