Dr Thomas Colson Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery Abu Dhabi
Portrait of an older woman in profile wearing an embroidered headscarf, in a courtyard in Abu Dhabi. Illustrative image for facial reconstruction.
Facial Reconstruction — SKMC, Abu Dhabi

Facial reconstruction at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City

Reconstruction restores the form and the function of the face after injury, after the excision of a skin cancer, or where a condition is present from birth. It is distinct from aesthetic surgery, which is addressed on a separate page.

Booking line 80050 Referring a patient

Reconstructive, not aesthetic

The indications on this page are reconstructive: the objective is to restore a function or a structure that has been lost or has not formed. That is a different intent from aesthetic surgery, where the structure is intact and the objective is proportion. Where a patient asks for an aesthetic change, it is discussed as such, on the page for facial aesthetic surgery, and never presented as reconstruction.

Dr Thomas Colson heads the Department of Plastic Surgery at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City. He completed his residency at Nancy University Hospital, a Level I trauma centre, and holds an Inter-University Diploma in Microsurgery. He is double board certified by SOFCPRE and EBOPRAS, and licensed by the Department of Health Abu Dhabi. The department’s surgical activity is described on the Department of Surgery page at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City.

Indications

Sequelae of facial trauma

Portrait of a young man against a blue sky, a faint mark visible on his cheek. Illustrative image for the treatment of post-traumatic facial sequelae.
Illustrative photograph. Not a patient of the practice.

Dr Colson treats the sequelae of facial injury once healing is established, at a distance from the initial event. Acute injuries and emergency management are not part of this practice: a patient with a recent facial injury is managed by the emergency and on-call services.

What is addressed here is what remains afterwards: an established scar, including a keloid scar, a scar that pulls on a facial feature, or a nasal framework that has lost its support.

Secondary scar revision

A scar cannot be removed. Revision surgery aims to make it thinner, flatter and less conspicuous by redirecting it into the natural lines of the face.

Z-plasty and W-plasty redirect the scar line into the relaxed skin tension lines of the face. Geometric broken line closure converts a long straight scar into an irregular pattern that is harder for the eye to follow. Laser resurfacing is used to blend the texture and colour of the scar with the surrounding skin.

Nasal framework after trauma

Where the injury has affected the framework of the nose and support has been lost, the structural approach is the one that applies. It is set out on the dedicated rhinoplasty site.

ReconstructiveStructural rhinoplasty after trauma affecting the nasal framework

Reconstruction after skin cancer excision

Portrait of an older man wearing a white headdress, seated indoors. Illustrative image for reconstruction after skin cancer excision.
Illustrative photograph. Not a patient of the practice.

Dr Colson works on the reconstructive phase of dermatologic oncology. The diagnosis, the oncological treatment and the decision to excise belong to the dermatologist, the Mohs surgeon or the oncology team. What Dr Colson addresses is the defect that remains once the excision is complete, and the order is not negotiable: oncological clearance first, reconstruction second.

Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are the diagnoses most often referred. On the face, closing the resulting defect requires particular care where it sits on the nose, the lips, the eyelids or the ears, where a millimetre of distortion changes an expression or a function.

Local flaps

Healthy tissue is lifted from an area immediately adjacent to the defect and advanced or rotated to cover it. Because the tissue comes from the same area, it matches the surrounding skin in colour, texture and thickness, and the scars can be placed within the natural boundary lines of the face.

Full-thickness skin grafts

For larger defects, or where the surrounding skin is too tight to be moved, a full-thickness skin graft is used. Healthy skin is harvested from a concealed area, often behind the ear or near the collarbone, and transplanted to the defect. This closes large wounds without distorting the surrounding features.

Preserving function

Reconstruction is not only the closure of a defect. On the eyelid, the objective is that the eye still closes completely. On the lip, that the lip seal is maintained for eating and speaking. On the nose, that the nostril rim does not collapse, so the airway stays open.

Congenital facial anomalies

Portrait of a young child wearing a white cap, smiling, with a healed cleft lip scar visible on the upper lip. Illustrative image for congenital facial anomalies.
Illustrative photograph. Not a patient of the practice, and not a result of surgery performed by Dr Colson.

Congenital facial conditions are treated at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City for their functional consequences: breathing, feeding, speech, and the growth of the facial skeleton. They are not treated as an appearance concern, and no aesthetic outcome is offered or implied.

Surgery on a minor is undertaken only at the request of the parents or legal guardian, after assessment, and with their written informed consent. The indication, its alternatives and the option of not operating are discussed with the family before any decision. Care is delivered within a multidisciplinary network that includes orthodontists and speech therapists in Abu Dhabi.

Paediatric congenital care at SKMC is provided under the institutional collaboration between SEHA / Sheikh Khalifa Medical City and Cincinnati Children’s. The collaboration is between the two institutions.

Cleft lip and palate — secondary surgery

Primary repair is generally carried out in infancy. A number of patients need secondary surgery later, in adolescence or adulthood. Scar revision uses Z-plasty to realign the muscles of the lip. Cleft rhinoplasty corrects the flattened nasal tip and the deviated septum associated with the condition, which is a functional matter of the nasal airway.

Minor scar revision can be carried out at any age. Cleft rhinoplasty is deferred until facial growth is complete, typically age 16 to 17 in girls and 17 to 18 in boys, so that the correction is made on a stable skeleton.

Hemifacial microsomia

Hemifacial microsomia is the underdevelopment of the bone, muscle and fat on one side of the face. Structural fat grafting, using the patient’s own fat, is used in mild to moderate cases to restore volume on the affected side. Where the bone deficiency is significant, custom facial implants or bone grafts are used to build a stable skeletal foundation.

Vascular anomalies

Haemangiomas and vascular malformations can distort the facial features. Dr Colson works with vascular specialists to determine the course of action, which may involve laser therapy for surface discoloration or surgical excision for deeper, volume-distorting lesions.

Paediatric care at SKMC

Paediatric congenital care is delivered under the institutional collaboration between SEHA / Sheikh Khalifa Medical City and Cincinnati Children’s.

InstitutionalThe SKMC and Cincinnati Children’s collaboration

Microsurgical free tissue transfer

Free tissue transfer is performed at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, where Dr Colson heads the Department of Plastic Surgery. He holds an Inter-University Diploma in Microsurgery, and trained during his residency at Nancy University Hospital, a Level I trauma centre.

Frequently asked questions

I have just been injured. Can Dr Colson see me now?

No. Dr Colson does not take facial trauma in emergency. A recent facial injury is managed by the emergency and on-call services. Dr Colson treats the sequelae of an injury once healing is established, at a distance from the initial event.

My dermatologist has removed a skin cancer. Who closes the wound?

Where the excision is carried out by a dermatologist or a Mohs surgeon, the reconstruction is the plastic surgery performed to close the defect and restore the shape and function of the area. Oncological clearance comes first; reconstruction follows. Dr Colson works on the reconstructive phase.

Will I have a scar after skin cancer surgery?

Yes. All surgery leaves a scar. Incisions are placed in the natural shadow lines of the face, such as the fold of the nose or the lines of the forehead, so that the scar is less conspicuous once healing is complete.

Can an old facial scar be removed completely?

No scar can be removed. Revision surgery aims to make the scar thinner, flatter and blended into the natural creases of the face, so that it is no longer the focal point.

Are keloid scars of the face treated?

Yes. Keloid scars of the face are within Dr Colson’s scope of practice and are assessed at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City. The plan is decided in consultation, after examination of the scar. As with any scar, the aim is to improve it, not to remove it.

My child was born with a cleft. At what age is secondary surgery considered?

Minor scar revision can be carried out at any age. Cleft rhinoplasty is deferred until facial growth is complete, typically age 16 to 17 in girls and 17 to 18 in boys, so that the correction is made on a stable skeleton. Any surgery on a minor is undertaken only at the request of the parents or legal guardian, after assessment, and with their written informed consent.

Consultation

In the UAE, consultations and surgery are performed exclusively at SKMC, Abu Dhabi.

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Educational disclaimer

The information provided on this website is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified surgeon or health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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