During this most recent trip, a team of 23 medical professionals – including plastic surgeons, registered nurses, and anesthesiologists – performed 65 pediatric and adolescent-child surgeries. A majority of these were cleft lip and cleft palate repairs, one involving a rarely-seen lateral cleft lip repair. Some revision surgeries were performed as well, and one child received treatment during which webbed-fingers were released and the hand repaired with skin grafts to restore function and range of motion.
This was Dr. Chatson’s second mission trip to Guatemala and marks his eighth with Rotaplast International. He continues to find these trips important, not only because they allow him to provide a needed service for an underserved population, but also to promote better international relations. In his words, “The bridges we build between countries are very important to promote peace and understanding across international borders.”
In addition to providing services to children and adolescents with Rotaplast International, Dr. Chatson is an experienced, respected, and trusted plastic surgeon serving all of New England with offices in Nashua, NH, and Andover, MA. If you are looking for a board-certified plastic surgeon in or around these areas, please call 603-882-2103 in New Hampshire or 978-687-1151 to schedule a consultation today.
Why Guatemala City?
Guatemala City is the most populous city in the most populous nation in Central America. It is also among the poorest. The World Factbook reports that over half of Guatemala’s population lives below the poverty line with close to a quarter falling well below, to the point of “extreme poverty.”
One in every 600 children born in Guatemala is born with a cleft palate. This condition can make it difficult for infants to latch onto nipples, posing incredible challenges in feeding. As children grow, a cleft palate can result in hearing loss, speech irregularities, and poor oral health as well, but because treatment is inaccessible or cost-prohibitive for a majority of Guatemala’s children, these consequences are simply a fact of life for many in the region.
Working with Rotaplast International, Dr. Chatson is able to serve children living in areas like Guatemala City, where access to medical care may be limited by economic and personal circumstances. These mission trips also give Dr. Chatson an opportunity to work with other medical professionals in overcoming surgical challenges and correcting difficult and more pronounced deformities. These things serve both a personal and professional purpose for Dr. Chatson and will continue to be instrumental in his participation with Rotaplast International in years to come.
A Full Range of Services
When not performing free medical procedures for underserved populations, Dr. Chatson can be found in one of his offices, helping men and women in Salem, NH, Lowell, MA, and all surrounding areas achieve their aesthetic goals through targeted and personalized plastic surgery treatments. Dr. Chatson also offers a range of nonsurgical aesthetic services and treatment for hyperhidrosis (excessive underarm sweat), allowing him to address nearly any cosmetic concern.
If you live in Andover, MA, Nashua, NH, or surrounding areas of New England and are looking for an experienced, committed, and caring plastic surgeon, please call 978-687-1151 or 603-882-2103 to schedule a consultation today.
