Kurdish doctors use forehead tissue to rebuild worker's nose

SULAIMANI,— A medical team in Sulaimani, in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, has finished a complex nose reconstruction for a laborer who suffered severe facial damage in a high-voltage electrical accident.

Dr. Diyar Abdulwahid, a plastic and cosmetic surgery specialist, led the multi-step operation and discussed the case on Channel8 TV’s Health News program.

The worker had lost a large section of his nose after being injured in the workplace accident. To fix the damage, the surgical team chose prefabricated forehead flap method, a demanding procedure usually kept for major facial injuries.

The technique works by growing nasal tissue on the forehead first, then moving it to the nose in a later operation once it has developed properly.

Dr. Diyar Abdulwahid, a plastic and cosmetic surgery specialist, Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan, 2026. Photo: Abdulwahid’s FB

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.

He told the channel that the first stage of the transplant went well, and the patient is now getting ready for the final step, when the tissue will be moved to the nose once it has fully settled.

This forehead flap approach is considered one of the more advanced methods in nose reconstruction.

Older forehead flap techniques move tissue to the nose fairly quickly, but this newer method takes place in stages over a longer period.

Surgeons first place blood vessel tissue, usually taken from the temple or groin area, under the skin of the forehead. Over several weeks, this tissue builds a strong blood supply.

That supply then supports a skin graft, which grows into a piece of tissue shaped for the nose. Once that tissue has matured and has steady blood flow, doctors move it to repair the nose in another surgery.

Though the process takes time and skill, it works well for serious injuries like burns, where nearby tissue is too damaged for regular repair methods.

It also avoids leaving a scar on the forehead and produces tissue that matches the nose’s color and texture, giving surgeons a strong option for difficult reconstruction cases.

(With files from Channel8.com | Agencies)