Restoring Self-Esteem Through 'Day of Smiles' (Video)

For the 16th year, doctors and clinical staff at Baptist Children’s Hospital came together for Day of Smiles, performing life-changing plastic surgeries to local adolescent patients.

All the procedures are performed without cost to the families. Doctors from various specialties, including plastic surgery, oral surgery and anesthesiology, donate their time and expertise for this cause.

Joel Levin, M.D., a plastic surgeon with Baptist Health South Florida, says he looks forward to this day every year. ”The impact on their lives is wonderful,” says Dr. Levin. “It restores their self-esteem and that’s what this is all about.”

(Day of Smiles 2017 provided an opportunity for several patients to undergo plastic and reconstructive surgeries at Baptist Children’s Hospital. Video by George Carvalho.)

Some of the surgeries performed this year included cleft lip and palate revisions, removal of birthmarks and scar revisions.