French professional footballer Kylian Mbappé was forced to leave the field with a broken nose at Euro 2024 on Monday night.
The footballer who plays as a forward for Real Madrid in La Liga and captain of the French national team, suffered the brutal injury after colliding with Austrian defender Kevin Danso.
But the 25-year-old is said not to need surgery, despite doctors initially believing he could be out for at least ten days after the accident at the Austria-France match in Dusseldorf.
“Ultimately, if you can breathe, it’s not a functional injury,” London-based NHS plastic surgeon Mark Mikhail told MailOnline.
Although Mbappé may not need immediate surgery to repair facial trauma, any cosmetic changes should still be made within three weeks of a broken nose, he emphasizes; Otherwise, the nose may “settle” into its new position, giving an undesirable cosmetic result.
On Monday there were real fears that Mbappé could be excluded from the tournament.
The forward was left with the brutal injury after colliding with Austrian defender Kevin Danso
Dr Mikhail suggests that Mbappé’s nose may have already been “pushed” back into place shortly after the match, meaning he will not need surgery immediately.
“When a break is so recent, because he’s playing football and there’s a lot of adrenaline, they may have had enough mobility to put his nose back in place,” he said.
“Surgery for a broken nose is often done a few days later with local anesthesia, rather than a full surgery, and they just put it back in place,” he added.
Journalist Julien Laurens reported in the early hours of Tuesday morning that Mbappé will not need surgery on his nose.
French outlet L’Equipe also claimed that he left a hospital in Dusseldorf on Monday night after undergoing several tests and diagnoses.
The French Football Federation (FFF) revealed that the tests were reassuring and that there was no need for surgery.
However, they did confirm that the Les Blues captain had suffered a broken nose.
The footballer returned to the French team’s hotel, where he will be closely monitored over the next few days by medical personnel.
In a statement, the FFF said: “Kylian Mbappé returns to the base camp of the French team.
‘Kylian Mbappé suffered a broken nose during the second half of the Austria-France match this Monday in Dusseldorf.
‘The France captain was first treated by medical staff and Dr Franck Le Gall, who diagnosed him with a broken nose.
‘Mbappé will receive treatment in the coming days, but will not undergo surgery in the immediate future.
“We will make a mask so that the number 10 of the French team can prepare for his return to competition after a period dedicated to treatment.”
The footballer who plays as a forward for Real Madrid in La Liga and captain of the French national team, suffered the brutal injury after colliding with Austrian defender Kevin Danso.
Mbappé hopes to play on Friday against Holland with a mask
A mask will help protect Mbappé’s nose from further injury as his nose will still be fragile
The NHS advises most people to avoid playing sports for at least six weeks if there is a chance of getting hit in the face.
However, athletes may choose to wear a specialized plastic face and nose guard to allow them to return to the field or court sooner, while reducing the risk of further injury, explains Dr. Mikhail.
‘If the nasal bones are broken, it will obviously be fragile. Even if the bone is placed in the right place, it has to be kept there, so it has to be protected from further injury,” said Dr. Mikhail.
“(A mask) is slightly different to a post-operative splint, which tries to keep it in place; instead, this would only try to protect the nose,” he added.
In most cases surgery is not performed immediately after a tear because the face is very swollen.
“Usually you wait for the swelling to go down before evaluating it and seeing if anything needs to be done,” Dr. Mikhail said.
“Once the swelling has subsided, it can also be determined if there is a respiratory problem or deviation that will have an important cosmetic result.”
He stressed that surgery is only necessary if the break causes breathing difficulties, aesthetic problems or a hematoma of the nasal septum, when blood accumulates in the area of the nose between the nostrils, called the septum.
Dr. Mikhail said this can be detected if “you look up your nose and there is blood that looks like little swollen grapes in your nose,” and explained that this blood would need to be drained.
Most of the time, broken noses can heal on their own within three weeks, the NHS says.
‘The last thing that can be done to perform surgery to move the nose is two weeks, otherwise it becomes very stiff.
“But it usually takes six weeks for broken bones to fully heal, when they have regained 80 or 90 percent of their strength,” Dr. Mikhail said.
But if you break your nose you should still seek medical attention that day.
This is because doctors need to evaluate for septal hematoma and concussion because a broken nose is also a head injury.
A patient can expect to be sent home after an evaluation before being evaluated again in five days, where a decision will be made if they need surgery, explains Dr. Mikhail.
He emphasizes that before seeking medical attention you can use ice to control swelling, pinch the bridge of your nose to control bleeding, but you should never blow your nose.
This is only in case there has been an orbital floor fracture, as blowing your nose could force air through that fracture and cause major eye problems.