Facial Cleft Repair: 17 Years of Smiles in Mayotte
- Degardin's work exemplifies the profound impact a dedicated specialist can have on a vulnerable population.
- What initially began as occasional mission coverage in Mayotte in 2008 has evolved into a 17-year commitment by Dr.Nathalie Degardin, Head of the pediatric plastic surgery department at...
- Degardin,trained in Lille and based in Marseille since 2007,is a specialist in managing these malformations.Since 2011,she has dedicated her practice entirely to pediatric plastic surgery,leading the department for...
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A 17-Year Commitment to Pediatric Plastic Surgery in Mayotte
What initially began as occasional mission coverage in Mayotte in 2008 has evolved into a 17-year commitment by Dr.Nathalie Degardin, Head of the pediatric plastic surgery department at Timone Hospital. She focuses on repairing clefts and other facial malformations in children, preventing lifelong ostracism and communication barriers.
Dr. Degardin,trained in Lille and based in Marseille since 2007,is a specialist in managing these malformations.Since 2011,she has dedicated her practice entirely to pediatric plastic surgery,leading the department for the past two years. The department’s scope extends beyond facial reconstruction to include:
- Tumors and skin anomalies in children
- Burns and wounds
- Breast reconstructions for children with agenesis or hypoplasia
- hand conditions (traumatic, congenital, degenerative, or tumoral)
Specialized Centers & Early Interventions
Dr. Degardin coordinates two rare disease skills centers:
| Center | focus |
|---|---|
| MAFACE | Facial malformations, including clefts, eyelids, nose, and ears. |
| SPRATON | Pierre robin sequence (isolated or syndromic) and congenital sucking-swallowing disorders. Treatment begins prenatally/at birth for respiratory/swallowing issues. |
Her initial work in Mayotte focused on older children and adolescents who had never received reconstructive surgery. A poignant example is a 17-year-old girl with an unoperated cleft palate who struggled with communication.
“In particular, I had a 17-year-old girl, in her final year of secondary school, with a cleft palate that had never been operated on. She couldn’t make herself understood on the phone. The slots have visual but also functional repercussions. Phonation is greatly impaired in cases of cleft palate, with air passing through the nose. This is a huge social handicap for daily communication.” – Dr. Nathalie Degardin
Mission Logistics & Challenges
Early missions were conducted independently, relying on local anesthetists and nurses. However, current staffing shortages in Mayotte necessitate bringing a dedicated team from Timone Enfants hospital – an anesthetist and an operating room nurse – for each mission.
“At present there are no longer enough staff on site.So I go each time with an anesthetist and an operating room nurse from Timone Enfants.Cleft surgery is not very demanding in terms