Procedure Candidates

In general, two types of patients are candidates for reconstructive plastic surgery – those with congenital anomalies (including cleft lip, craniofacial anomalies, or hand deformities), and those with developmental deformities (such as those due to accidents, infection, disease, tumors, or aging). In some instances, reconstructive plastic surgery is mainly cosmetic in nature, with the goal of making the patient feel more comfortable in society, while in other instances, it may be medically necessary. Today, due to improved treatment options for so many disfiguring conditions, the emotional and physical results of the damage to your body by disease or trauma are very different from what they were in the past. The specific type of surgery will be determined in meetings with Dr. Lewis based on such factors as your age and health, severity of the situation, your tolerance of certain medications, procedures or therapies and your own personal preferences.

As Dr. Lewis states,

“Patients in need of reconstructive surgery of all types face hurdles both physical and psychological. My staff and I will lay out all the options and work with you to come up with a plan of action suited to your specific case.”

Procedure Description

Reconstructive surgery is that area of plastic surgery that focuses on restoring form and/or function to a part of the body that following trauma, cancer resection, congenital malformations or accident that leads to a deformity. Reconstructive procedures vary in their complexity, ranging from something as simple as a closure of a wound or scar revision, to more complicated surgeries such as using a flap from one part of the body to repair a defect in a completely different part of the body.

What to Expect

Given the wide range of reconstructive procedures, there is a wide array of options in what you may expect. Whatever your situation, you can expect Dr. Lewis and his staff to treat you with the utmost respect and fully describe and answer any and all questions regarding the procedure he suggests is best for you.

Preprocedure

You will need a ride to and from the surgery center. You should dress comfortably the day of surgery. Prior to surgery you should try and get as much rest as possible. You will visit with Dr. Lewis multiple times before surgery to discuss your desires and expectations.

Postprocedure

Postprocedure instruction will be specifically detailed dependent upon the type of surgery you will undergo. Questions of follow-up meetings with Dr. Lewis, suture removal, potential additional surgery, return to work and normal activities and other topics will be gone over before your procedure.