Pediatric Plastic Surgery is that segment of plastic surgery that deals with congenital abnormalities, birth defects or traumatic injuries (lacerations, etc.) This can be as simple as a "skin tag" next to the ear, a laceration obtained as a result of a fall, -- or as complicated as a cranio-facial reconstruction.

The birth of a child with a facial deformity requires special and immediate attention. At Associated Plastic Surgeons we are ready and available to respond to your child's special needs.

Dr.Gautham Basu has a special interest in Pediatric Plastic Surgery and as such has been the subject of many newspaper and television stories and publications.

Corrective surgery for congenital deformities in children such as:

• Cleft Lip
• Cleft Palate
• Hypospadius
• Syndactyly
• Craniofacial anomalies
  

In the early weeks of development, long before a child is born, the right and left sides of the lip and the roof of the mouth normally grow together. Occasionally, however, in about one of every 800 babies, those sections don't quite meet. A child born with a separation in the upper lip is said to have a cleft lip. A similar birth defect in the roof of the mouth, or palate, is called a cleft palate. Since the lip and the palate develop separately, it is possible for a child to have a cleft lip, a cleft palate, or variations of both.

If your child was born with either or both of these conditions, your doctor will probably recommend surgery to repair it. Medical professionals have made great advances in treating children with clefts and can do a lot to help your child lead a normal, healthy, happy life.

This information will give you a basic understanding of the operation -- when it can help, how it's performed, and what results you can expect. It can't answer all of your questions, since a lot depends on you individual circumstances. Please be sure to ask your surgeon if there is anything you don't understand about the procedure.

A cleft lip can range in severity from a slight notch in the red part of the upper lip to a complete separation of the lip extending into the nose. Clefts can occur on one or both sides of the upper lip. Surgery is generally done when the child is about 10 weeks old. To repair a cleft lip, the surgeon will make an incision on either side of the cleft from the mouth into the nostril. He or she will then turn the dark pink outer portion of the cleft down and pull the muscle and the skin of the lip together to close the separation. Muscle function and the normal "cupid's bow" shape of the mouth are restored. The nostril deformity often associated with cleft lip may also be improved at the time of lip repair or in a later surgery.

In some children, a cleft palate may involve only a tiny portion at the back of the roof of the mouth; for others, it can mean a complete separation that extends from front to back. Just as in cleft lip, cleft palate may appear on one or both sides of the upper mouth. However, repairing a cleft palate involves more extensive surgery and is usually done when the child is nine to 18 months old, so the baby is bigger and better able to tolerate surgery. To repair a cleft palate, the surgeon will make an incision on both sides of the separation, moving tissue from each side of the cleft to the center or midline of the roof of the mouth. This rebuilds the palate, joining muscle together and providing enough length in the palate so the child can eat and learn to speak properly.

Craniofacial anomalies (CFA) are a diverse group of deformities in the growth of the head and facial bones. Anomaly is a medical term meaning "irregularity" or "different from normal." These abnormalities are congenital (present at birth) and there are numerous variations - some are mild and some are severe and require surgery.