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Facial, Head, and Neck Reconstruction

When you have cancer, an injury, or another condition that affects the appearance or function of your face, skull, scalp, or neck, you may need a plastic and reconstructive surgeon to restore a natural appearance and function. Your surgeon will use skills with tissue rearrangement, microsurgery, and bony fixation to optimize your recovery.

Common head and neck conditions treated by plastic and reconstructive surgeons at St. Luke’s include: facial fractures, broken nose, facial lacerations, facial nerve injury and paralysis, ear trauma or congenital differences, skin cancer, and reconstruction of defects following removal of cancer.

Providers

  • Pediatric Plastic Surgery

    Biography

    Patrick Gerety, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon, specializing in pediatric and adult plastic surgery. 

    Dr. Gerety was first inspired to specialize in plastic surgery to treat cleft lip and palate. He obtained fellowship training in this area, lived overseas as an international volunteer, and ran a busy cleft lip and palate program in Indiana prior to joining St. Luke's. Today, he co-leads St. Luke’s multidisciplinary cleft lip and palate team.

    Beyond cleft lip and palate, Dr. Gerety is passionate about caring for patients in need of otoplasty for ear deformities, hidden incisions to remove masses, nevus excision reconstruction, and pediatric breast reconstruction. He is a member of St. Luke’s vascular malformations group that cares for patients with hemangioma and venous malformation. 

    Dr. Gerety is also an expert in adult plastic surgery, serving patients with both aesthetic and reconstructive needs. He performs a variety of breast procedures, including reduction, augmentation, lift (mastopexy), reconstruction, and gynecomastia surgery (male breast reduction). In addition, he performs cosmetic procedures such as abdominoplasty, rhinoplasty, face lift, and more.

    Dr. Gerety graduated first in his class at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, which is ranked as one of the top medical schools in the country. He then completed plastic surgery training at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
  • Plastic Surgery

    Biography

    Russell Griffiths, MD is a pediatric plastic surgeon specializing in care for children born with cleft lip, cleft palate, microtia, Pierre Robin Sequence, hemifacial microsomia, or other craniofacial abnormalities. His goal is obtaining the very best outcome with the fewest number of surgeries. He is passionate about helping children and families, and recognizes the importance of focusing on all aspects of care, from the initial consultation through the surgery and recovery process. 

    Dr. Griffiths firmly believes in fixing things correctly the first time. His extensive experience allows him to deliver excellent results, often attracting parents and children from neighboring states. The majority of his cleft patients have only one cleft lip repair, and one palatoplasty, (which is less than half the number of operations compared to results from other surgeons nationwide). In addition, he is able to correct other craniofacial abnormalities, including craniosynostosis, in one surgery more than 95% of the time. 

    Dr. Griffiths has also pioneered a new microtia reconstructive technique where the entire external ear and ear canal (including ear drum) can be reconstructed during the same surgery. Because of his expertise and focus on fewer surgeries, Dr. Griffiths frequently works with patients and families who travel to Idaho from all across the country for microtia care.
    Learn more about Dr. Griffiths' microtia expertise 

    Dr. Griffiths is originally from Salt Lake City and earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Utah. His postgraduate residency involved both a preliminary focus on general surgery and a full plastic surgery residency, and was followed by fellowship training in pediatric plastic surgery and craniofacial surgery at St. Louis Children's Hospital. Since moving to Idaho, he established the craniofacial program at St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital and is the founder of the
    Idaho Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Deformities Institute. He is also a member of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

    In his free time, Dr. Griffiths is a competitive endurance bicyclist. He also enjoys fly fishing and restoring 1960s European cars.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
  • Plastic Surgery

    Biography

    Louis H. Poppler, MD, MSCI specializes in minimally invasive reconstructive surgery for patients with cancer, trauma, or birth differences. He has specific training to care for both adults and children. His goal is to help people feel whole again, so they can return to doing the things they love. This means treating you as a whole person, rather than just addressing the problem at hand. 

    Dr. Poppler will listen to you, considering your goals and struggles, to plan for an outstanding result. His dual plastic and orthopedic surgery training, coupled with extensive experience with nerve injury, reconstruction, and pain resolution, allow Dr. Poppler to approach any reconstructive challenge from multiple perspectives. He’ll form a solution specific to you that minimizes incisions, surgical trauma, and length of surgery while avoiding nerve injuries to minimize pain and recovery time, and maximize function.

    In addition to plastic surgery training, Dr. Poppler has completed fellowships in orthopedic hand surgery and microsurgical reconstructive surgery at the Mayo Clinic, and surgery for peripheral nerve injury and pain with surgical pioneer Dr. Susan Mackinnon at Washington University. Dr. Poppler has had the opportunity to travel all over the world to learn cutting-edge techniques and skills to better serve his patients. On these trips, he has connected with international experts to 1) refine his skills using a scope (a small camera inserted into the belly, a joint, or between tissues), which allows him to perform most operations through very small incisions, and 2) learn to use ultrasound to assess anatomy before surgery to more accurately diagnose problems, make many key surgical decisions before surgery, minimize a patient's time under anesthesia, and avoid complications from anatomical variations. Following the example of the Mayo brothers, Dr. Poppler continues to travel and learn. He recently received a prestigious award from the American Society for Surgery of the Hand to travel to China to learn from talented microsurgeons taking care of adults and children with complex injuries of the nerves, hand, and body. 

    Dr. Poppler returned to Boise, his hometown, to start St. Luke’s reconstructive microsurgery program. Microsurgery (surgery with the help of a microscope) allows Dr. Poppler to borrow redundant tissue from any place on the body and reattach it in another area. This versatile technique allows him to replace bone with bone, muscle with muscle, nerve with nerve, fat with fat, and skin with skin, for a more natural outcome. 

    Dr. Poppler feels blessed to bring the skills he has learned all over the world home to Idaho. Dr. Poppler is an Eagle Scout and graduated from Timberline High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree in diplomacy from Georgetown University, where he graduated with honors. He credits his diplomacy training with making him a great listener and helping him always keep an open mind. Dr. Poppler attended medical school at the University of Washington as part of the highly competitive Idaho WWAMI program. He has a master’s degree in clinical research from Washington University and continues cutting-edge research in the field of nerve injury reconstruction. 

    Dr. Poppler enjoys cooking and spending time outdoors with his family, hiking, biking, fishing, and skiing. He also enjoys performing research, learning, and writing about new techniques in reconstructive surgery. A firm believer in giving back, Dr. Poppler also travels on medical missions to help those who otherwise would not have access to specialty health care.

    Surgical Specialties

    • Breast reconstruction
    • Breast surgery
    • Hand and upper extremity reconstruction
    • Pediatric hand differences
    • Nerve injury or compression
    • Lower extremity reconstruction
    • Facial reconstruction
    • Cosmetic and aesthetic surgery

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
  • Plastic Surgery

    Biography

    Ketan Sharma, MD, MPH specializes in the entire spectrum of plastic and reconstructive surgery. He has advanced fellowship training to help patients with breast cancer, hand and nerve injuries, brachial plexus injuries, and wounds resulting from cancer or trauma.

    Dr. Sharma was recruited to Boise to expand the reconstructive microsurgery program. These procedures involve transferring available and redundant tissue from one part of the body to reconstruct a critical defect in another part of the body, while reattaching blood vessels and nerves to restore form and function. Microsurgery has revolutionized the practice of reconstruction itself, and provides patients a wider range of reconstructive options with superior results. For example, certain breast cancer patients can have their breasts reconstructed with their own tissue which is more natural and more resistant to infection or radiation, while patients involved in severe trauma with wounds to their legs may avoid amputation. Dr. Sharma's other area of interest is brachial plexus injuries, and he performs nerve and tendon transfers to restore function so patients can regain use of their affected arm.

    Dr. Sharma received a bachelor's degree in neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University. He then attended medical school at Duke University, and during that time also obtained a master's degree in public health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He went on to complete residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery at Washington University, where he trained under the mentorship of Dr. Susan Mackinnon, a world famous nerve specialist. He completed his training with an orthopedic hand and microsurgery fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania.

    Dr. Sharma has a keen interest in global health and global surgery. He helped build a breast cancer registry with Partners-in-Health / Zanmi Lasante in Haiti; worked with Operation Smile in Guwahati, India; and recently went on a medical mission trip to Madagascar where he helped children with congenital hand defects including fused fingers and missing thumbs.

    Dr. Sharma continues to engage in the academic community to stay on the forefront of cutting-edge care. He has published in some of the most renowned journals including Annals of Surgery, The Lancet: Global Health, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, and the flagship journal of the specialty, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

    Dr. Sharma greatly appreciates Idaho's mountain culture. In his free time, he enjoys running and hiking.

    Surgical Specialties

    • Breast reconstruction
    • Breast surgery
    • Hand and upper extremity reconstruction
    • Pediatric hand differences
    • Nerve injury or compression
    • Lower extremity reconstruction
    • Facial reconstruction
    • Cosmetic and aesthetic surgery

    View a more detailed list of Dr. Sharma's surgical procedures

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
  • Plastic Surgery

    Biography

    Tyler R. Wayment, MD performs hand surgeries that include fractures, lacerations, and other medical conditions of the hand and wrist. He also offers expertise in a wide variety of cosmetic surgical and non-surgical procedures.

    Dr. Wayment earned his bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University. He performed his general surgery residency at North East Ohio University College of Medicine and went on to specialize in plastic surgery at North East Ohio University College of Medicine, Summa Health System. He completed a hand fellowship at Christine M. Kleinert Institute of Hand and Micro Surgery.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients