Physicians and surgeons who practice in the area of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery focus on correcting problems or changing the appearance of certain parts of the head, neck, face, and ears. These procedures often are performed to address birth deformities, repair the negative effects of a previous facial surgery, or correct problems resulting from cancer, stroke, trauma, or burns. In other cases, the procedures are done for cosmetic reasons, to achieve a more youthful appearance or to change a specific characteristic that has always been bothersome.
Some of the more common procedures are described below:
UAB Medicine is the premier medical center in Alabama for facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, thanks to our experienced and highly trained physicians and surgeons. Our group features specialists with extensive expertise in both corrective and cosmetic procedures, and they have backgrounds in otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat, or ENT), plastic surgery, and oculoplastic surgery (procedures involving the eye sockets, eyelids, tear ducts, and the face). By combining training and experience in reconstructive and cosmetic surgery, our surgeons are able to offer improvements in both form and function for the patient.
UAB Medicine offers daily facial plastic and reconstructive surgery clinics for the convenience of our patients. Patients are seen for office visits at The Kirklin Clinic of UAB Hospital and UAB Plastic Surgery of Mountain Brook, and our surgical procedures are performed at UAB Hospital, UAB Hospital-Highlands, UAB Callahan Eye Hospital, or in the office-based setting of UAB Plastic Surgery of Mountain Brook. Procedures on children are performed by UAB Medicine surgeons at the nearby Children’s of Alabama hospital.
Our reconstructive surgeons use the latest microvascular techniques, including the “local flap” and “free flap” methods, which are designed to ensure adequate blood supply to the areas undergoing surgery:
- A local flap is a reconstructive technique in which tissue adjacent to the part of the body affected by trauma or disease is used to cover, heal, or replace the affected area. An example of this is when a large portion of the nose is removed to eradicate a cancer, and skin (and perhaps muscle) from the forehead or cheek is used to reconstruct the nose. This differs from a skin graft in that, due to the size of the defect, the tissue from the forehead or cheek is transferred to the affected area with the blood supply (arteries and veins) still attached.
- A free flap, on the other hand, is a reconstructive technique in which larger areas affected by trauma or disease are replaced with skin, muscle, and/or bone from a part of the body that is not next to the affected area. Examples of this include using a section of skin from the arm or a piece of leg bone to replace and reconstruct a facial defect, or using tissue from another part of the body to replace tissue lost from removing a tumor or from trauma, such as a gunshot or car accident. The arteries and veins that supply blood to the tissue are reconnected to an artery and vein near the affected area. The free flap method is often used by head and neck surgeons to minimize the impact on appearance, speech, swallowing, chewing, etc.
In keeping with the mission of our academic medical center, UAB Medicine faculty and residents participate in a wide range of research into the regenerative power of stem cells, bone biology, wound healing, and the latest reconstructive surgery techniques, as well as studies designed to evaluate and improve surgical results. This helps ensure that our patients enjoy the benefit of the latest and most effective advances in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery.
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Resources
- UAB Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
- “Jaw in a Day” Surgery
- Microvascular Reconstruction Surgery Using Free Tissue Transfer
- Microvascular Head and Neck Reconstruction
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