Burns, infections and traumas often result in scars that can cause joint contractions. The treatment of these problems often includes skin grafts.
Some children are born disfigured by Cleft Lip and Palate, a congenital deformity caused by abnormal facial development during gestation. In Sierra Leone, children with this condition are often outcasts and even abandoned in the bush, where they could be killed by wild animals. Local myths abound. One of them is that devils will cause problems to the village, unless thus appeased.
Africa Surgery refers Reconstructive Plastic Surgery candidates to visiting foreign surgical teams from BSSH (British Society for Surgery of the Hand), Resurge Africa, Women for World Health and others. Treatment takes place primarily at the Holy Spirit Hospital in Makeni. These teams are often quite active: one time 15 medical professionals performed 84 procedures in 10 days
Isatu before her surgery (left) and after surgery (right)