Whether correcting craniofacial abnormalities in newborns, minimizing the scars of wounds, or reducing abnormal growth that occurs in adolescence, Texas Children’s plastic surgeons are pioneers in helping children avoid the drawbacks of looking different from their peers.
Every year the surgeons repair birth defects on the face, head or hands of hundreds of young children before their peers are even old enough to know about it. Some of these children return for additional surgery when they reach adolescence. But other children experience their first problems when hormonal changes at puberty create excessive growth, such as large ears or noses.
“For adolescents, plastic surgery isn’t about looking beautiful, but about the restoration of body image,” says Dr. Samuel Stal, chief of Plastic Surgery and professor at Baylor College of Medicine.
Another type of excessive growth, gynecomastia, causes enlarged breasts in about 30 percent of males between the ages of 10 and 15. Among the causes of the rarely talked about condition are puberty-related imbalances of estrogen and testosterone, use of steroids or obesity. Although excess fatty tissue can cause breasts to form, gynecomastia occurs in the glandular tissue just below the areola.
Doctors typically recommend waiting to see if gynecomastia disappears as the youngster grows. The condition goes away naturally in approximately 85 percent of cases. But it may persist in a small percentage of teens, causing a great deal of embarrassment.
In such cases, an outpatient surgical procedure may be the only solution. To address the accompanying psychosocial needs, Texas Children’s also provides support through social workers and adolescent counseling.
“These patients are often despondent. One recently wore as many as five shirts to cover up the problem,” reports Dr. Larry Hollier, Texas Children’s plastic surgeon and associate professor at Baylor College of Medicine. “The psychological issues can cause substantial emotional trauma for these young people.”
