Pediatric Plastic Surgery
As a parent, you care about every aspect of your child's physical and emotional well being. If your child was born with a congenital deformity or suffered a traumatic injury, plastic surgery can restore function as well as appearance.
At UVA Health Children's, our board-certified and fellowship-trained plastic surgeons are equipped to treat a wide variety of conditions. Pediatric plastic surgeons are especially familiar with how the body changes as it grows, and how to offer treatment that grows with your child.
Conditions We Treat
Congenital differences like:
- Skull and facial conditions like cleft lip, cleft palate, and craniosynostosis
- Treacher Collins syndrome
- Pierre Robin sequence
- Misshapen ear
- Giant congenital nevi
- Vascular tumors
- Congenital hand differences
Acquired injuries like:
- Burns
- Animal bites
- Facial trauma and lacerations
- Amputations
- Facial fractures
- Brachial plexus injuries
- Complex fractures
Plastic Surgery Specialty Programs
Craniofacial Program
A multidisciplinary effort with neurosurgery and speech-language pathologists, our craniofacial program offers surgical repair for conditions like cleft lip and palate as well as craniosynostosis and other conditions that affect the skull and face.
Burn Care
Our DeCamp Burn and Wound Healing Center treats children for severe burns, providing psychological care to help them cope.
The Burn Support Laboratory stores harvested skin grafts and prepares antimicrobial cream to kill or prevent the growth of bacteria or fungi in wounds.
Overcoming A Rare Cranial Deformity
Born with a rare cranial deformity, Savannah ended up having over 20 surgeries at UVA Health Children's
Michelle Tucker: I knew something was wrong and even asked, “Is there something wrong with my baby?" She needed plastic surgeons and she needed neurosurgeons. And there was nowhere in West Virginia that offered all of that and so we were told she would be flown out to the University of Virginia.
Michelle: I guess I can't even really explain it. I just, it just felt right. It just felt like I was at the right place.
Kant Lin, MD: I got to know Savannah at an extremely young age. She was born with a deformity that
was potentially threatening to her life, as well as her future development.
Michelle: Each team came and talked to us, and we knew, we were realistic - we knew what we were up against. We knew - she didn't have the surgery, she wasn't gonna survive. But it was risky, but we were ready.
John Jane, Sr. MD: You have to tell the truth and say, "This is a serious situation,” but not make the truth seem so frightening that they are discouraged. There is hope. And obviously there was hope, the years have proven that to be true.
Savannah Tucker: I just remember, I mean good memories like - the nurses. They had all these patients, but when they saw that one patient - when they saw me, it was like I was their only priority. They didn't, they treated me as though I didn't look as bad as I know I did. They really cared. And it's everybody in UVA. It's not just the nurses, just the doctors, not just the team, it’s everybody.
Mark Abel, MD: I was reading this chart and thinking, "Oh, I'm not sure they have the right expectations.” And it wasn't clear to me that walking was a realistic
goal.
Michael Tucker: You take a doctor that is unfamiliar with Savannah, and he reads her medical records before he comes in, and they would actually not know that that's her. And they'll say, “You’re Savannah?" because she projects herself and it's just amazing.
Mark Abel: I realized just how incredibly motivated she was. But more importantly, she came from a nurturing environment and had parents that were totally supportive and extremely intelligent - and understood what it was gonna take for her to get better.
Michelle Tucker: She surprised us with crutch walking- which we did not know, you know, would we ever see that. And so she walked her entire graduation with her crutches. It was my ugly cry moment, I call it.
Savannah: I wasn't sure about being in the marching band. I wanted to, but I didn't know about the pushing and all that with my chair. And so, Dad had called the director, and she was like, "Oh yeah!” Yeah, and I'm in
the concert band too. So, I love every part of it. I mean, music is my passion.
Kant Lin: The whole Tucker family is just a remarkable story. It's sometimes hard to convey how serious these deformities are. I mean, there was a point where Savannah almost died. It's remarkable how
they've been able to raise her and allow her to be the person that she's become.
Michelle: I'm a god fearing woman and you take what you're given, and you realize that you can either be a miserable soul, or you can be someone who really blesses people.