Paediatric plastic surgery treats birth differences, injuries and growths in babies, children and teenagers. Most of the work is reconstructive: restoring function and a typical appearance so that a child can eat, speak, use their hands and grow up without being singled out.
Care is delivered by a team that may include paediatric anaesthetists, speech therapists, orthodontists and psychologists. Timing is tied to growth, and many conditions need several operations spread over years. Purely cosmetic surgery is not performed on children; prominent ear correction is the main accepted exception.
Conditions this service looks after
- Cleft lip and cleft palate
- Prominent ears, microtia and other ear shape differences
- Congenital hand differences such as syndactyly (joined fingers) and extra digits
- Birthmarks, large congenital moles and vascular anomalies
- Burn scars and contractures
- Facial and hand injuries, dog bites
- Craniofacial conditions affecting skull and face shape
- Adolescent breast asymmetry and gynaecomastia
Tests you may be offered
- Clinical examination and growth review: Most diagnoses are made by examination; growth charts and development guide timing.
- Hearing and speech assessment: Essential for cleft palate and ear conditions.
- Ultrasound or MRI: Defines vascular anomalies and deep lesions without radiation; MRI may need sedation in young children.
- CT scan: Used selectively for skull and facial bone planning.
- Genetic consultation: When a difference may be part of a syndrome.
Treatments available
- Cleft lip repair: Usually at 3 to 6 months of age.
- Cleft palate repair: Usually at 9 to 18 months, before speech develops, followed by speech therapy.
- Otoplasty: From about age 5 to 6, when the ear is nearly adult size and the child wants it.
- Syndactyly release: Often between 1 and 2 years, with skin grafts.
- Serial excision or tissue expansion: For large moles and scars.
- Burn scar release: Grafts or flaps to free joints as the child grows.
- Laser and medical treatment of vascular birthmarks: Propranolol for problematic haemangiomas; pulsed dye laser for port wine stains.
When to ask for a specialist opinion
- Your newborn has a cleft, ear or hand difference and you want a treatment plan
- A birthmark is growing quickly, bleeding, or lies near the eye, nose or mouth
- A scar is tightening and limiting movement as your child grows
- Your child is being teased about prominent ears and asks for correction
- You have been advised to have surgery and want a second opinion on timing
Travelling to Türkiye for this care
Travelling with a child for surgery needs careful thought. Single-stage planned operations in an otherwise healthy child, such as otoplasty, extra digit removal or a scar revision, can reasonably be done on a visit of 1 to 2 weeks. Cleft care, craniofacial surgery and burn reconstruction depend on years of coordinated follow-up, speech therapy and orthodontics, and are better based near home; a visit can still offer a second opinion and a written plan. Emergencies should always be treated locally. Both parents' consent is normally required.
Send your reports, scans and a short history and a Clinic-Y coordinator replies within 24 hours with suitable teams and written, all-inclusive proposals side by side. Reviewing your case is free.
الأسئلة المتكررة
Is anaesthesia safe for young children?
In healthy children under the care of a paediatric anaesthetist, serious problems are rare. Non-urgent surgery is often timed to avoid the first months of life.
What is the right age for ear correction?
Usually from 5 or 6 years. Ear moulding with splints can work without surgery if started in the first weeks after birth.
Will my child need more operations?
For clefts and large birthmarks, usually yes, as growth changes the result. Ask for the whole pathway, not just the first step.
Can we bring previous records?
Please do: operation notes, scans, hearing tests and growth charts all help.