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We carry the EarWell ear molding device, and it was just profiled on NPR! Between one-fifth and one-third of infants are born with prominent or misfolded ears.  Immediately after birth, the cartilage is very flexible, thanks to circulating estrogen left over from pregnancy. The ears are especially malleable. Some misfolded ears unfold on their own shortly after the child is Continue Reading…

Korean and Japanese cosmetics are becoming more widespread (just check out Sephora!) and especially in California we have a significant Asian, and Asian-American population.  Beauty trends are becoming global, and that includes plastic surgery and the ideals patients seek.  Here is a great interview with the current president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (the official group of plastic Continue Reading…

One of my friends that I trained in plastic surgery with, specializes in gender reassignment surgery; these procedures require microsurgery, with suture finer than a human hair. This recent article from my alma mater about penis transplant surgery shows how plastic surgeons remain at the forefront of surgical innovation. I think what they do is great and I support them, Continue Reading…

  I’ve always enjoyed old movies and recently I caught one I hadn’t seen before: A Woman’s Face, starring Joan Crawford.  In the film, Crawford plays a woman who was severely scarred on one side of her face as a child, and grows up extremely self-conscious of the scar.  She runs an inn, and blackmails on the side – and it’s Continue Reading…

  In the United States, approximately one of every 700 babies is born with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate, a condition created when tissue in the baby’s upper lip or the roof of the mouth does not join together completely during pregnancy and leaves an opening. Despite unique health challenges, those born with cleft and craniofacial conditions can lead Continue Reading…

Recently a friend of mine sent another physician my way, who was looking for a plastic surgeon to help with a skin cancer on her face.  A dermatologist who had diagnosed the cancer offered to remove it and repair the defect, but as a physician, the patient wanted a surgeon. My dermatology colleagues who are trained in Mohs procedures (serial Continue Reading…

Why Surgeons Listen to Music in the Operating Room I was reminded of this article after a patient stopped me today to say, “I want to give you a compliment.”  We haven’t unveiled the final result, so to speak, so I was curious what he would say. “When I went into the operating room, I was pretty anxious.  But hearing Continue Reading…

    At the end of last week I traveled down to Palm Springs, where the annual American Cleft association and American Craniofacial Society meetings were held.  It was great to see mentors and colleagues, and also hear how other centers handle their cleft and craniofacial cases.  We all face similar challenges in optimizing care, so it’s great to be Continue Reading…

Sometimes patients come in and know they want some kind of non-surgical rejuvenation, and they have heard of Botox, but they are not really sure what it does.  Here are some details on Botox and fillers: Fillers target lines, wrinkles, and volume loss by filling in the areas, unlike Botox, which works by relaxing muscles.  Botox cannot fill in any Continue Reading…

This story came out of the UK recently – and I would like to make clear that punching a patient is not an appropriate or effective approach to fixing a cheekbone fracture! Surgeon who punched patient is fired Of course most patients sustain these injuries through some kind of trauma, but reproducing that impact doesn’t fix the fracture or help Continue Reading…