Shanghai Children's Medical Center describes bilingual care for international skin-surgery patients
A five-year-old Chinese-American girl underwent staged treatment after her family contacted the dermatology team online.
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Shanghai Children's Medical Center has described how online consultations, bilingual communication and surgical planning supported children travelling for skin treatment. A December 25, 2025 report follows a five-year-old Chinese-American girl and two other international patients seen by doctor Deng Dan's team.
Online contact and communication with both parents
The girl's family sought advice after learning that the hospital treated similar skin disorders. Their daughter Gloria had a nevus sebaceus on her forehead: a benign congenital skin birthmark that can be associated with patches of hair loss.
The family contacted Deng's team through online consultations. The hospital then coordinated the surgical arrangements and provided bilingual communication throughout the process. This enabled Gloria's father, who did not speak Chinese, to understand the stages of his daughter's treatment.
Two operations for the forehead lesion
Gloria had her first operation in March. The account described the initial result as encouraging, followed by a second operation completed shortly before publication.
The team used preoperative assessment and minimally invasive techniques, and the report stated that the lesion had been removed successfully.
Other children received individual surgical care
Andy, a young patient from Singapore with a similar skin disease, also came to Shanghai after his parents learned about Deng's work online. His operation removed a substantial part of the lesion while preserving the overall health of his scalp. The report described partial removal in his case.
Chen Chen, a Canadian girl of Chinese descent, received treatment at the same hospital for a congenital facial skin lesion. Her condition was reported separately without a detailed operative outcome.
By the report's publication, Shanghai Children's Medical Center had treated nearly 10,000 international pediatric patients overall, including more than 100 children seen by dermatology.