Though elective plastic surgery gets headlines and reality shows, the more compassionate side of the field, reconstructive surgery, is where many doctors choose to spend a good deal of their time helping patients rebuild their lives. A recent Yahoo! News story highlighted a young girl who underwent a new type of reconstructive surgery called anaplastology to restore one of her ears that had been badly burned in an accident. The surgical procedure Elise underwent to recreate her right ear used a prosthetic can last about six years before needing to be replaced (a much easier follow-up procedure). Though this form of reconstructive surgery is only performed by about 150 plastic surgeons worldwide, Dr. Ljung offers a host of reconstructive procedures in Wilmington.
Otoplasty is an ear pinning surgery performed by your plastic surgeon that reforms the cartilage of your ear to reshape it and reposition the ear so it is closer to the head.
Breast reconstruction options range from the more common breast implant procedure to skin and tissue grafting surgeries that use donor sites on the patient’s own body (often abdomen or buttocks) to recreate the breast.
Tissue expansion procedures are also used for reconstructive patients who lack the sufficient skin to move forward with reconstruction. In this procedure, a balloon-like instrument is placed under the skin and gradually filled with saline to stretch the skin.
Your plastic surgeon may also be able to remove or diminish scars you have from previous skin trauma. This process may utilize injectable fillers to fill a depressed scar, or the removal of scar tissue.
Call Wilmington plastic surgeon Dr. Tor Ljung at (910) 762-1234 to learn more about how his reconstructive skills can help you on the road to recovery.
