Human bites of the face with tissue losses

Human bites of the face are common in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Twenty-four such patients with tissue losses seen over a period of two years (1983-1985) at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital were studied. Women in their third decade of life seem to be most at risk; the lips and ears are most frequently bitten. Primary repair and administration of systemic antibiotics within 24 hours of the injury gave good results. Secondary reconstructive repair is advised if the patient is seen 24 hours after the time of the bite. The reconstruction of the whole pinna has been difficult in our experience and external prosthetic replacement is advocated in such cases as an alternative to microsurgical replantation. Free use of certain facial flaps has been avoided for fear of creating keloid scars because we are dealing with a purely black population.