Skip to main content

A postmortem face peel-down examination showing injury of and around the left eye with bleeding (hemorrhage). When injury to the face is suspected, special dissection is required with removal of the soft tissues of the face from the underlying skeleton. Here the face has been peeled downward, leaving the eyes in their sockets (orbits).

Although the face is not usually peeled back completely during autopsy, in accessing the brain, the pathologist will often peel back some of the face and expose the fat, muscle, blood vessels and tendons below the skin. Bear in mind that When dissecting in this area to not be so radical as to preclude adequate cosmetic reconstruction.

Fig.1 Postmortem face peel-down examination.

Latest posts

Fig.1 Diptera larvae collected from the ocular cavity of a cadaver in active decay.

Diptera larvae collected from the ocular cavity of a cadaver

| Decomposition | No Comments
On June 28, 2009, a 70-year-old male corpse was found in his house in Pisa. He was lying…
Fig.1 Skin burns on a victim of lysol suicide.

Skin burns on a victim of lysol suicide

| Suicide | No Comments
Skin burns on a victim of lysol suicide. The trickle pattern makes it obvious that the victim was…
Fig.1 Greenish white molds on the forehead, right side of the cheek, perioral, and perinasal areas, and anterior part of neck, and chest.

Fungal growth on a corpse

| Decomposition | No Comments
A 42-year-old woman was discovered dead, the body was covered with fungal plaques. She had been leading a…
Fig.1 Contact wound, between the eyes from a .357 Magnum revolver.

Contact wound between the eyes from a .357 Magnum revolver

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
Massive injuries from contact handgun wounds of the head, when they do occur, are associated with Magnum calibers,…