ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A plastic surgeon, who says his work is life-changing for his patients, recently returned from a trip to South America, where he helped bring smiles to children with congenital defects. It’s part of a long line of missions to countries with large underprivileged populations, where giving back means making a difference.

In the field of plastic surgery, Dr. Vito Quatela is considered a legend. A normal day at his East Avenue office in Rochester often includes several operations and client consultations.

“I can't tell you how many times, something very trivial that I do, someone will come back and say you changed my life,” he said.

Life-changing describes Quatela’s recent trip to Peru. Quatela and a team of doctors performed reconstructive plastic surgeries on 20 children born with congenital deformities of the ears. In the procedure, doctors take rib cartilage from the patient, carve it into the shape of ear and put into a pocket on the ear.

The surgeries are provided through the nonprofit HUGS Foundation. HUGS stands for Help Us Give Smiles.

“In some of these countries, if you have a child that's born with a deformity, they're a liability,” noted Quatela.

He says the children are often shunned or bullied. The foundation has helped treat 2,300 children over the past two-plus decades who were born with cleft lip, cleft palate, microtia and other congenital deformities.

“We're providing something that they wouldn't get otherwise,” he said. “And it is life-changing for them."