Tel Aviv Medical Clinic’s Pediatric Plastic Surgery Department treats hundreds of children every year. Pediatric plastic surgery is a very important area of reconstructive medicine, because due to defects in appearance, a child may find himself in social isolation and become a victim of bullying. Our plastic surgeons have excellent training: most specialists have trained more than once in the best children’s hospitals in Europe and USA. In addition, all medical staff of the department have professional psychological skills and extensive experience in communicating with children.

TAMC plastic surgeons perform the full range of necessary reconstructive surgeries for children. If necessary, other specialists are involved in diagnostic and treatment process – maxillofacial surgeons, ENT doctors, neurosurgeons, vascular surgeons and others. Thanks to coordinated work of such a multidisciplinary team, it is possible to correct defects in appearance even in the most difficult cases.

Most often, parents of children with cleft lip and cleft palate, cicatricial changes in skin after burns or after extensive surgical interventions, and deformities of ears and nose turn to TAMC Plastic Surgery Department for help. Some plastic surgeries performed by our surgeons are unique. For example, department removes large nevi (birthmarks) using expander dermotensia method, performs complex correction of hypertelorism in children, and restores facial nerves after their paralysis.

The main advantages of treatment in Pediatric Plastic Surgery Department at TAMC:

Highly qualified all medical staff of the department, and not just plastic surgeons.
Comfortable conditions to stay for both the child and his parents, the opportunity to stay with child during treatment (except for operating room).
A wide range of medical services, performing both standard and unique reconstructive surgeries.
Treatment and diagnostic programs taking into account global protocols, but using an individual approach to each child.
All invasive and painful procedures are performed under anesthesia so that child does not experience pain or fear.
Only modern and safe diagnostic and treatment equipment of expert class.
Accompaniment by an employee of medical tourism department, interpreters services.
Reasonable prices for treatment, payment upon completion of procedures.

Smiling little girl with oxygen saturated probe resting on hospital bed. Girl patient looking at doctor with a smile. Child and doctor at medical clinic.

Practice spheres of Pediatric Plastic Surgery Department

Children’s plastic surgeons at TAMC are engaged in elimination of congenital and acquired defects in appearance in children of different ages. Types of interventions that are most often performed in our department:

Reconstructive surgeries for cleft lip and cleft palate.
Intervention to restore normal appearance of an anatomical area after injuries, correction of congenital malformations, tumors removal.
Plastic surgery on nose to correct congenital developmental defects or consequences of injuries and diseases.
Plastic surgery to correct the size and shape of ears, including their reconstruction and treatment of protruding ears.
Removal of keloids and very large scars on skin.
Skin grafting after burns or extensive surgery.
Surgical treatment of gynecomastia in boys.
Correction of mammary glands asymmetry in girls due to their abnormal development.
Correction of chest deformities (funnel chest and keeled chest).
Plastic surgery for congenital defects of external genitalia in girls and boys.
Microsurgical restoration of facial nerve after its paralysis.
Hypertelorism treatment of in children (pathologically large distance between eyes in children with a wide bridge of nose).
Various skin defects removal – nevi, hemangiomas, birthmarks, dermatofibromas, lipomas and other benign neoplasms.
Giant nevi removal using expander dermotensia.
Correction of irregularities in shape of head and skull.

What diseases does Department of Pediatric Plastic Surgery treat?

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Diagnostic methods in pediatric plastic surgery

Diagnostic process in TAMC takes 1-5 work days. The procedures that your child must undergo before surgery depend on the reason for seeking care and child’s overall health. As a rule, diagnostic program consists of 3 main stages.

At the first stage, the child and his parents consult with a plastic surgeon, where doctor establishes the reason for seeking medical help, anamnesis of illness and life, and studies all medical documents that patients brought with them. Next, he discusses with parents and child (if his age allows) possible treatment options and their results. Then specialist develops a plan for additional examination before surgery and refers the child to Diagnostic Department of TAMC.

Stage 2 is diagnostics itself, which consists of a set of necessary laboratory tests of blood and urine before surgery, as well as instrumental examination techniques (ECG, digital radiography, CT, MRI, ultrasound, MSCT, FEGDS, etc.).

At stage 3 of diagnostic program, pediatric plastic surgeon examines the results of additional examination, and if there are no contraindications to surgery, together with parents they select the nearest date for surgery.

Important!

Patient can undergo all necessary diagnostic tests and examinations directly at Tel Aviv Medical Clinic.

Department uses only modern and safe equipment. The entire diagnostic program is completed very quickly – 1-3 days.

Modern treatment methods in pediatric plastic surgery

Surgeons at Pediatric Plastic Surgery Department at TAMC perform all types of reconstructive interventions for both aesthetic and therapeutic purposes.

Otoplasty (restoration of shape of auricle, correction of protruding ears) is performed under general anesthesia. Surgery duration is 60-120 minutes, depending on complexity of case. Surgery is performed after 6 years, when auricle is already fully formed. Surgeon makes an incision behind ear so that the scar is not noticeable later. Depending on surgery purpose, doctor removes excess tissue or, conversely, builds it up, changes the ear cartilage shape, earlobe, and eliminates protruding ears. To augment the auricle, patient’s own tissue is used (costal cartilage, for example, skin and fatty tissue from abdomen or thigh). If it is not possible to perform plastic surgery using autografts, surgeon uses high-quality synthetic materials.

Non-surgical otoplasty is possible in young children, when cartilage tissue is not yet fully developed, very pliable and elastic. For this purpose, baby is given a special ear bandages that help change the shape of the ears. There are also modern options for non-surgical otoplasty for young children – EarWell. This is a special silicone form made in USA, which is placed on child’s ear for a certain time. Such treatment, if started on time, can correct up to 90% of minor defects in shape and position of auricle.

Removal of giant nevi using expander dermotension is a modern method of surgical removal of large congenital birthmarks. This cannot be done with conventional surgical excision, since a very large skin defect remains, which either heals with a large scar formation or requires skin grafting. At the first stage, TAMС plastic surgeons install a tissue expander under the skin at the site of future surgical intervention, which will gradually stretch healthy skin, thus forming its excess. After surgical excision of nevus, this skin flap will cover the tissue defect, which does not require skin grafting and has an excellent cosmetic effect after healing. The duration of dermotension stage itself is 8-12 weeks, during which surgeon gradually increases the volume of skin expander so that skin stretches.

Hypertelorism correction in children is carried out for aesthetic purposes. Hypertelorism is a very large distance between the eyes with a wide bridge of nose and occurs due to congenital defects in facial skull development. Сorrection of this condition is carried out by an entire surgical team, which consists of a pediatric plastic surgeon, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, a neurosurgeon, an ophthalmologist, and a dental surgeon.

Reconstruction of facial nerve after its paralysis (Bell’s palsy). Damage to facial nerve is accompanied by unilateral paralysis of facial muscles, which causes a person’s appearance to change significantly; he cannot smile. There are many causes of nerve damage: from congenital to acquired (trauma, viral lesions). Facial nerve reconstruction surgeries in TAMC are divided into 2 groups: nerve implantation from lower limb, muscle tissue implantation from thigh.

Today, 99% of such surgeries are very successful. It is important to emphasize that even in those isolated cases where surgery to reconstruct the facial nerve was unsuccessful, it is possible to perform it again.

This is only a small part of the unique techniques of reconstructive surgery at TAMC. Our specialists will help your child with any problem, both common and very rare. If your child has a congenital or acquired defect in appearance, feel free to contact us for help.