Dr. Milton Waner, MD, FCS(SA)

Media Releases

Get to know Pediatric Facial Plastic Surgeon Dr. Milton Waner, who serves patients in New York, New York.

Dr. Waner, a pediatric facial plastic surgeon, is an internationally recognized expert and a pioneer in the surgical management of hemangiomas and vascular malformations. He is the Director of the Vascular Birthmark Institute of New York, which he founded alongside Dr. Alejandro Berenstein.

Accumulating a wealth of experience, the doctor duo has combined their talents and extensive experience to develop new techniques for the management of some of the most difficult hemangiomas and vascular malformations. At the Vascular Birthmark Institute of New York, they diagnose and treat children and adults suffering from the following conditions: vascular tumors, vascular malformations, hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, as well as other vascular and congenital birthmarks. It is their mission to continue to provide world-class, state-of-the-art care in the diagnosis, treatment, management, and research of all vascular birthmarks.

Back in 1977, Dr. Waner earned his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree from the University of Witwatersrand Medical School in Johannesburg, South Africa. After graduating, he completed his internship and general surgical training at the University of Witwatersrand Affiliated Hospitals and his residency within the Division of Otolaryngology/Department of Surgery at the University of Witwatersrand. He also completed a research fellowship in head and neck cancer at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. 

Following his training, he accepted a faculty position in the Department of Surgery at the University of Sydney in Australia. In 1988, he left Australia to join the faculty of the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. In 2001, he was promoted to the rank of Professor in the said Department. He also held the Benjamin and Milton Waner Endowed Chair in Pediatric Facial Plastic Surgery at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. 

Subsequent to his education, the doctor became board-certified in both general surgery and vascular surgery by the American Board of Surgery, an independent, non-profit organization located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded for the purpose of certifying surgeons who have met a defined standard of education, training, and knowledge. He also attained fellowship status with the College of Surgeons of South Africa: FCS(SA) and the American College of Surgeons (FACS).

Among his professional affiliations, he is a member of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the American Academy of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, and the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.

Considered a world authority in hemangiomas and vascular malformation, Dr. Waner has authored and co-authored well over 100 peer-reviewed articles, 37 book chapters, and 3 textbooks concerning hemangiomas, vascular malformations of the head and neck, and related topics. His work has been cited about 6,000 times in world literature. 

Having been at the forefront of many breakthroughs, he promoted early intervention for children with hemangiomas and developed many surgical approaches to the treatment of hemangiomas and vascular malformations. He was the first to recognize the difference between focal and segmental hemangiomas and was a co-author on the paper that described the first immunohistochemical marker for hemangiomas, GLUT1. He was also a pioneer in the development of the medical applications for copper vapor lasers and has remained at the forefront in both clinical and basic science research in the field of lasers in medicine. 

Holding numerous US and international patents on medical devices, one of Dr. Waner’s most recent inventions is a pair of infrared glasses that can visualize veins through intact skin. This instrument and others similar to it are now being used in hospitals throughout the world. 

Pediatric plastic surgery is plastic surgery performed on children. Its procedures are most often conducted for reconstructive or cosmetic purposes. Pediatric facial plastic surgeons treat children from birth through young adulthood with issues such as skin lesions and tumors, facial fractures, vascular abnormalities, and others.

In honor of his clinical expertise, Dr. Waner is the recipient of numerous awards, including an Honor Award presented by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and the Children’s Miracle Network Achievement Award. He is consistently included in several lists of top physicians, including America’s Top Doctors, The Best Doctors in America, and The Best Doctors in New York. Even a tugboat operating in New York harbor was named after him.

Recommended Articles

• What Is Chronic Sinusitis: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

  IntroductionChronic sinusitis is the inflammation of the sinuses that tend to persist for 12 weeks or more, despite treatment attempts. Another term for chronic sinusitis is chronic rhinosinusitis, which causes mucus buildup due to an impaired drainage of the sinuses. People with chronic sinusitis...

• 5 Tips on Living with Strep Throat

  Strep throat is an infection that causes sore throat or pharyngitis. It is usually called an infection of the tonsils and throat. Strep throat is caused by bacteria living in the nose and throat known as group A streptococcus. Just like other bacterial infections, you can get the disease from a...

• Causes and Symptoms of Tonsillitis

  If you look into the back of your throat, you will see two oval-shaped pads of tissue. These are the tonsils, and there is one located on each side of the throat. When the tonsils become inflamed, a condition called tonsillitis occurs. ...

• What Is Epistaxis?

  What is epistaxis?Epistaxis or commonly called a nosebleed is defined as a type of bleeding that occurs from the nostrils, the nasal cavity, or the nasopharynx. Nosebleeds are mostly caused by the rupture of blood vessels inside the nose. Bleeding may be spontaneous or caused by injuries or trauma....

• What Could Jaw Pain Mean?

  Introduction Jaw pain is described as an uncomfortable, painful, and debilitating condition that can have a sudden or gradual onset. The exact symptoms also depend on the underlying cause of jaw pain. When a person has jaw pain, it can significantly affect his or her ability to speak and consume...

• Tips on Living With Mumps

  Mumps occurs mostly in children and is caused by a paramyxovirus. However, certain viruses like influenza, cytomegalovirus, and Coxsackie virus can also demonstrate swelling of the salivary glands similar to that of mumps. Mumps can be passed through infected saliva after a sneeze or a cough....