Our patients are all ages and experience facial, head and neck pain due to trauma, illness, surgery, strokes or congenital conditions. We also treat chronic pain patients and are on the forefront of new methods in treating these devastating conditions.
Why Choose Johns Hopkins for Reconstructive Plastic Surgery?
Surgical Expertise
Compassionate Care
Advanced Research
Multidisciplinary Approach
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Facial Pain and Facial Paralysis
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If you suffer from facial paralysis or chronic facial pain, there are several options to consider when searching for treatment including surgery, pain management, and rehabilitation therapies. Our patients are all ages and experience facial pain or paralysis due to trauma, illness, surgery, strokes or congenital conditions. We also treat chronic facial pain patients and are on the forefront of new methods in treating these devastating conditions.
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We provide a comprehensive approach to treating patients with facial paralysis and/or chronic facial pain that can include pain management, rehabilitation therapies, or surgery to help relieve symptoms. Our experts consult with each other often, are leaders in their field and conduct research in the treatment of chronic facial pain. Over years of practice, they have built a reputation as being among the best facial reconstruction surgeons in the country.
Conditions We Treat
- Facial paralysis, an inability to move the muscles of the face on one or both sides.
- Trigeminal neuroma, rare tumors that may involve any part of the nerves of the face.
- Moebius syndrome, a rare congenital (present at birth) condition that results from underdevelopment of the facial nerves that control some of the eye movements and facial expressions.
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Scott David Lifchez, M.D.
Director, Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery Service, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Chief, Plastic Surgery at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Program Director, Johns Hopkins/University of Maryland Plastic Surgery Residency
Associate Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Richard James Redett, III, M.D.
Director, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Director, Cleft Lip and Palate Center
Director, Genitourinary Transplant Program
Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Professor of Pediatrics
Gedge David Rosson, M.D.
Co-Director, Johns Hopkins Facial Palsy Center
Director of Breast Reconstruction
Associate Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Associate Professor of Oncology
Sami Hani Tuffaha, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Robin Yang, D.D.S., M.D.
Director of Pediatric Plastic Surgery
Division Chief of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry
Assistant Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck SurgeryNurse
Kim Siefert, R.N.
Head and Neck Tumors and Cancer
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Once patients have undergone cancer treatment or removal, or had benign tumors removed from their face, head or neck, they are eager to return to their ordinary lives. Part of that return may involve undergoing reconstructive surgery at the site where cancerous tumors were removed.
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The reconstructive surgeons at Johns Hopkins can offer surgery to reconstruct facial features and restore skin on the neck and head. Employing a variety of materials, including skin and bone grafts and synthetic materials, they can restore appearance and functionality to affected areas.
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Damon Sean Cooney, M.D., Ph.D.
Clinical Director, Face Transplant Program, Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Transplant Center
Clinical Co-Director, Penile Transplantation, Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Transplant Center
Assistant Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Chad Ronald Gordon, D.O.
Director, Neuroplastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Co-Director, Multidisciplinary Adult Cranioplasty Center (MACC)
Fellowship Director, Neuroplastic and Reconstructive Surgery, (Plastic Surgery)
Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Professor of NeurosurgeryScott David Lifchez, M.D.
Director, Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery Service, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Chief, Plastic Surgery at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Program Director, Johns Hopkins/University of Maryland Plastic Surgery Residency
Associate Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Michele Ann Manahan, M.D.
Department Vice Chair for Faculty and Staff Development and Well-Being and Past Department Director of Patient Safety
Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive SurgeryRobin Yang, D.D.S., M.D.
Director of Pediatric Plastic Surgery
Division Chief of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry
Assistant Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery -
Jaw Surgery
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Problems with the jaw can result in difficulty speaking, eating, swallowing, breathing and sleeping. Some children or adults may have a facial disfigurement, such as a severely receding chin or protruding jaw or an unbalanced appearance from the front or side. In some cases, jaw problems can be the source of other health problems, such as debilitating headaches or sleep apnea. A severe overbite or underbite may make it impossible to close the teeth or lips together.
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At Johns Hopkins, several of our reconstructive surgeons, pediatric surgeons among them, specialize in facial reconstruction, including jaw surgery. Over years of practice, they have built a reputation as being among the best facial reconstruction surgeons in the country.
Jaw Surgery Treatment Options
A reconstructive surgeon can correct jaw conditions and injuries through corrective surgical techniques including:
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Osteotomy: a procedure involving cutting the jawbone and repositioning it using titanium screws and plates. This eliminates the need for wiring the teeth together.
- Distraction osteogenesis: a procedure where the surgeon splits the jawbone and slowly moves it by inserting a screw either inside the mouth or outside, and turning it periodically over a few weeks. The advantage of the distraction technique is that it simultaneously increases bone length and the volume of the soft tissue around the bones.
- Bone grafts: your surgeon may extract bone from your ribs, hips or skull , to create a new jawbone structure. A new jawbone can also be crafted using an alloplastic graft, a bone substitute created from synthetic materials. Reconstructive jaw surgery is major surgery that will require general anesthesia and a hospital stay of a few days as well as recovery time at home afterward.
Corrective jaw surgery may be required for children for a number of conditions. For infants with Pierre Robin Sequence, a type of jaw surgery known as mandibular distraction may be required to alleviate airway obstruction and prevent the need for a tracheostomy. For children with cleft lip and palate, corrective (orthognathic) jaw surgery may be needed to correct an underbite that develops as a result of reduced growth of the upper jaw.
In adult patients with overbite, underbite or crossbite, orthognathic surgery may be required when the teeth cannot be realigned with orthodontic care alone. Finally, jaw surgery for some adults may be required for severe obstructive sleep apnea.
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Richard James Redett, III, M.D.
Director, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Director, Cleft Lip and Palate Center
Director, Genitourinary Transplant Program
Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Professor of PediatricsRobin Yang, D.D.S., M.D.
Director of Pediatric Plastic Surgery
Division Chief of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry
Assistant Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery -
Learn more about the Cleft and Craniofacial Center
Jaw Surgery and Obstructive Sleep Apnea | Facebook Live
New approaches in maxillomandibular advancement surgery (or jaw surgery) can help treat obstructive sleep apnea in adults and children. Robin Yang, a dual-trained plastic and reconstructive surgeon and oral and maxillofacial surgeon, discusses these jaw surgery advancements.
Neuroplastic Surgery
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By bridging the gap between neurosurgery and plastic surgery, we ensure patients have complete preservation or restoration of their preoperative appearance, providing them with an enhanced sense of confidence, health and happiness.
Occipital Release Surgery
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Occipital neuralgia is most commonly caused by pinched, inflamed or injured occipital nerves, which run from the base of your neck to your scalp. Irritation of one of these nerves anywhere along its course can cause a shooting, zapping, electric or tingling pain. Sometimes people confuse their symptoms of occipital neuralgia with a migraine or tension headache. Because treatments for occipital neuralgia are different than those for headaches, it is important to visit your doctor for a diagnosis.
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- Diagnosis may be made by a physical examination to find tenderness in response to pressure along your occipital nerve. There is not one test to diagnose occipital neuralgia.
- Imaging tests such as an MRI or computed tomography (CT) scan may be ordered by your doctor to search for the underlying cause of occipital neuralgia.
A first of its kind clinical trial at Johns Hopkins aims to define best practices in occipital release surgery. Speak to your doctor to learn more or to participate.
Our Specialty Center
The Johns Hopkins Headache Center is committed to headache research and providing individualized care to select patients with headaches or facial pain disorders.
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Damon Sean Cooney, M.D., Ph.D.
Clinical Director, Face Transplant Program, Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Transplant Center
Clinical Co-Director, Penile Transplantation, Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Transplant Center
Assistant Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Sashank Kurapati Reddy, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Director, Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology (INBT)
Medical Director, Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures Johns Hopkins University
Assistant Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Assistant Professor of Biomedical EngineeringGedge David Rosson, M.D.
Co-Director, Johns Hopkins Facial Palsy Center
Director of Breast Reconstruction
Associate Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Associate Professor of Oncology
Mohammed Abdullah A Alrakan, M.B.B.S.
Instructor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery -