Smiles About Making Smiles

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Dr. Ben Talei is no ordinary Beverly Hills plasticsurgeon. He is probably one of the happiest men inthe world, not simply because he has a lucrativepractice and lives and works in one of the world'smost desirable cities.

This week, he is heading to Vietnam to makeprosthetic ears for children born without them withHealing the Children. Later this year, he will treatchildren born with a cleft pallet with HUGS (HelpUs Give Smiles). And sometime this week, he willhelp a person to achieve a long-desired dream toerase a birthmark or a scar that has defined their life.He will save a child from a lifetime of shame. Hewill erase years of suffering from someone's faceand coax a hidden smile to life.

In between, he will expertly erase years, wipingaway the careworn signs of time.

He will perform a facelift by lifting the facial muscleitself and replacing it where it was before time andgravity dragged it down. The results will look morenatural, defy reversal, and have more impact thanskin that is stretched and pulled tight, because Taleilifts the muscle itself.

"The kids have lived with thecondition for 8 years. We can'tdo the procedure earlier. Theyare so happy when they see

their new ears!"

Last fall, Dr. Ben Talei and his brother Nathan Talei,drove their Mini Cooper, covered in decals toutingdomestic violence awareness, across the country toraise funds and awareness for the National CoalitionAgainst Domestic Violence and the AmericanAcademy of Facial Plastic & ReconstructiveSurgery's Face to Face Domestic Violence Program.Women trapped in the cycle don't know there aremany organizations there to help.

In Vietnam, he says, "the kids have lived with thecondition for 8 years. We can't do the procedureearlier. They are so happy when they see their newears!"

Talei's Beverly Hills Center for Plastic and LaserSurgery focuses on facial rejuvenation andminimally invasive procedures. They performfacelift, rhinoplasty, eyelid rejuvenation, and facialreconstruction. He also works with vascular andcongenital anomalies, one of the few surgeons in thecountry to have pursued two fellowships atColumbia and Cornell Universities and SloanKettering Cancer Center.

A native of Los Angeles, Talei is on staff at RonaldReagan UCLA, Santa Monica UCLA, Cedars-Sinaiand Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.

A lecturer and teacher, his heart is truly in workingwith others.

By Victoria Talbot