Blog
How Can a Cleft Palate Affect Hearing?
While a cleft lip alone doesn’t usually present a higher risk of long-term hearing loss when compared to children unaffected by a cleft deformity, individuals born with a cleft palate often face a number of unique challenges concerning their hearing and speech development. Hearing issues associated with a cleft palate can develop gradually and resolve on their own, only to arise again once more later in life. For this reason, it’s important to remain vigilant... Continue Reading
How Can Jaw Surgery Improve My Appearance?
Jaw surgery is often performed to address congenital deformities or traumatic injuries, but many individuals are unaware that orthognathic procedures can also be pursued for aesthetic purposes. On top of helping to repair speech, biting, and physiological difficulties (such as mouth breathing), jaw surgery can also benefit patients cosmetically by: Correcting facial imbalances or asymmetries Advancing a receding chin and/or jawline Improving the shape of the face Completing enhancements that cannot be achieved with chin... Continue Reading
Do I Need Revision Rhinoplasty?
Revision rhinoplasty, or nasal reconstruction, is sometimes performed for patients who may not have achieved the enhancement they originally sought in their first rhinoplasty. This may occur due to a miscommunication between you and your previous plastic surgeon, or simply because your surgeon wasn’t well-qualified to achieve your desired improvements. In any case, the decision to pursue revision rhinoplasty is entirely your own to make. This reconstructive surgery can be performed for a myriad of... Continue Reading
Can I Treat an Infant Ear Deformity Without Surgery?
Roughly one-third of infants are born with some type of ear deformity, which is a term that encompasses many different conditions defined by irregular ear development. Infant ear deformities are relatively common and approximately one-third to one-half of cases even self-correct within the first few weeks of birth. While incorrect ear development does not naturally resolve for all children, craniofacial plastic surgeon Eric Payne, MD can treat an array of ear deformities without surgery using... Continue Reading
How Can I Improve a Speech Impediment Caused By a Cleft?
Speech problems caused by a cleft can be successfully treated with both surgical intervention and non-surgical therapies. A cleft lip and/or palate are among the most common congenital defects in the world, with as many as 1 in 1,600 babies in the U.S. born with a cleft. While this condition is often corrected as a child with cleft lip and palate repair, adults who previously had a facial cleft can face a number of difficulties... Continue Reading
Infant Ear Molding: Which System is Right For My Newborn?
If your baby was born with some type of ear deformity, wherein the ear shape deviates from the normal exterior ear anatomy, you’re not alone. Studies show that approximately one-third of newborns have a congenital (since birth) ear deformity that typically does not resolve on its own. Fortunately, new techniques have been developed to correct many different ear deformities without surgical intervention. Our highly trained craniofacial plastic surgeon outlines the three primary infant ear molding... Continue Reading
Orthognathic Jaw Surgery for Cosmetic Reasons: Is It Dangerous?
Recently, we’ve seen quite a few new patients who want corrective surgery after undergoing cosmetic orthognathic jaw surgery. These surgeries include: chin reduction, chin augmentation with implant, cheekbone (zygoma) reduction, jawline reduction, and other significant jaw repositioning surgeries. There has been a boom in cosmetic surgery in South Korea where celebrities have chosen to undergo a full cosmetic makeover to change their appearance. We aren’t just talking about improving wrinkles and minor adjustments, but significant... Continue Reading
How is Craniosynostosis Diagnosed?
An infant’s skull is composed of several bony plates connected by a series of fibrous joints (called sutures). During normal growth, the sutures close together as the child develops, allowing room in the skull for the brain to fully form. Craniosynostosis is a condition in which the sutures close prematurely, inhibiting normal development of the brain and skull. This can cause surrounding bones to compensate for the restricted growth, leading to changes in the facial... Continue Reading
