Jesse E. Smith, M.D.

Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Skull-Base & Microvascular Surgery
Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery

Assistant Professor
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Fort Worth, Texas

Dr. Smith is board certified in Head and Neck Surgery and Board eligible in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He has published a large number of articles in the fields of cosmetic surgery (including rhinoplasty, chin augmentation, facelift, lip augmentation, laser resurfacing, and ear shaping surgery), reconstructive surgery (including a number of different flaps to assist in restoring the face and neck), maxillofacial trauma, and skull base surgery (including various approaches to access lesions of the skull base as well as a number of techniques to optimize appearance postoperatively).

Although we focus our effort on the face, head and neck, we routinely harvest grafts (bone, skin, cartilage, muscle, tendon) from other parts of the body to assist us in optimizing the esthestic and functional restoration of the face and facial skeleton. This allows Dr. Smith to improve appearance not only in cosmetic surgery patients, but also to enhance the return of form in reconstructive surgery patients. This includes patients suffering from congenital birth defects (cleft lip, cleft palate, skin lesions, craniofacial abnormalities) and trauma (fractures of the upper face or mandible, scar revisions). The ability to perform many types of tissue transfers, including microsurgical procedures, allows us to treat many head and neck cancers aggressively while optimizing appearance and functional ability after loss of tissue by the tumor.

Dr. Smith also provides access for most lesions of the skull base through a number of different approaches. Skull base tumors are those involving the part of the skull behind the face and below the brain. Many of the tumors in this region are benign, but may cause significant neurological problems and even death if left untreated. The goal is to remove as much of the tumor as possible without adding major new neurological deficits. Often, the best approach is the one which provides for broad exposure of the tumor and various nerves exiting the brain. These approaches may involve temporarily removing parts of the facial skeleton or moving them to the side to allow for safe access to the tumor. Once the tumor removal has been completed, the difficult task of facial reconstruction ensues. Dr. Smith focuses much of his efforts not only in accessing the tumor but, also in restoring the patient’s appearance. He has developed a number of procedures that result in significant improvements in the patient’s overall appearance.

To learn more about Dr. Smith, click here to visit his personal website.