Dr. Patrick K. Sullivan and his team have always considered “giving back” to be an integral component of their practice. Throughout his career, as a board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Sullivan has consistently strived to use the artistic techniques and concepts that he has mastered through his experience in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery and to parlay them into humanitarian efforts to help those in need. Dr. Sullivan is particularly focused on helping children with birth defects, growth abnormalities, and disfiguring injuries. Below are some of Dr. Sullivan’s recent and ongoing humanitarian endeavors both in and around our community.
Pediatric Facial Reshaping Utilizing Patient’s Own Fat
Whether formed prior to birth or developed sometime during early adolescence, facial deformities can have a significant impact on a child’s life. For many children with deformities, attending school and participating in social activities can often become a burdensome task as they cope with being judged, bullied, and ridiculed about their appearance. Furthermore, these feelings of self-consciousness often hinder them from pursuing further training, a college degree or beginning a successful career.
In an effort to help these children regain a sense of confidence, Dr. Sullivan performs pediatric facial reshaping with fat injections that can dramatically improve the appearance of facial deformities. He often works with patients whose familiesdo not have the financial means to afford surgery. This includes those who do not have insurance to cover the cost of medical procedures.
With 15 years’ experience and having treated hundreds of cosmetic patients with this revolutionary fat injection technique, Dr. Sullivan has utilized his extensive knowledge on the procedure and applied it to treat the following four issues.
- Cleft Lip and/or Palate – These defects occur when the right and or the left sides of the upper lip and/or roof of the mouth do not fully connect.
- Craniofacial Anomalies – These issues occur when bone on one or both sides of the head develops at a different rate (and often to a different degree) than the other side of the head, often resulting in the deformation of particular facial features giving children and adolescence a very noticeably abnormal appearance .
- Tumors – Following their removal, tumors can often leave unsightly and noticeable deformities.
- Traumatic Injuries – When incurred during an early stage of life, traumatic injuries can lead to growth and developmental deformities that can become more noticeably abnormal with time.
Ultimately, the aesthetic results Dr. Sullivan has been able to achieve utilizing his cutting edge pediatric fat injection and facial reshaping technique has led to the improved self-confidence levels of many of his patients. One of Dr. Sullivan’s pediatric facial reshaping patients shared how they could now go about their life and “no one notices I am different”. Another patient noted, “Now I fit in…. I can forget about my face and finally concentrate on what I am doing…Now I am on the Dean’s list and I had never gotten an A before my surgery.”
As Dr. Sullivan stated, “This has been amazingly gratifying to see the transformations in these children and adolescents.” He finds working with children in need to be extremely fulfilling, and he continues to volunteer his time and services by “giving back” on a regular basis.
The above 19 year old was treated with fat injections to sculpt the face and forehead region in order to address the facial deformities that resulted from congenital craniostenosis.
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Dr. Sullivan is certified by both the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology. In addition to being voted by his peers as a top plastic surgeon in the state of Rhode Island, Dr. Sullivan has been named in the Castle Connolly Guide to “America’s Top Doctors” and in U.S News & World Report as being in the top 1% of plastic surgeons in America. He is available for consultation upon request.
For more information about Dr. Sullivan’s humanitarian work, or to schedule an appointment at our office, please contact us today.