At Northwell, a nose reconstruction isn’t uncommon. But Tyson Carter’s case was anything but typical.
Carter, 41, was waiting at a Brentwood bus stop in January when he saw two men drive up next to a young girl who was standing near him. After the men spent a few minutes trying to convince the girl to get into their car, Carter said he felt it was necessary for him to step in.
“I could tell she was uncomfortable,” Carter said. “After some back and forth for a few minutes, one of the guys got out of the car and grabbed me. We started fighting, and during the fight, he decided that he wanted to snack on my nose.”
Carter said he didn’t realize how badly he was injured until hours later, after he arrived at the hospital. He added that part of what pushed him to intervene was that he occasionally saw the girl while riding this bus and always assumed she was just heading back from school.
His primary oral and maxillofacial surgeon, Dr. Laurent Ganry, said the way Carter lost his nose was incredibly abnormal.
“A human bite is quite rare,” Ganry said. “For human bites, this is probably only my second case for the nose.”
Ganry has reconstructed the noses of over 45 patients over the course of his 10-plus-year career. However, most are done after a person’s nose has been amputated due to aggressive skin cancer.
So far, Ganry has done three surgeries on Carter at New Hyde Park’s Long Island Jewish Medical Center. Ganry said Carter will need one final surgery, likely in the fall, for final cosmetic fixes and breathing improvement after swelling subsides.
The three-step process has involved taking skin and muscle from Carter’s forehead, because the skin color is the closest match, and using it to refashion a new nose based on a 3D-printed model of his face and a clay nose template. Ganry worked to reconnect Carter’s blood flow to his new nose, ensuring it will be just as functional as his previous nose.
“It’s a very classic process,” Ganry said. “When the swelling really goes down and everything is better, we offer a last refinement, if needed, because there is usually still a tiny bit of thickness around the nostril.”
The injury has impacted Carter’s ability to wear glasses, take allergy medication and work, resulting in him leaving his previous warehouse job. As he continues to heal, he said he’s looking to find a customer service position at local grocery stores.
No one has been charged yet in the incident.
