Michelle Johnston returned to the WilbertEDU stage to present Facial Reconstruction 101 to an audience of over 900 funeral professionals on January 23, kicking of the 2025 WilbertEDU program year.
In this informative two-hour webinar, attendees learned essential techniques and skills to gain confidence in the embalming room, particularly when working on major trauma cases. Michelle shared many of her personal experiences, including mistakes and how overcoming them helped shape her expertise.
Michelle provided step-by-step guidance on disinfecting, preserving, and restoring tissues affected by trauma, severe burns, and decomposition and demonstrated innovative postmortem surgical techniques aimed at open casket viewing, including bone and soft tissue repair. She also shared new methods for soft tissue wound treatment before waxing, as well as silicone waxing applications and advanced airbrush cosmetic tips.
She also shared techniques for treating difficult cases including clearing discoloration from fingernails, hands, and arms, repairing bone structures using methods such as Plaster of Paris and coffee filters for cranial reconstruction, and soft tissue wound management and preparation prior to waxing. She stressed the importance of obtaining proper legal authorizations for reconstructive procedures and using sensitive, family-oriented vocabulary to use during discussions about arrangements for trauma cases.
Due to the graphic nature of the presentation and at the request of the speaker, no recording will be made available to rewatch.