Whenever something is wrong with your baby or child, you want to be sure the place you’re going has the right people and the right expertise to help you solve the problem.
Here at the Rainbow Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery we treat a wide range of vascular anomalies, malocclusion overbite and underbite, and melanoma—the only cancer that’s increasing at epidemic rate. There is some evidence that this increase may be due to a combination of the oils and mirrors people use for tanning and because of a depleted ozone layer that allows too many harmful ultraviolet rays to reach the skin.
Below is a partial listing of the diseases and conditions we treat frequently. Also see “Terms and definitions” below.
Congenital growths and tumors
If your child is born with a tumor or other growth, you should know that this happens to many people. About 2% of babies are born with physical abnormalities—many with difficult names like vascular malformations, neurofibromatosis, fibrous dysplasia of the bone, encephaloceles, and hemangiomas. |
Jaw deformities with malocclusion
Problems with the jaw typically result from developmental issues but can also be prompted by infectious or metabolic disorders, tumors, trauma, congenital abnormalities, and rheumatoid arthritis. |
Craniomaxillofacial trauma
Any trauma involving the head should be diagnosed and treated promptly. At Rainbow we are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year through our Level I Regional Pediatric Trauma Center, the only center of its kind in northern Ohio. |
Congenital ear abnormalities
Ear abnormalities range from overdevelopment to underdevelopment to absence. If a child has protruding or abnormally folded ears, he may benefit from otoplasty, or “pinning back” the ears. If a child’s ears are absent or underdeveloped, she may benefit from ear reconstruction. |
Cleft lip and palate
This condition(s) is the fourth most common birth defect in the United States—cleft lip and/or palate affects one in every 700 to 1,000 live births. For most children with this condition, we normally recommend reparative surgery when the child is between six months and a year old. Sometimes earlier intervention is warranted and can be done safely. We have a comprehensive program of follow-up care to assure that your child develops properly and maintains normal speech, hearing, appearance, and jaw alignment. |
Complex cranial malformations
Abnormalities of the face and skull affect one in every 1,500 newborns. The problem can originate from congenital, genetic, sporadic, or developmental issues. Many such conditions have strange or difficult-to-pronounce names such as coronal, metopic, sagittal, and lambdoidal craniosynostosis; craniofacial dysostosis conditions such as Crouzon, Apert, and Pfeiffer syndromes; Treacher Collins syndrome; and hemifacial microsomia. Because of their complexity, we will usually treat such problems in several stages. |