The Starving Artist

It's comical to me (so I crack myself up, what of it?) that I often say my patients in the ER, as I'm sewing their face back up, that I compare myself to a starving artist. Okay - so the comparison is weak. But simply draw the thin line between an artist not making any money but trying with his artwork to an underpaid resident trying to delicately put a face together.

The big abdominal surgeon doesn't really care (nor should he) about the resultant belly wound after a big aneurysm repair. The patient could go about his life with only those very close to him knowing of the scar. The case is quiet different when someone has a big laceration on their face. There's this expectation, if not a defined duty, to fix the wound such that any scarring is minimized. It truly can be an art sometimes.

Fortunately, the face tends to heal quite well - especially when talking about around the eyes.