ABC4Utah Special: Utah Plastic Surgeon Provides Hope & Healing Across the World

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Press Release 5/13/15 – ABC4Utah news reporter, Jason Nguyen, travels more than 8000 miles to Hanoi, Vietnam with prominent Utah facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Scott Thompson, to document his fifteenth international medical mission. The four-part series is airing this week on ABC4Utah, Channel 4.

Dr. Scott Thompson of Utah Facial Plastics has been traveling with the HUGS (Help Us Give Smiles) Foundation for over ten years providing hope and restoring confidence for many born with serious ear deformities. Microtia is a congenital condition is which one or both ears are under-developed, or even non-existent in many cases. Dr. Thompson and his team are able to construct ears from rib cartilage to correct such deformities and provide many with the kind of life they would otherwise never have.

“In many of the countries I visit, they really are ridiculed and have a lower social station because of these problems and this just helps them to be able to achieve what they want in life and also to avoid being teased and treated unfairly by those around them,” said Dr. Thompson, Utah plastic surgeon.

Jason Nguyen reported on Monday night that some of these children had even been kicked out of their homes and left to die because the defect was seen as a stain on the family. It’s often a grandmother, aunt, or uncle who risks everything to meet these doctors in hope of a new life.

“I feel a sense of responsibility that this is that important to them and it makes me motivated to come and do it because obviously it’s something they are willing to give up a lot for.”

Not only does the team of medical professionals restore smiles and hope for those in need, but they also spend a great deal of time training surgical residents so they can perform these difficult surgeries for additional patients in the future.

While the impact of the services provided reach far and wide, Dr. Thompson is grateful for the lessons learned from the many stoic patients who maintained great optimism throughout the process.

“I think it is a lesson to us that many of these kids have very little but they are still happy. There [are] a lot of ways to find happiness just besides having material things.”

The last two segments of ‘HUGS in Vietnam’ can be viewed on ABC4Utah at 6 pm and 10 pm MST tonight and tomorrow night. For the full series, visit www.good4utah.com.

 

About Utah Facial Plastics

Dr. Scott Thompson is dual board-certified facial plastic surgeon known for his natural-looking results and meticulous skill as well as his genuine concern for patient well-being and satisfaction.

Utah Facial Plastics offers a wide variety of surgical and non-surgical procedures to correct and prevent signs of aging and enhance overall beauty. Botox, lip augmentation, and dermal wrinkle fillers are popular non-surgical procedures as well as laser resurfacing, chemical peels, and laser hair removal. Surgical procedures offered include blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), facelift, in-office facelift (MACS-lift),rhinoplasty (nosejob), septorhinoplasty, otoplasty (ear-pinning surgery), browlift, midfacelift, and hair restoration. Learn more at www.utahfacialplastics.com or by calling (801)776-2220.

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