EXCLUSIVE I needed 37 stitches to my face after a brutal dog attack… here is what my recovery process was REALLY like
When Jillian Osbourne, 48, was bitten by a dog at the pet store where she worked part-time, she did not realize just how serious the injury was.
'This was not a vicious or deadly attack,' she said. 'This was an anxious dog who snapped. I was approaching the group from behind and it startled him. He jumped up, snapped my mouth.'
Initially, Jillian thought the pain was from her teeth - which were still healing from a previous injury - and it wasn't until the dog's owner pointed out she was bleeding that the reality sank in.
'It hurt, but I think the shock distorted the pain for a moment. My senses and emotions were confused,' she said. 'Just before this, I noticed I was really hungry, and after the bite, I started to fixate on eating dinner... I think trivial things helped me feel the situation was manageable.'
Still bleeding, Jillian locked up the store, put a sign on the door, and tried to go about business as usual - until the worried customer called her husband to help.
'He was obviously concerned, but considering I wasn't "mauled" or worse, relieved to know this would be a matter of healing,' she said. 'He took me straight to the emergency room and stayed with me the whole time.'
That night, Jillian received the stitches to her face - but the recovery was far from straightforward.
Within days, her lips turned black from bruising, the top layer of her skin peeled off, and she developed a painful lump above her lip - which turned out to be an embedded stitch that had been missed and caused an infection.
'Stitches need to be removed at the right time, when the wound is stable and before the skin starts to regenerate, growing over the stitch,' Jillian said.
'What I thought was a tiny piece of scab in one of the stitch holes turned out to be a missed piece.'
Despite these complications, Jillian says she felt fully supported by her medical team.
'The doctor who did my stitches was extremely patient and should've been a tailor. His work was precise,' she said.
'I continued visits with my regular GP, who always gives wonderful care. In truth, I feel lucky for such a lovely team.'
But that didn't make the emotional toll any lighter.
'Life was hard,' Jillian recalled.
'My injury is rather insignificant in terms of what damage could have occurred... I am happy by nature and love to laugh. The pain from stretching my lips to smile was too much. I felt anguish from a lack of self-expression, which made me feel ugly inside and out.'
People stared at her in public. She struggled with basic daily tasks, like eating or bending forward. And just as her career as a yoga instructor was gaining momentum, she had to put it all on pause.
'I send my heart to anyone with any type of injury, challenge, or chronic illness that limits their comfort or happiness,' she shared.
Eventually, when the nerve pain began to subside, Jillian slowly started moving again - and turned to the one practice she knew could help both body and spirit.
'I stumbled across face yoga when I searched for ways to reduce the stress and anxiety,' she said. 'I was looking for cranial massage techniques I could perform on myself and the face yoga method seemed like a good option.'
She began with gentle exercises around the holidays, months after the injury, using breath and small movements to ease back into her routine.
'By the end of the month, the nerve pain started to dissipate, and the muscles appeared more plump,' she said. 'I finally added massage and rubbing techniques, which I credit to erasing the stitch marks.'
Today, Jillian has full movement in her lips, no scar tissue buildup, and says her main scar is barely noticeable. But more importantly, she's found a deeper sense of intention.
'I became more intentional. I stopped treating my practice and my movement as routine. I became more acutely aware of energetics,' she said. 'The way in which I teach face yoga has evolved... First-hand experience keeps me a believer that you can teach your body to feel as beautiful and joyful as you wish it to be. It comes from your soul.'
Licensed dermatologist Dr. Olga Skydan explained that while face yoga still isn't mainstream, it's growing in popularity.
'Face yoga increases blood flow, which improves oxygen delivery to the skin. This alone can help improve healing and reduce pigmentation,' she said. 'It also stimulates the lymphatic system and relaxes chronically overused muscles while engaging underused ones.'
In Jillian's case, it offered more than just physical benefits. It helped her reclaim her sense of agency.
'I believe that face yoga is helpful when someone is recovering from trauma that affects both appearance and self-image,' Dr. Skydan said. 'It's empowering in that it gives a person an active role in their healing and supports their mental health.'
For Jillian, the experience has become the foundation of how she teaches and lives today.
'Every day, I saw improvement, which boosted my spirits. I am a firm believer that energy and attitude are crucial to positive change. It was empowering to know I could help myself.'
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