Plastic surgeon offers free reconstructive surgery to people injured in Beirut explosion

A plastic surgeon from Beirut is offering free reconstructive surgery to anyone who suffered facial injuries in the blast earlier this month.

More than 200 people were killed and thousands more injured in the explosion at the port of Beirut on 4 August.

Dr Joe Baroud is keen to offer his skills to anyone who left injured or disfigured, to help remove the physical reminders of their trauma.

He started offering surgery just days after the explosion and was initially seeing 20-25 patients a day.

Dr Baroud said: ‘I saw patients with major injuries on the first few days, and quite a few glass injuries.

‘As it was a disaster situation, nobody was being properly sutured within the face.

‘I consider the flesh wounds victims sustained to their bodies to be the minority of the damage done to the Lebanese people, but the degree of relief they are getting from the ‘fine-tuning’ of their wounds – so they don’t have to look in the mirror every day and be reminding of that terrible day – is important.

‘I don’t call this work reconstructive, but there is a reconstructive element within its essence, as it gives back function and can help integrate people back into their life and society, the 33-year-old told Harper’s Bazaar.

Dr Baroud is being helped by fellow surgeon Dr Anis Mrad and a team of nurses and volunteers.