10 Questions With Dr. Jandali of Jandali Plastic Surgery

Dr. Shareef Jandali, owner and plastic surgeon of Jandali Plastic Surgery, specializes in infant ear molding. Sometimes babies are born with ear deformities that do not naturally correct on their own. This can negatively impact a child's physical and emotional development and also make them a target of bullying in school. When Dr. Jandali discovered that his own daughter was born with misshapen ears, he decided to begin performing the painless and non-surgical infant ear molding procedure on newborn babies.

Through care, compassion and his ability to relate to patients' parents, Dr. Jandali has now molded more than 100 infant ears. Read on to learn more about Dr. Jandali and his practice and how infant ear molding might be the answer to your newborn child's ear deformities.

Patch: How long have you been doing business in town?

Dr. Jandali: I opened up Jandali Plastic Surgery in Trumbull in 2011. I trained at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. After residency, I started my private plastic surgery practice in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Patch: What attracted you to newborn ear molding and how did you get started?

Dr. Jandali: I truly enjoy helping patients and their families, especially with infant ear molding. I started treating and fixing newborn ear deformities in 2013 after our first daughter was born with an ear deformity. Knowing this could be fixed non-surgically, we looked for a plastic surgeon in Connecticut with the necessary materials to perform the molding to fix her folded ear after birth. When we couldn't find anyone that performed this specialized procedure, we ended up taking her to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where I trained. She had an amazing result and has a perfectly shaped ear now. I decided to start performing ear molding for prominent ears and other infant ear deformities in my practice. I have now molded over 100 newborn ears, and more parents are becoming aware of this non-surgical option.

Patch: What's the biggest challenge with infant ear molding?

Dr. Jandali: Awareness is the biggest challenge for ear molding for newborn ear deformities or prominent ears. Most parents, and even some pediatricians, don't know about ear molding. They think that the baby will "grow into their ears" or will just need to have corrective ear surgery when they are older. However, ear pinning surgery, known as otoplasty, is a surgery that is performed under anesthesia and has significant recovery and downtime. Most parents have their child get an otoplasty when they are 5-6 years old before they start getting teased in school. Otoplasty is not covered by insurance and is considered a cosmetic procedure. In contrast, ear molding of a newborn is considered reconstructive as it is correcting a congenital deformity, and it is therefore always covered by medical insurance.

Another challenge is that parents often get referred to us a little too late to fix the ear deformity. Ear molding needs to be started before the baby is 4 weeks old. If the newborn was born prematurely, we can sometimes start up to 8 weeks old since the cartilage is still soft. We usually mold the ear or both ears for about 4-6 weeks. This allows enough time for the ear cartilage to be molded into the new corrected shape and also to harden to maintain that shape.

Parents can visit our main website HERE or visit our website dedicated to newborn ear molding at www.infantearmolding.org.

Patch: What’s the most satisfying part of correcting newborn ear deformities?

Dr. Jandali: The most satisfying part by far is seeing parents' reaction to the ears after we remove the mold. It is truly amazing how ear molding can be performed pain-free and without surgery. Parents are often afraid of their child being teased because of large ears, ears that stick out, folded ears or other ear deformities. We love seeing how happy they are and appreciate the family photo cards they send in during the holidays.

Patch: How do you distinguish yourself from the others in the business?

Dr. Jandali: We are the only plastic surgery practice in Southern Connecticut performing ear molding for non-surgical correction of prominent ears and other ear deformities. Also, I have three young daughters, and I think this helps me relate to new parents and their newborns. I feel their concerns because I have been through the ear molding process with my own daughter.

Patch: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given when it comes to success?

Dr. Jandali: Do what you love to do and it will never seem like work. I love caring for babies and making a difference in the rest of their lives.

Patch: What would you say are a few secrets to your success?

Dr. Jandali: Hard work and utmost care and compassion for my patients. I also give thanks to my mentors who trained me at UPenn and CHOP, for without their shared knowledge and expertise, I wouldn't be the plastic surgeon I am today.

Patch: What is your favorite thing about Patch?

Dr. Jandali: It's the local internet source for any and all information. Our practice keeps up to date with local charity events and also other local businesses with a similar philosophy and mission.

Patch: How can Patch readers learn more about your work and business?

Visit our website, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Our office is located at 5520 Park Ave., Suite WP-2-300, Trumbull, CT 06611. Call us at 203-374-0310.

Image Credit: Jandali Plastic Surgery