Reconstructive plastic surgery is performed to improve function and appearance of parts of the body which may be deformed or damaged either by birth defects, accidents or disease. This includes craniofacial and maxillofacial surgery, with plastic surgeons often working closely with neurosurgeons to help correct what are often severe facial abnormalities caused by Apert’s disease and Crouzons disease.

Plastic Surgery may also be used to correct and reconstruct other congenital deformities. For example, small deformed ears (microtia) or absent external ears (anotia), while hand surgery is performed to correct abnormal, absent or extra fingers and fingers damaged or lost in accidents.

Burns can be one of the most traumatic and disfiguring types of accident, and plastic surgery has a major role to play in treatment - utilizing skin grafting and other more recent techniques including artificial skin substitutes and cultured skin cells.

Like burns, birthmarks, particularly facial ones, can be disfiguring and can lead to low self-esteem and self-confidence. Laser surgery or surgical excision can make a major difference to appearance as well as reducing other health risks.

In many reconstructive surgeries, including breast reconstruction following mastectomy, tissue expansion is a necessary technique. This relatively simple procedure enables the body to grow extra skin for reconstructive purposes by inserting a silicon balloon expander under the skin and gradually filling it with salt water, causing the skin to stretch and grow.

These are just some of the many reconstructive surgeries and procedures which our surgeons are involved in.