DEAN GLASSMAN MD

“This Is My Hospital” – The Story of Feroza’s Long Journey

admin — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:29:19 +0000

as told by her host mother Julia Howard, who also is a member of The Women’s Board

Last summer, on June 2, a little girl walked into my house looking scared, bewildered and not speaking a word of English. She and her family had taken an incredible leap of faith and put their trust in an organization called Solace for the Children, which offered to bring her to America to treat burns she suffered as a toddler in a remote area of Afghanistan.

Feroza, who was about 12 years old, had made an extraordinary journey, first 2 1⁄2 hours by donkey to reach a military outpost, then another 15 hours by rented car to Kabul. There she joined more children and, with two remarkable young women who spoke several languages each, boarded an airplane for a 24-hour flight to Jacksonville.

Solace volunteers planned for months to bring the 16 children to the United States. Much of that planning involved finding doctors who would—at no cost—evaluate and treat them. Each of the children and the interpreters were to live with host families who, along with several women from Jacksonville’s Afghan community, met the group at the airport.

We had been told to feed the children and put them to bed because they would be hungry and exhausted. But Feroza was anxious. Using all sorts of hand signals and showing her food we knew would be familiar, we tried to get her to eat. Nothing. We showed her where she would sleep. Not interested. So my daughters started pulling out toys. Soon they were all playing with horses and dolls, and a smile found its way to her sweet face.

Feroza was burned when she fell into a tandoori, an oven built in the ground and lined with stones to cook bread, or naan. A Jacksonville doctor from the Middle East told me he knew of other children with such burns. Little ones are drawn to the tandooris by delicious smells. Feroza’s mother is deceased, and she lives with two older brothers and her father, a farmer in Bamiyan. A U.S. Department of Agriculture consultant had connected Feroza with Solace.

While Solace tried to learn as much about each child’s condition as possible, little was known about some before they arrived. We knew that Feroza’s right arm was misshapen, but we soon discovered she also was burned on her neck, scalp and left foot. Her arm, bent at the elbow and wrist and webbed with scar tissue, has been transformed. Dr. Dean Glassman, Chief of Plastic Surgery at Baptist Medical Center, has performed four surgeries on Feroza at Wolfson Children’s Hospital. Two involved releasing scar tissue on her right arm, wrist and fingers and replacing scar tissue with skin grafts from her leg. In the third, he inserted tissue expanders, or balloons, in her scalp and right shoulder. Over the course of several weeks he filled the balloons with saline, stretching the skin so it could be used to improve scarred areas on her head and neck in the fourth surgery.

Each surgery has been followed by therapy at Wolfson’s rehabilitation clinic. Jenna Price and her co-workers work patiently with Feroza and me, teaching me how to soften and stretch the remaining scar tissue to fortify the work done by Dr. Glassman. The generosity of Dr. Glassman and his staff, the Wolfson Pediatric Outpatient Surgery and floor nurses, and the rehabilitation staff have been amazing. Even after multiple surgeries, Feroza’s arm still bears scars. She is very self-conscious and keeps it covered in public to minimize stares and questions. She will have one more surgery to release scar tissue around her fingers.

We hope the new graft and continued therapy will bring her wrist into a more natural position. We have been blessed with support and enduring friendships from Jacksonville’s Muslim residents. Feroza has formed an especially close bond with one couple, Shokoufeh Hanjani and Kaveh Barami, whom she calls aunt and uncle. Feroza is a very animated and engaging young girl, and with Shokoufeh and Kaveh she can express herself in her own language, talking about her difficult life in Afghanistan and her love of America. Feroza’s formal schooling in Afghanistan was very limited. Here she is enrolled in second grade. She also takes a night class to improve her Farsi, learning to read and write in her native language.

Since Feroza came to live with us last June, she has gained twelve pounds, she has grown almost three inches, and every day her English improves. She loves mint chocolate chip ice cream and mustard. We do not know what Feroza’s future will be. She has become a part of our family, and we try not to think about her leaving. An effort is underway to extend her visa so her treatment can continue.

Meanwhile Solace is preparing to bring another group of children to Jacksonville, again with the help of Wolfson and Jacksonville’s pediatric medical community. In preparing the host families for their young visitors, Jacksonville Solace volunteer Angie Cosper said something that helped dissolve the language barrier and truly every other barrier. She said that all of us could speak the universal language of love, and with the children, God’s love was all we needed.

Surgical Applications For CO2 Laser Technology

admin — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 10:20:26 +0000

See Video of Dr. Glassman CO2 laser procedure

Dr. Glassman’s “laser peel,” laser skin resurfacing usually takes less than 1½ hours (sometimes just a few minutes) depending on the size of the area being treated. The laser peel procedure uses a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser beam which vaporizes the upper layers of damaged skin at controlled levels of penetration. The laser procedure removes areas of damaged or wrinkled skin often caused by prolonged sun exposure. Laser skin resurfacing can minimize the appearance of fine lines around the mouth and the eyes and is also effective in treating facial scars and skin areas with uneven pigmentation..

Since its inception OmniGuide has introduced a new vision for fibers that guide light by virtue of a hollow core photonic bandgap structure. What initially began as an ambitious R&D effort, later culminated in the development of a unique manufacturing process for multimaterial fibers that has transformed the vision into a commercial reality. OmniGuide’s BeamPath™ CO2 laser fibers are currently used to deliver therapy to 1,000 patients per month in applications where precision is of paramount importance: Neurosurgery, Otology, Head & Neck Oncology, complex Airway Disease, Gynecology and Laparoscopy.

“OmniGuide’s 10 year anniversary represents a triumph of innovative vision and determined execution which has been based upon three important factors: rapid technological innovation, a corporate environment that attracts and motivates the best to do better, and a deep commitment to information-based decision making. Collectively, these have enabled our dedicated team to transform a dream into reality and to positively impact thousands of lives in the process” said Mr. Ray Stata, founder of Analog Devices and OmniGuide’s first investor.

The company’s proprietary fiber technology builds on MIT’s perfect mirror structure first described in1998 (Science) and the subsequent discovery in 2002 of a unique process for realizing these mirrors in fibers (Science and Nature). These discoveries paved the way for a new class of fibers made with polymer and semiconductor layers` exhibiting sub-100 nanometer layer thickness accuracy. The technology was licensed exclusively to OmniGuide by MIT.

Traditionally, surgeons needed to make a difficult trade-off between precision and minimally-invasive delivery. Surgical tools capable of operating within the body were imprecise while those that were precise could not be delivered using minimally invasive modalities. OmniGuide addressed this unmet clinical need by introducing a disposable scalpel that is both precise and flexible, specifically designed for enabling precision minimally invasive surgery. OmniGuide’s innovative technology delivers an unprecedented level of precision in cutting, combined with ablation and coagulation which is particularly valuable when working in the vicinity of critical structures within the human body. Between 2007 – 2009, the BeamPath CO2 laser fiber was launched for numerous surgical applications including Head & Neck Cancer, Otology and Neurosurgery. Omniguide has experienced rapid adoption of its disposable scalpels across these surgical specialties and plans to enter additional markets in the future including: Gynecology, Urology, Gastroenterology and Ophthalmology.

Your Child has a Cleft Lip Now What?

admin — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 15:26:28 +0000

Dr. Glassman performed surgery on Preston’s bilateral cleft lip and palate.

Have you Just Learned that Your Baby is Going to Have a Cleft Lip or Palate?

Most parents learn about their child having a cleft lip or palate through ultrasounds at the obstetricians office. We were not that lucky. Our youngest child Preston was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. We found out about his situation at birth! Boy, we were surprised to say the least.

Notice I used the word situation and not problem. It is a situation not a life threatening problem. If you are an expecting parent of a cleft lip or palate child it is not the end of the world and once you spend some time in a neonatal intensive care unit you will realize how fortunate you are.

In Preston’s case he had to spent 11 days in the hospital after he was born. Other than his lip and palate he was a perfectly healthy baby. See the problem was he had to learn to eat and that is the biggest concern at birth of a cleft lip child. They are unable to form the normal suction around a nipple to draw milk from. So it took him 11 days for Preston, Mom and Dad to get it down pat before they let him go home from the hospital.

You may experience a longer or shorter stay at birth. Shorter more than likely if it is only a single cleft. Also your pediatrician and obstetrician should be preparing for you this immediate goal of teaching you and your baby how to eat prior to birth.

This is the biggest obstacle to overcome. Once this is accomplished you will need to work on an intensive treatment plan. In our case Preston will probably have to have surgery until he is full grown. If it is only a single cleft you may only have one surgery ever. You will know soon enough.

Below is some before and after pictures of Preston.

Pictures of Preston on the day of his first surgery.

Picture of Preston on his Second Birthday

How we felt on the day of his first surgery.

The day of his first surgery was very trying on mom and dad. As you can tell Preston did not have a concern at all. We knew that the next time we saw Preston after his surgery he was going to look a lot different than what he did before. We were excited and apprehensive at the same time. We were going to leave the hospital with a different baby.

He has had four surgeries so far and is getting ready to have his fifth. The one coming up is not a major one like his first two were. They are replacing the tubes in his ears. This is normal for many children and we wont lose sleep over than one.

The toughest part of his first surgery was the wait and not knowing what to expect. We were told that his first surgery was only going to take four hours and it turned into eight! let’s face it though they did a lot on that first surgery. I rather a doctor to be thorough than be in a hurry.

Just remember if you have just found out that your child is going to have a cleft lip or palate it is not the end of the word. I, Dad, actually developed a sense of gratitude when he was in the hospital for the 11 days after birth. He was in a neonatal intensive care unit, there we met parents that would not leave their child for fear that if they did they would miss their last breath. Once you experience that you realize that things could be worse. Reminds me of the old cliche, “I used to think I had it bad because I had no shoes, then I met a man with no feet”.

Source: HubPages

Afghan Girl Has Surgery on Burned Arm

admin — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 02:49:13 +0000

Afghan girl travels halfway around the world to get her burned arm fixed by Dr. Glassman.

Click here to see video FirstCoastNews.com

Dr. Glassman With Philippine Medical Society Reconstructs Filipino Boy’s Face

admin — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 02:32:17 +0000

Dr. Glassman performs surgery on Filipino boy who suffered from a full facial cleft.

Click here to see video at FirstCoastNews.com

More Girls Seek Plastic Surgery

admin — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:46:58 +0000

By Tracy Jones, Friday, August 27, 2010

Dr. Glassman was a source for the following article in Skirt! Magazine.

Dean Glassman, a plastic surgeon in Jacksonville, sees it all the time: a 15- or 16-year-old comes in for a consult grasping a picture of Britney Spears or some other celebrity that she wants to look like.

The parents? They’re sometimes just along for the ride, and it’s the girl who’s needling to go under the knife.

“I see them as young as 13 or 14, and I try to put them off and put them off,” he said. “As a rule, 18 is kind of my minimum.”

Glassman’s patients are just some of many girls in Jacksonville and across the country putting their bodies in the hands of plastic surgeons to fix imperfections and mold their flaws into something they perceive as more beautiful.

According to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, there were 203,308 procedures performed in 2009 on those 18 and under in the United States, compared to 145,094 in 2000. In all age groups, 91 percent of cosmetic procedures were performed on females, reports the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Plastic surgery is nothing new. Many women for years elected to have a nip here, a tuck there. While local figures weren’t available, there’s been an increase nationally in the past five years of plastic surgery among “The Hills”-watching and high school-age demographic, the ASAPS reports.

It’s the beauty ideal that some girls try to achieve and the desire to resemble celebrities that worries Lori Osachy, a psychotherapist who runs the Body Image Counseling Center in Jacksonville. She said the pressure on young women to meet a model look gives girls the idea that their worth is valued on outward appearances, and the quest for perfection is pushing girls more and more into the waiting rooms of plastic surgery offices.

“Teenage brains are very impulsive, and to make a decision based on impulse and severe pressure from the media and society to look a certain way — it’s not a good time in life to make a permanent decision,” she said.

She said encouraging girls to set boundaries on who they’re friends with and being proud of differences could dissuade their desire for cosmetic surgery, and starting plastic surgery procedures at a young age could start a cycle of a constant need for plastic surgery or manifest into body dysmorphic disorder.

Glassman said the most appropriate surgery for the under-18 age group, whether it’s fixing a little bump or giving a completely new look, is nose reshaping, because the nose stops growing usually in the mid-teens. He said in general, he won’t perform breast augmentation on girls younger than 18, and if someone is coming in for liposuction, he’ll be more conservative.

“It’s kind of a contouring thing to get to look a little better,” he said. “I wouldn’t do the same liposuction on a child or teenager that I would do in an adult. I would do a light [liposuction].”

In its 2009 report, the ASPS reported the top five procedures for teens ages

13-19 in order of popularity: nose reshaping, breast reduction in boys, breast augmentation, ear pinning (otoplasty) and liposuction.

One woman who elected to have a breast augmentation at a young age is Jessica. She asked the Times-Union not to publish her full name because she didn’t want to be stigmatized over her decision to have plastic surgery.

For about $3,500, the 19-year-old Jacksonville resident went from an A-cup breast size to “double Ds.” It bought her confidence, attention and quite a few chest stares, she said.

She would page through women’s magazines and see women with perfect figures, which she said was one of the reasons she wanted the surgery.

“If you look in every magazine, you see girls — girls who have nice bodies, and, I don’t know, I have a boyfriend, and I didn’t want him to look at other girls. I wanted him to look at me,” she said.

Some doctors in Jacksonville opt to steer clear of the teen set completely unless they are correcting a birth defect or deformity, regardless of the cosmetic procedure, said C. Cayce Rumsey III, a plastic surgeon who opened Ponte Vedra Plastic Surgery in 1993 and completes about 300 surgeries a year.

Rumsey said excluding nose reshaping, breast reduction and ear pinning, which he deems are appropriate for girls 16 and older, plastic surgery among young women isn’t always the best choice for the patient. During consultations, he’ll urge many of his younger patients to wait, think it over, and come back if they still want to do it at 18.

There are exceptions, even for more moderate doctors like Rumsey. One of his patients, Samantha, who asked that her last name not be published to avoid revealing private medical information, was 17 when she had her breast surgery. She was a full cup size bigger in her right breast, so she had a mastectomy on the larger breast, and Rumsey inserted implants on both sides.

She’s 19 now and prefers the scars of surgery to the size difference, she said, adding that she got her surgery during junior year, when trips to the beach with friends became part of her regular routine, and the size difference in her breasts triggered insecurities.

“I don’t believe in something that’s strictly cosmetic at that age,” she said. “But I also believe that it shouldn’t be such an uncomfortable point, the insecurity.”

The ASAPS’ report, “Teens and Plastic Surgery,” provides a breakdown for the reasons those under 18 elected to have breast augmentation. The report states 40 percent of breast augmentations were for cosmetic breast enlargement, 24 percent for severe asymmetry and the remaining 36 percent for a combination of other congenital disorders.

There is no formal position by the ASPS on plastic surgery for teens, but in a briefing statement, it does advise parents to “evaluate the teenager’s physical and emotional maturity and believes that individual cases merit careful evaluation under the guidance of a plastic surgeon.”

In its briefing paper on plastic surgery in teens, the society said plastic surgery can reverse social withdrawal.

The report also said, however, that although plastic surgery has great benefits, it also carries some risks, as with any surgery.

They are risks that a number of women, teens or adults, are apparently willing to overlook: Earlier this year , a study by RealSelf.com found 82 percent of women ages 18 to 44 and 80 percent ages 45 to 54 said they would get cosmetic treatments themselves if money weren’t an issue. The top-sought surgeries in those age groups were tummy tuck and liposuction.

tracy.jones@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4272

Plastic Surgeons Refine Surgical Techniques to Meet Future Boomer Demand

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 04:29:16 +0000

Plastic Surgeons Refine Surgical Techniques to Meet Future Boomer Demand

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., April 25 — With new laser treatments and injectable wrinkle fillers and fighters, many baby boomers are choosing to postpone the facelift — but it is not dead! In fact, patients age 45 and older may find they only achieve their desired result with surgical rejuvenation options. A study in May’s Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery(R), the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), reveals a new facelift technique that offers patients more options.

“With the introduction of injectable fillers and Botox, many people over 45 believe they can achieve the same results as a facelift without surgery,” said ASPS President-elect Richard D’Amico, MD. “However, as we get older our brow lines, jowls and wrinkles can become too deep for an injectable to smooth out. When a patient’s degree of facial aging is such that an injectable can not achieve the desired result, surgery is the next natural progression.”

In the study, the authors placed the facelift incision, in a specific angle, within the side burn and temple areas (traditional techniques place the incision above the ear). Hair grows back through the scar which is hidden within the hair. The technique allows women to comfortably pull their hair back without exposing a scar and men to grow sideburns without the embarrassment of missing hair. The technique also allows for better repositioning of tissue, further reducing the risk of the “wind blown,” overdone look

Although surgery may provide better results, injectables still play an important role in facial rejuvenation for the over 45 set. “After a facelift, fillers and Botox are key adjuncts to help restore volume and maintain surgical improvements for many more years,” said Dr. D’Amico.

“Whether injectable fillers, surgery or a combination of both, the procedure selected should fit and meet the needs of the patient,” said Bahaman Guyuron, MD, ASPS Member Surgeon and study co-author. “With the youngest boomer turning 42 and the oldest turning 60 this year, the demand for surgical procedures that produce results without the tell-tale signs of having had a facelift are going to continue to increase.”

Facelifts are the second most popular cosmetic surgical procedure for men and women over age 55, according to new ASPS statistics. Nearly 102,000 people aged 40 and older had a facelift in 2006.

For referrals to ASPS Member Surgeons call 888-4-PLASTIC (475-2784) or visit www.plasticsurgery.org and also learn more about cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons is the largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons in the world. With more than 6,000 members, the Society is recognized as a leading authority and information source on cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. ASPS comprises more than 90 percent of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States. Founded in 1931, the Society represents physicians certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

SOURCE American Society of Plastic Surgeons

Women in the Workforce Link Cosmetic Surgery to Success

admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 09:25:54 +0000

Women in the Workforce Link Cosmetic Surgery to Success

ASPS, Nearly 15-Million U.S. Working Women Considering Cosmetic Procedures

(press release from ASPS)

Arlington Heights, Ill. – Faced with news of increasing layoffs, straining economic times, and a belief that hiring is based on looks, millions of American women are looking at cosmetic medical procedures to give them a competitive edge in the workplace. In a new telephone survey* compiled by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) of 756 women between the ages of 18 and 64, many reveal cosmetic plastic surgery procedures now appear to be an important rung on the success ladder.

13 percent (more than 1 out of 10 of the 115-million working-age women) say they would consider having a cosmetic medical procedure specifically to make them more confident and more competitive in the job market.
An astounding 3 percent (nearly 3.5-million working women) say they’ve already had a cosmetic procedure to increase their perceived value in the workplace.
73 percent (almost three out of four or, 84-million working women) believe, particularly in these challenging economic times, appearance and youthful looks play a part in getting hired, getting a promotion, or getting new clients.
80 percent (four out of five or 92-million working women) think having cosmetic medical procedures can boost a person’s confidence.

Insurance Broker Janice Axelrod, a baby-boomer, recently had a chemical peel and fat transfers from her abdomen to her face. “Time has given me the professional knowledge. But time can take away the youthful sparkle of my appearance if I let it. When you look good, you feel confident. That gives me a competitive edge and something my clients have come to expect from me,” says Axelrod.

ASPS Member Surgeon Loren Schechter, MD performed Axelrod’s cosmetic procedures at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois. He says “Not only do the women believe youthful looks help in the workplace…they’re acting on that belief.”

John Canady, MD, president of ASPS, says, “Consumers need to remember that while cosmetic procedures might help them in the job market, they’re still medical procedures.” Canady says women still need to proceed with caution. “Patient safety is ASPS’ number one concern. Women need to do their homework. Go to the ASPS website at www.plasticsurgery.org to find an ASPS Member Surgeon in your area.”

*Survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation. Results have a +_3% error range.

About ASPS

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons is the largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons in the world. Representing more than 6,700 physician members, the Society is recognized as a leading authority and information source on cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. ASPS comprises more than 94 percent of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States. Founded in 1931, the Society represents physicians certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

ASPS
www.plasticsurgery.org