Connect with us

Medical doctors and Surgeons

Violence against women: scars that do not heal

Published

on

Women who survive violence must undergo surgery to return to a new normal. In Italy in the last year 125 women were killed; 68 of them by partners or ex.

We talked about this complex topic with Doctor Giorgio Merlino, Director of the department of plastic surgery, hand surgery and microsurgery at the Maria Vittoria Hospital in Turin, who carried out a complex operation on a woman victim of violence by her partner a year and a half ago. The surgeon explained how in surgery we operate on traumas in a standard way, but in these cases, after the surgery, a path is activated to follow the patient 360 degrees.

The operation to smile again

Doctor Giorgio Merlino, Director of the department of plastic surgery, hand surgery and microsurgery at the Maria Vittoria Hospital in Turin

The injury was particularly complex because the lady had been attacked with glass and had deep cuts on her cheek. These wounds disrupted the facial nerve; responsible for innervating the entire musculature of the face. It is the nerve that allows us to smile, frown and blink» the surgeon continues.

The aggression compromised the motility of the woman’s face. The intervention was carried out in emergency and was also fairly long. The operation was done under a microscope because the structures on which it was necessary to intervene were very small and had to be restored. The outcome of the surgery is never immediate, it is necessary to wait from 6 to 8 months, because the nerve needs a rather long time to regenerate.

It is quite common for these events to occur and in this case the result of the operation has been fairly positive.

Overcoming your own fears

Unfortunately, when there are major injuries with fractures of nerve sections caused by burns, caustics from acid or blunt covers, it is not a question of being able to choose whether to be operated or not. In fact, in many cases it is strongly necessary to undergo the operation. Of course, these ladies are afraid of surgery, but they have to perform the surgery.

The surgical path is not very different from the one you undertake for other traumas. It is, however, evident that in these cases a series of contacts and realities are activated to help the patient from a psychological point of view. Psychologists and social centers are activated directly in the hospital to follow the patient from an overall point of view.

There are often problems with the access of relatives when these people are admitted. Sometimes the aggressor also wants to visit the patient, creating legal problems that, case by case, must be addressed.

Click to comment

Raccontaci la tua esperienza

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

ADVERTISEMENT

Lipedema
Medical doctors and Surgeons6 days ago

Anomalous fat on the legs: it could be lipoedema

blefaroplastica
Medical doctors and Surgeons2 weeks ago

Blepharoplasty: the gaze of youth

ginecomastia
Medical doctors and Surgeons3 weeks ago

Facing Gynecomastia. From psychological discomfort to rebirth

volto gualdi
Medical doctors and Surgeons4 weeks ago

Face and the aesthetic surgery: a conversation with professor Alessandro Gualdi 

Gontero un baffo per la ricerca
Medical doctors and Surgeons1 month ago

A “Moustache” against male cancers

laparoscopica
Medical doctors and Surgeons1 month ago

Laparoscopic surgery: from traditional techniques to robotics

Revée pills1 month ago

Paddling for health: the benefits of rowing for breast cancer operated women

rete oncologica
Medical doctors and Surgeons2 months ago

Rete Oncologica and the manifesto against pain

Revée pills2 months ago

One hundred years of Aerospace Medicine in Italy

infermieri
Associations2 months ago

Oncology nurses in breast care: the evolution of treatment

paziente
Medical doctors and Surgeons2 months ago

Biganzoli, the patient is the centre of therapy

Oncoplastica
Medical doctors and Surgeons2 months ago

Oncoplastic conservative surgery for breast cancer

Day Scar
Revée pills2 months ago

DayScar: the scar treatment protocol enters a mobile app

Ereditarietà
Medical doctors and Surgeons3 months ago

Heredity in breast cancer. How crucial is it? The opinion of the oncologist Nicola Rocco

Medical doctors and Surgeons3 months ago

Calabrese: the importance of radiology in prevention

sciamanna
Associations3 months ago

Sciamanna, the rights for cancer patients in Italy

cataliotti
Medical doctors and Surgeons3 months ago

Senonetwork Italy, Cataliotti and breast cancer

carlucci
Medical doctors and Surgeons3 months ago

Carlucci, correcting the tuberous breast

Seno
Revée pills4 months ago

Breasts

Ereditarietà
Medical doctors and Surgeons3 months ago

Heredity in breast cancer. How crucial is it? The opinion of the oncologist Nicola Rocco

Day Scar
Revée pills2 months ago

DayScar: the scar treatment protocol enters a mobile app

cataliotti
Medical doctors and Surgeons3 months ago

Senonetwork Italy, Cataliotti and breast cancer

sciamanna
Associations3 months ago

Sciamanna, the rights for cancer patients in Italy

infermieri
Associations2 months ago

Oncology nurses in breast care: the evolution of treatment

Medical doctors and Surgeons3 months ago

Calabrese: the importance of radiology in prevention

Oncoplastica
Medical doctors and Surgeons2 months ago

Oncoplastic conservative surgery for breast cancer

paziente
Medical doctors and Surgeons2 months ago

Biganzoli, the patient is the centre of therapy

Revée pills1 month ago

Paddling for health: the benefits of rowing for breast cancer operated women

laparoscopica
Medical doctors and Surgeons1 month ago

Laparoscopic surgery: from traditional techniques to robotics

Gontero un baffo per la ricerca
Medical doctors and Surgeons1 month ago

A “Moustache” against male cancers

rete oncologica
Medical doctors and Surgeons2 months ago

Rete Oncologica and the manifesto against pain

Revée pills2 months ago

One hundred years of Aerospace Medicine in Italy

volto gualdi
Medical doctors and Surgeons4 weeks ago

Face and the aesthetic surgery: a conversation with professor Alessandro Gualdi 

ginecomastia
Medical doctors and Surgeons3 weeks ago

Facing Gynecomastia. From psychological discomfort to rebirth

blefaroplastica
Medical doctors and Surgeons2 weeks ago

Blepharoplasty: the gaze of youth

Lipedema
Medical doctors and Surgeons6 days ago

Anomalous fat on the legs: it could be lipoedema