Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery

People often confuse plastic and cosmetic surgery but they are not the same. Cosmetic surgery is elective surgery to enhance a person’s appearance. Someone might want bigger breasts, a smaller nose, or a tummy tuck because they believe they will look better. Cosmetic surgery is NOT covered by insurance and requires different board certifications than plastic surgery.

While plastic surgery also enhances a person’s appearance, it is used for medical purposes, to repair facial disfigurement due to birth defects, injuries, or cancer surgery. Plastic surgeons operate on virtually every part of the body, including the skin, face and head, hands, extremities, breasts, torso, and genitals. A plastic surgeon has specialized skills in the use of skin grafts, implantable materials, and, when possible, the replantation of severed fingers and toes.

Surgical Expertise

Our board-certified, fellowship-trained plastic surgeons have special expertise in many procedures:

Breast Reconstruction

• Implant reconstruction: A breast implant is used to restore the breast’s shape and volume. The implant is positioned over or under the chest muscle and covered it with a graft made from the woman’s own skin.

• Autologous or “flap” reconstruction: This breast is reconstructed using tissue from another part of the body such as the belly or buttocks.

• Nipple reconstruction: If a woman had a nipple-sparing mastectomy or lumpectomy, her nipple can be used in breast reconstruction. A new nipple can also be constructed using a skin graft from the woman’s own body.

Reduction Mammoplasty

This is surgery to reduce very large breasts, usually performed because a woman is suffering from chronic back pain due to the strain of supporting large breasts.

Giant Nevi Removal

A giant nevi is a mole measuring 20 cm (close to 8 inches) or more. The goal of giant nevi removal surgery is to remove as much of the mole as possible.

Hand Surgery

Hand surgery can be performed by both orthopedic and plastic surgeons. The most common hand procedures plastic surgeons do are for carpal tunnel syndrome and hand deformities from rheumatoid arthritis or Dupuytren’s contracture, a hand disorder that causes thick, disabling scarring in the fingers and palms.

Lymphedema Treatment

Lymphedema is caused by a blockage in the lymphatic system, most often due to lymph node removal or damage due to cancer treatment. The main symptom is swelling in an arm or leg that causes pain or discomfort. Exercise, compression, and massage can help, but if lymphedema progresses, there are several surgical options.

Deviated Septum Correction

Septoplasty is surgery to straighten the nasal septum, the bone that separates the two sides of the nose. If you have difficulty breathing through your nose, you might consider surgery to fix a deviated septum.

Skin Cancer Removal

Surgical techniques for treating skin cancer depend on the location, type, and size of the cancerous tissue:

• Cryosurgery is the application of liquid nitrogen on the skin to freeze and destroy tissue. This technique can be used on benign skin lesions and smaller malignancies.
• Curettage and electrosurgery is a combination treatment for small skin cancers. Curettage scrapes away the cancerous tissue. It is followed by electrosurgery, which is used to destroy any remaining cancer cells and control bleeding.
• Mohs surgery is highly precise treatment that removes skin cancers layer by layer to leave as much healthy tissue as possible and minimize scarring.