Plastic Surgeon of the Millennium D. Ralph Millard Dies at 92

Picture: D. Ralph Millard, MD and Diane Hamilton, PhD

My cousin, D. Ralph Millard, once nominated as one of the 10 “plastic surgeons of the millenium” died recently of heart failure. The Miami Herald included an article about this amazing man’s life. According to that article, “He was best known for developing “rotation advancement’’ surgery in the ‘50s. The method conserves tissue that doctors had routinely removed when correcting a cleft lip, producing a natural-looking mouth in much less time. Before he developed it, surgical procedures were performed on patients into their late teens. With his method, most children are operated on by 4 or 5. Millard also made major advances in corrective rhinoplasty— nose surgery—for people disfigured by accidents, cancer, war wounds, even cocaine abuse. “His work is considered pure artistry,” Dr. Bernard Fogel, dean emeritus of the medical school, told The Miami Herald when Millard retired in 2000, three months before the death of his wife of 45 years, Barbara Smith Millard. “He’s a giant.”

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Ralph was an inspiration to me and so many others. For information about Dr. Ralph Millard and the Millard Society, click here.