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Reconstructive Surgery
Best practices to heal dog bites
Niccole Caan | ASPS Staff Monday, May 13, 2024Dogs are known as our furry best friends. Yet, all dogs come with the risk of biting. The 2022 ASPS Procedural Statistics Release showed almost 19,000 people had reconstruction procedures for dog bites last year.
Scalding survivor shows others her resilient spirit
Niccole Caan | ASPS Staff Wednesday, May 1, 2024When she was a toddler, Emma survived a severe scalding injury. Doctors didn't know if she would be able to walk, but with the help of her plastic surgeon, her burns didn't define her. See how she went on to compete in multiple sports and reach her ambitious career goals.
Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month: Down a leg, up a life
Niccole Caan | ASPS Staff Thursday, April 25, 2024Sam Schaefer said nothing has stopped him in the three and half years since his leg amputation. He decided to go forward with the amputation almost a decade after he injured his foot in the Air Force during a training exercise.
Cancer survivor becomes an innovator to help others heal
Niccole Caan | ASPS Staff Thursday, February 29, 2024Four-time cancer survivor Cinde Dolphin's struggle to heal sparked an idea. Learn how she designed an innovative solution to help patients heal and discover the impact it had on women in Africa. Dolphin shows us how cancer can test your mettle but also create new opportunities.
Actress uses humor to conquer cancer's horror... twice
Niccole Caan | ASPS Staff Friday, January 26, 2024Consummate performer Aniela McGuinness kept her spirits high through breast cancer and reconstructive surgery. Her second cancer diagnosis proved even more challenging. Guided by the compassionate care of ASPS Member Surgeon Shashi Kusuma, MD, she kept her infectious sense of humor.
Plastic surgery helps traffic accident victim regain self-confidence
Niccole Caan | ASPS Staff Monday, December 11, 2023Skateboarding enthusiast Brittany Castaneda had to both physically and mentally heal after a drunk driver ran her over while crossing the street. Plastic surgeon Ariel Ourian, MD, transformed both her injuries and self-confidence with reconstructive surgery.
From breast cancer survivor to fashion designer
Daisy Brumby | Freelance Writer Thursday, November 30, 2023Dana Donofree was diagnosed with breast cancer a day before her 28th birthday, turning her world upside down. The diagnosis led to bilateral mastectomies, breast reconstruction and chemotherapy, which left her grappling with a new reality and a body that seemed unfamiliar to her shortly before her wedding.
A soldier wins the hardest battle with an invisible enemy
Niccole Caan | ASPS Staff Friday, November 17, 2023Chronic pain was the biggest battle for soldier Sam Schaefer after he sustained an injury to his left foot during a training exercise. Schaefer was shuffled between doctors and specialists for a decade with no relief and few answers until he met John Felder, MD, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon.
How one woman went from cancer survivor to entrepreneur
Daisy Brumby | Freelance Writer Thursday, November 16, 2023For most, a cancer diagnosis is a life-altering event that happens once. For Cinde Dolphin, it became an all too familiar adversary, striking not once but multiple times. It wasn't just her resilience in the face of repeated cancer battles that was remarkable. Dolphin also designed an innovative solution for patients because of her challenges with postsurgical drains.
The remarkable journey to build a nose
Daisy Brumby | Freelance Writer Thursday, November 9, 2023Harrison "Gray" Canales had a typical childhood but an atypical life. His early years were interspersed with numerous surgeries because he was born with a severe bilateral congenital deformity. The face staring back at you today is a testament to his journey, resilience, personal growth and the remarkable medical achievements that shaped his life.
From flames to flourishing: A burn victim becomes a doctor
Daisy Brumby | Freelance Writer Thursday, November 2, 2023It was a journey to becoming a doctor with a lot of stops and detours for Laurence Busse, MD, MBA. This trip began like a lot of other travels for the 19-year-old Tulane University political economy major, with a car ride on a night out with friends in New Orleans in 1990.
Plastic surgery for a brain tumor
Daisy Brumby | Freelance Writer Tuesday, January 3, 2023Erin Crea decided to venture out of her house alone and go to the mall. But something went wrong before her plan came to fruition. The last thing she remembered was leaving her driveway – and instead of shopping at the mall, she woke up in an emergency room.
Woman survives disfiguring accident, now inspires others
Daisy Brumby | Freelance Writer Wednesday, November 23, 2022Onyinye Udebuani survived a car accident in 2018 that severely disfigured her face, changing not only her looks but the course of her life. She was a passenger in the collision that killed three others.
Plastic surgery transforms a young burn victim
Daisy Brumby | Freelance Writer Friday, November 18, 2022Shamira Reeves was a toddler in Africa when her tiny torso and arms were burned by boiling water that her stepmother poured on her, webbing her arms to her body and crippling her.
Plastic surgeons reconstruct NFL star Alex Smith's leg and dreams
Daisy Brumby | Freelance Writer Friday, November 4, 2022NFL star Alex Smith's life changed in a matter of seconds in 2018. One moment the quarterback was running toward the 40-yard line, and the next he was steamrolled to the ground by the opposing team's J.J. Watt and Kareem Jackson. The tackle shattered the bones in Smith's lower leg – and potentially his dream of ever playing football again.
Plastic surgeons want to use nerve regeneration to make prosthetic limbs move
Daisy Brumby | Freelance Writer Tuesday, November 1, 2022Plastic surgeon Paul Cederna, MD, has always been interested in solving some of the most challenging issues in reconstructive surgery. He co-leads the Neuromuscular Lab at the University of Michigan, which focuses on developing futuristic technology that uses an amputee's nerves to control a prosthetic limb.
Plastic surgery helps quadriplegic man continue his life's mission
Daisy Brumby | Freelance Writer Friday, September 9, 2022It's hard to imagine what it would be like to go from being a 19-year-old college football player who could do practically anything he wanted physically, to being unable to move. This became Marc Buoniconti's harsh reality after he collided with another player, dislocated his neck and sustained a spinal cord injury.
Patient's courage propels him to Olympic victory
Daisy Brumby | Freelance Writer Thursday, August 18, 2022When Blake Haxton reached his senior year of high school, the rowing season had just started when he noticed soreness in his lower right leg. The next morning was an ordinary Monday, but the pain in his leg was anything but.
Burn patient finds hope after accident thanks to plastic surgery
Daisy Brumby | Freelance Writer Monday, August 8, 2022Fractional CO2 laser therapy is a promising treatment for patients with burn scars. This noninvasive procedure uses laser energy to break down scar tissue, revealing softer and smoother skin beneath.
Craniofacial patients lead full lives thanks to surgical advancements
Daisy Brumby | Freelance Writer Tuesday, August 2, 2022Today's young patients have benefited from innovations in craniofacial surgery that began in the late 1960s. Advances in three-dimensional imaging, for example, have helped plastic surgeons like Jesse Goldstein, MD, see how to improve the shape and function of a pediatric patient's head and face.
Technological advances in plastic surgery lead to complete arm transplants for two wounded warriors
Daisy Brumby | Freelance Writer Tuesday, July 19, 2022Plastic surgery has advanced considerably since its origins as a treatment for injured soldiers. From rudimentary surgeries during World War I, it has now grown to full limb transplants for troops who have lost their arms, restoring function and giving them a chance at living a more normal life.
