If you’re wondering about ear surgery, Jacksonville’s Garcia Institute has answers to all your questions. Formally referred to as “otoplasty” and often called “ear pinning,” cosmetic ear surgery is designed to change the appearance of your external ears. Most often, the surgery is performed on patients who feel their ears too noticeably protrude away from their scalps. When this is the case, an ear surgery procedure reshapes the cartilage in a way that brings the ear closer to the scalp.

However, other reasons for otoplasty exist, including genetic disorders such as Treacher Collins syndrome, hemifacial microsomia and Stahl’s deformity (known as “Spock ear”); and traumatic ear injuries caused by car crashes, fights or dog bites, for instance. Reconstructive or cosmetic ear surgery can involve moving, reshaping, adding or removing ear elements.

Before and after photos of an otoplasty procedure by Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery. Click the image to see more patient photos.

Otoplasty was first developed in ancient India around 600 BC and often was used to reconstruct ears that had been amputated as a punishment for crimes. Those same early procedures form the basis for the very procedures that are performed today. The most common ear surgery procedures involve removing excess cartilage from the center back of the ear, then reconnecting the ear closer to the scalp using absorbable sutures. In pediatric ear surgery, Jacksonville surgeons typically perform the procedure under general anesthesia. Adults are treated under local or twilight anesthesia. Immediately following the procedure, patients wear headbands that keep their ears in place 24 hours a day for three weeks. And most are able to resume normal athletic activity within two weeks following ear surgery.

Jacksonville’s Drs. Phillip Garcia and Roberto Garcia focus exclusively on facial reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. Otoplasty is a specialty for them, so rest assured that you are in the best of hands. To discuss your ear surgery, contact Jacksonville’s Garcia Institute at (904) 247-8522.

Betcha didn’t know this tidbit about plastic surgery, Jacksonville – It’s been around for some 4,000 years.  Archaeological and written evidence suggests that medical treatments for facial injuries were performed as early as 4,000 years ago, typically involving the formation of skin flaps to reshape or mold defects caused by injury or cancer. And ancient Indian physicians may have been performing skin grafts as early as 800 B.C. However, it wasn’t until the 19th and 20th centuries that the plastic surgery specialty saw major medical and scientific advancements. Read more »

Whether insurance will cover your plastic surgery in Jacksonville depends chiefly on the type of plastic surgery you choose. The primary consideration is whether your will undergo a cosmetic plastic surgery or a reconstructive plastic surgery. Jacksonville’s Garcia Institute defines the two using the same definitions adopted by the American Medical Association and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. We define cosmetic plastic surgery as a surgery “performed to reshape normal structures of the body in order to improve the patient’s appearance and self-esteem;” and reconstructive plastic surgery as one “performed on abnormal structures of the body, caused by congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, trauma, infection, tumors, or disease.” Reconstructive plastic surgery primarily is performed to restore or improve facial functions such as the ability to smile, open and close your eyes or speak clearly, but may also be done to restore or approximate a patient’s normal appearance. Read more »

The word “plastic” has long been assumed to infer something artificial or fake-looking, causing many to be apprehensive about undergoing plastic surgery. Jacksonville-area residents considering plastic surgery invariably are concerned about the results of their procedures looking anything but natural, so this is a common question for staff at Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery (aka the Garcia Institute).

Actually, the “plastic” in plastic surgery doesn’t refer to artificiality at all. Instead, the term is derived from the Greek word “plastikos,” which means to mold or give form – which is exactly that plastic surgeons do for patients’ faces and bodies. The term comes from the practice of the earliest known plastic surgeons developing skin flaps to close wounds or replace tissue lost to injuries or skin-deforming diseases such as skin cancer in an effort to restore the patient’s original appearance. Archaeological and written evidence suggests medical treatments for facial injuries were performed more than 4,000 years ago, and in ancient India, physicians are known to have performed skin graft procedures as early as 800 B.C. Read more »

A person’s face, particularly her smile, often is considered her calling card, so when reconstructive surgery is needed, it can be an intensely emotional time. We at Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery Institute near Jacksonville take reconstructive facial surgery very seriously. We see patient after patient whose beautiful faces have been marred by automobile accidents, skin cancers, dog bites and other misfortunes. These injuries can affect both the form and the function of the face, requiring the expertise of an experienced Jacksonville reconstructive surgeon to help restore the face’s functionality and aesthetic form.

The face is among the most commonly injured parts of the body, and the most challenging to treat. Injuries to facial bones including the jaw, eye socket or cheek bone, as well as severe facial scarring may interfere with the movement and function of the victim’s mouth or eyes. And any soft tissue injury, facial bone fracture or skin cancer surgery can result in significant cosmetic deformity to the face.

When considering facial reconstructive surgery, it’s important to understand the two primary reasons that a plastic surgeon performs reconstructive surgeries. The overarching reason is to address issues of lost functionality. We want to restore your ability to smile, open or close your eyes, speak clearly – all examples of functions that facial injuries can inhibit. The second reason is to restore your face’s aesthetic form, and therefore your confidence. Please understand that while a skilled reconstructive surgeon can improve your face’s function and form, complete and perfect restoration to your face’s original appearance rarely is possible.

For reconstructive surgery, Jacksonville’s Garcia Institute offers outpatient treatment, often without the use of sedation or general anesthesia required. For more severe cases requiring general or sedation anesthesia, such as facial fractures, large facial traumas or traumas in children, we can perform facial reconstructive surgery in a local hospital or at our outpatient surgery center or our state-of-the-art Jacksonville surgical suite accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations. Recovery from reconstructive surgery typically takes about a week and our reconstructive surgeons follow patients for a year after their surgeries.

If a facial injury has cost you facial functions or robbed you of your beauty, contact the Garcia Institute today. Our highly skilled reconstructive surgeons can help restore your face’s function and your confidence. Call our Neptune Beach office at 904-247-8522 or contact us via our convenient online email form.