Dr. Rachel A. Ruotolo

Dr. Rachel A. Ruotolo Dr. Rachel A. Ruotolo is a board-certified Pediatric Plastic and Craniofacial Surgeon.

07/25/2025

Hi 👋🏼 everyone!

This 9 year old little boy presented to me with concerns about his protruding ear 👂🏻. He is seen here ONLY 5 days following his bilateral otoplasty. (He and his parents traveled far to see me, so he is headed back home ✈️ for now…..but stay tuned for his progress over the coming months!)

It always amazes me how these kids tend to look so much OLDER and more mature🤓 after this surgery!

Otoplasty (aka ear pinning) is a surgery to correct prominent ears. This can either affect one or both ears, and both ears can be affected differently (as seen with this little boy 👦).

No two surgeries are the same. Each one is individualized to the patient’s anatomical needs. Take a moment to look at people’s ears around you....the differences are vast! It is so important to maintain a NATURAL appearance to the ears. They shouldn’t be set too close to the head and shouldn’t have any sharp edges, just natural curves. 👍🏻👍🏻

This surgery is typically thought to be reserved for little children, however, this is not true at all. Many of my patients are teenagers and adults. Timing of surgery is simply an individual choice for each patient. There is no right or wrong time, there is just a “best time” for every individual. The earliest I will perform otoplasty, however, is 4 years of age.

If you or someone you know has been considering this surgery, feel free to review my before and after gallery on my website or IG/FB/Tiktok pages and contact my office to set up a consultation to see if you are a candidate for surgery.

These images are the property of Dr. Rachel A. Ruotolo and NYPSG and are not authorized for use by any other party.

This is my actual patient with real results who has given informed consent (via parents) to appear on my website and social media pages.

07/24/2025

Hi 👋🏼 everyone!

This young woman presented to me with concerns about her prominent right ear👂🏻. She is seen 1 year following her unilateral otoplasty.

Otoplasty (aka ear pinning) is a surgery to correct prominent ears. This can either affect one or both ears, and both ears can be affected differently.

No two surgeries are the same. Each one is individualized to the patient’s anatomical needs. Take a moment to look at people’s ears around you....the differences are vast! It is so important to maintain a NATURAL appearance to the ears. The ears shouldn’t be set too close to the head and shouldn’t have any sharp edges, just natural curves. 👍🏻👍🏻

This surgery is typically thought to be reserved for little children, however, this is not true at all. Many of my patients are teenagers and adults. Timing of surgery is simply an individual choice for each patient. There is no right or wrong time, there is just a “best time” for every individual. The earliest I will perform otoplasty, however, is 4 years of age.

If you or someone you know has been considering this surgery, feel free to review my before and after gallery on my website or IG/FB/Tiktok pages and contact my office to set up a consultation to see if you are a candidate for surgery.

These images are the property of Dr. Rachel A. Ruotolo and NYPSG and are not authorized for use by any other party.

This is my actual patient with real results who has given informed consent (via parents) to appear on my website and social media pages.

07/21/2025

Hi 👋🏼 everyone! It’s !! 🖊️🖊️Today I’m highlighting the intra-op markings of a recent left sided COMPLETE unilateral cleft lip 👄 reconstruction. Take special note of the alar base position on the cleft side. This is largely determined by the position of the underlying alveolus. So much can be done to reconstruct the nose at the time of the lip repair, however, the posterior position of the alar base is dependent upon the underlying bone. This will improve with orthodontia and bone grafting years later. 👍🏻 Remember….it’s a journey. Stay tuned for updates on this baby’s progress!As always, leave your questions and comments below. 👇🏼Mission: Transforming children’s lives one smile 😀 at a time. 👍🏼These images are the property of Dr. Rachel A. Ruotolo and NYPSG and are not authorized for use by any other party.This is my actual patient with real results who has given informed consent (directly or indirectly via parents) to appear on my website and social media pages.

07/07/2025

Hi 👋🏼 everyone!

It’s !! 🖊️🖊️

Today I’m highlighting the intra-op markings of a recent left sided INCOMPLETE cleft lip 👄 reconstruction.

Although an incomplete cleft lip is a more “mild” deformity than a complete cleft lip, sometimes obtaining overall symmetry is more challenging. In this video 🎥 I emphasize the importance of making sure the lip doesn’t end up too long on the cleft side. Details. Details. Details. 🤓👌🏻

Stay tuned for updates on this baby’s progress!

As always, leave your questions and comments below. 👇🏼

Mission: Transforming children’s lives one smile 😀 at a time. 👍🏼

These images are the property of Dr. Rachel A. Ruotolo and NYPSG and are not authorized for use by any other party.

This is my actual patient with real results who has given informed consent (directly or indirectly via parents) to appear on my website and social media pages.

Hi 👋🏼 everyone!Sweet 🥰 Skylar is seen here 10 months following her cleft lip repair and 4 months following her cleft pal...
06/25/2025

Hi 👋🏼 everyone!

Sweet 🥰 Skylar is seen here 10 months following her cleft lip repair and 4 months following her cleft palate repair.

It is so very important for parents to see and understand the many changes that occur to the lip, nose and scar during the months and years following their baby’s cleft repair.

The lip is often pink and firm for months after the surgery. The scar may also become raised and/or contract, causing shortening of the lip making it appear as if the cleft is recurring. 😳

I try my best to reassure parents during this time and encourage them to apply scar ointment and massage daily. As you can see in this video 🎥, that patience and time ⏰ are essential in allowing the lip and nose to soften and settle. 👌🏻

We also evaluate and follow their speech following cleft palate repair. It is important to have speech therapy started early on….it helps to set them up for success!

Mission: Transforming children’s lives, one smile 😃 at a time.

These images are the property of Dr. Rachel A. Ruotolo and NYPSG and are not authorized for use by any other party.

This is my actual patient with real results who has given informed consent (directly or indirectly via parents) to appear on my website and social media pages.

06/24/2025

Hi 👋🏼 everyone!

Remember yesterday’s adult cleft lip revision markings 🖊️ ?!

This young man had his cleft lip repaired by another surgeon in infancy. His lip remained foreshortened on the cleft side, he had a “whistle deformity” and white roll mismatch along the vermilion, and the scar was widened & raised.

I approach cleft lip revisions very similar to how I approach primary lip repairs. 👌🏻

If you keep watching , you will see his immediate on-table transformation as well as his progress 1 and 2 months follow his cleft lip revision.

He is scheduled for his cleft nasal and palate revision 3 months after this surgery, for I often prefer to stage these revisions for a more predictable result/outcome. Stay tuned for his progress!

Mission: Transforming lives one smile at a time. 👍🏼

These images are the property of Dr. Rachel A. Ruotolo and NYPSG and are not authorized for use by any other party.

This is my actual patient with real results who has given informed consent to appear on my website and social media pages.

06/24/2025

Hi 👋🏼 everyone!It’s 🖊️🖊️ and today I wanted to highlight the intra-op markings of a recent adult cleft lip REVISION. This young man had his cleft lip repaired by another surgeon in infancy. He had a residual deformity that resulted in a lip that was vertically short, with a widened scar, and a white roll was malaligned. All of these issues were addressed in this revision surgery. 👌🏻I approach cleft lip REVISIONS very similar to how I approach primary lip repairs. Watch 👀 this video to see how. 👍🏻Mission: Transforming children’s lives one smile at a time. 👍🏼These images are the property of Dr. Rachel A. Ruotolo and NYPSG and are not authorized for use by any other party.This is my actual patient with real results who has given informed consent to appear on my website and social media pages.

Address

Garden City South, NY

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 7pm
Tuesday 8am - 7pm
Wednesday 8am - 7pm
Thursday 8am - 7pm
Friday 8am - 7pm

Telephone

+15165043014

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