Dr. Frank Vicari MD

Media Releases

Get to know Pediatric Plastic & Craniofacial Surgeon Dr. Frank A. Vicari, who serves patients throughout the State of Illinois.

Dr. Vicari is a renowned pediatric plastic and craniofacial surgeon who evaluates, diagnoses, treats, and supports the ongoing needs of pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients, with the overarching goal of enabling them to live normal and healthy lives. For the past 30 years, he has been caring for children with complex congenital and acquired disorders throughout the Chicagoland area, and around the world. 

During this time, he has pioneered new techniques and created new programs designed to serve children and families with difficult diagnoses. He was the first in the world to perform minimally-invasive, endoscopic-assisted craniofacial procedures for craniosynostosis. He has also pioneered mandibular distraction for airway management in children with hypoplastic (small) mandibles. 

Currently, Dr. Vicari serves as the Chief of Pediatric Plastic Surgery / Craniofacial Surgery at Advocate Children’s Hospital – Park Ridge. In addition, he has been responsible for the creation of such programs as the Congenital Hand Clinic and the Head Shape Evaluation Clinic, which is dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of children with “flat heads”. These patients have facial or cranial asymmetry from positional molding, torticollis, or synostosis.

Since 1991, he has been a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He also holds surgical privileges with the following area hospitals: Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital, and Highland Park Hospital.

With a broad educational background, Dr. Vicari holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and a Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering. He worked as a Coordinator of R & D for Universal Oil Products, Inc., before attending medical school at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. He then did residencies in general surgery and plastic surgery at Loyola University Medical Center. 

Following this, he completed fellowships in pediatric plastic surgery and craniofacial surgery at the Hospital for Sick Kids in Toronto, Ontario and then at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital.

Thriving in his field, Dr. Vicari is board-certified through the American Board of Plastic Surgery, whose mission is to promote safe, ethical, efficacious plastic surgery to the public by maintaining high standards for the education, examination, certification, and continuous certification of plastic surgeons as specialists and subspecialists. 

Attaining fellowship status, he is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP). 

Pediatric plastic surgery is plastic surgery performed on children. Its procedures are most often conducted for reconstructive or cosmetic purposes. In children, this line is often blurred, as many congenital deformities impair physical function as well as aesthetics. Pediatric plastic surgeons treat children from birth through young adulthood. They choose to make pediatric care the core of their medical practice, and devote 50% or more of their time to the care of children.

Craniofacial surgery is a surgical subspecialty that deals with congenital and acquired deformities of the head, skull, face, neck, jaws, and associated structures. Craniofacial surgeons have expertise in surgery on bone, muscle, nerves, fat, and skin.

On a more personal note, Dr. Vicari’s family includes his wife, three kids, three horses, and at least two dogs (but sometimes more). He loves his horse, Justifiable, the most, but considers everyone else to be pretty cool too.

Recommended Articles

• How to Prepare for Hydrocelectomy

  Hydrocelectomy refers to a surgical procedure done for the purpose of repairing or removing a hydrocele, a buildup of watery fluid around one or both testicles. This sac swells as fluid accumulates, causing discomfort but usually no pain. Since hydrocelectomy involves a sensitive part of the...

• Epigastric Hernia: Get the Facts

  A hernia is a condition in which some part of an internal organ grows through an opening and protrudes to some other area, thereby altering its normal location.There are many types of hernia, but the epigastric hernia is the most common form. An epigastric hernia occurs when abdominal tissue...

• Understanding Hernia and Hernia Surgery

  Feeling pain and swelling in the groin region can be a very unpleasant experience, especially when the pain gets worse when you cough or lift heavy objects. Experiencing these symptoms might signify the presence of groin hernia. A groin hernia is usually referred to in medical terms as an inguinal...

• Everything You Need to Know About an Adenoidectomy

  What Are Adenoids?Adenoids are the immune system’s component which assists in the fight against infections and offers the body protection from viral and bacterial attack.Adenoids are found in children only. They begin to develop as soon as a child is born and reach their maximum when the child is...

• What Can I Expect After Undergoing Laparoscopic Hernia Repair?

  In laparoscopic hernia repair, the surgeon makes a small incision in or just under your umbilicus and inserts a narrow tube to pump carbon dioxide into your abdomen. The gas lifts organs and other tissue, allowing a good view of your internal structures. The surgeon then inserts a telescope-like...

• What Is an Orchiopexy Surgery?

  Orchiopexy is a surgical procedure that corrects the position of undescended testicles inside the scrotum. Orchiopexy is performed to male children to correct cryptorchidism, a medical term used for any undescended testicles. Orchiopexy can also be performed to male adults or adolescents, which may...