Iraqi surgeon grows nose on patient's forehead in rare reconstruction surgery to correct facial damage in high-voltage electrical accident

An Iraqi surgeon, Dr Diyar Abdulwahid, performed a complicated surgery, rare in the country, to reconstruct the nose of a laborer who suffered severe facial damage in a high-voltage electrical accident.

According to local media, the worker had lost a large section of his nose after being injured in an accident that took place in his workplace. The cosmetic surgery team decided to perform a prefabricated forehead flap method. The technique involves pre-shaping and cultivating nasal tissue on the patient's forehead before transferring it to its proper place in another subsequent surgery, Dr Abdulwahid explained to Channel8.Dr Abdulwahid said standard facial repairs are common in the region’s surgical units, but building a prefabricated forehead flap specifically for an electrical burn injury is an unusual case worldwide.The photo of the patient with a nose on his forehead has grabbed attention on social media. Dr Abdulwahid said the first phase of the surgery went well. The nose tissues are now developing on the forehead. In the second phase, the nose will be moved to the nose position.

What is the process of growing a nose on the forehead?

Older forehead flap techniques move tissue to the nose fairly quickly, but this newer method takes place in stages over a longer period. In this forehead flap technique, surgeons first place blood vessel tissue under the skin of the forehead. The prefabricated nose stays attached to the forehead (usually upside down or inverted) for 2–6 weeks so it can develop strong blood vessels.Once ready, the surgeon detaches the flap (except for the final pedicle) and rotates/swings it down into the correct position on the face. Later stages involve thinning the flap, dividing the pedicle, and fine-tuning the shape (nostrils, tip definition, etc.).