The Blog

This woman had a history of a cleft palate, with severe nasal obstruction and a pharyngeal flap contributing to sleep apnea. A septorhinoplasty and revision of her pharyngeal flap improved her breathing and refined her nasal tip, with no negative effects on her speech. There’s nothing like being able to get a good night’s sleep! For more, visit our Cleft … Read More

This young man is breathing well and confident 1 month after his cleft rhinoplasty and fat graft to his upper lip. Not every patient requires a rib graft, or total deconstruction and reconstruction of the nose. Here, we used a spreader graft on just the left side of the nose, columellar strut graft, and suture techniques to unite, reorient, and … Read More

Usually we wait until after skeletal maturity and jaw surgery before offering a cleft rhinoplasty. However, if nasal obstruction and symptoms are severe, nasal reconstruction before jaw surgery is sometimes done, knowing that a second surgery may be needed after the maxilla is moved forward. Here, septal deviation and airway collapse led to nasal obstruction, sleep apnea, and difficulty with … Read More

This gentleman has a history of a cleft lip and nasal deviation, with severe difficulty breathing through his nostrils. I performed a rhinoplasty to straighten a deviated septum, and used the removed cartilage from the septum to make grafts that helped to straighten and support the nasal passages. We also chose to perform a genioplasty, moving the chin forward to … Read More

This beautiful woman loves her boost of confidence after a cleft rhinoplasty and revision of her lip scar. She is seen here early in her recovery, and can already breathe much more easily. She also said we “gave her back her smile!” after revising the notch in her cleft lip. For more, visit our Cleft Rhinoplasty page or call us … Read More

This handsome young man has a history of a unilateral cleft lip and palate. He is seen here 7 months after jaw surgery (maxillary advancement, mandibular setback, and chin advancement), and 1 month after rhinoplasty. His occlusion (or how his teeth fit together) is now centered and leveled, with the teeth now able to chew optimally. This will help with … Read More

Facial asymmetry is normal to some extent in most people. Sometimes it may be due to underlying differences in bone structure – like in craniosynostosis, hemifacial microsomia, or a facial cleft. Here, her nasal tip and nasal bones are subject to a subtle craniofacial “twist” from a history of craniosynostosis, even after previous cranial vault reconstruction. There is less projection … Read More

“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” – Dolly Parton The first year can be tough on patients and families at baseline, and that is especially true for children and families with any medical condition. For our babies with cleft lip and palate, that may involve: 0) Prenatal visits to … Read More

What a great time visiting with this boy born with an incomplete cleft lip! I want to give reassurance to families, for when the early scar can be a little tight leading to more asymmetry. The intermediate photos are a few months after the first cleft lip surgery, and then the later ones are now over 3 years after that … Read More

A sweet annual visit with this girl headed to visit the bright lights of Disney World soon! Annual visits in the 4-6 year range center around speech. Kids are now able to participate more with an evaluation. Parents often also have a few videos of their kids speaking at home to give some more context and information to go off … Read More

Breasts come in all shapes and sizes. With heavier breasts that have fallen over time, or after a large amount of weight loss, a lift and reduction can help to relieve neck and back strain and pain. The steri-strips are often still on at this 1-month mark as patients take their time letting their body heal. After these come off, … Read More

This patient had large breasts since puberty, with the weight of her breasts causing significant neck pain, back pain, and rashes under her breasts. A reduction and lift (mastopexy) go hand in hand as an aesthetic and reconstructive procedure, to remove several pounds of extra weight, while leaving a volume and shape she felt happy and comfortable with. For more, … Read More