When you think of plastic surgery you wouldn’t think of a child being a patient. Many people assume that plastic surgery is only for adults seeking cosmetic alterations, but have you ever stopped to think that children need plastic surgery too?

Unlike most adult plastic surgery cases where patients are getting Botox®, fillers, lifts and reductions to achieve a “dream look,” pediatric plastic surgery is much more than that. Many plastic surgery cases for children are done for medical purposes and focus on providing care to restore craniofacial functions.

MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach specializes in plastic surgery on small and growing bodies. Some children are born with facial defects, such as cleft lip and cleft palate, while others acquire them through a traumatic injury. When a parent decides to correct a facial deformity or craniofacial trauma for their child, it is important that they take their child to a children’s hospital that specializes in plastic surgery.

From the moment a patient is referred to Miller Children’s & Women’s for plastic surgery, the plastic surgery care team provides comprehensive assessments, physical examination, diagnosis, treatment and overall case management of a child’s special medical needs.

In some cases, such as a patient needing complex facial reconstruction, multiple procedures may occur. Facial reconstruction can include the repair of soft tissue, bones and grafts. It could be daunting for a child to transition to multiple surgeons throughout the reconstruction process. At Miller Children’s & Women’s, Keith Hurvitz, M.D., pediatric plastic surgeon, does all plastic surgery procedures. This is helpful for patients and their families because they are receiving care from a familiar doctor who works with them throughout their entire surgical process and recovery.

With the use of minimally invasive surgery, many surgical procedures have reduced pain, shorter to no hospital stay, improved recovery times and most importantly, minimized scarring especially when it concerns the face. This is helpful for cases such as cleft lip and cleft palate, which are the most common plastic surgical cases.