Photo By Daniel Taylor | YOKOSUKA, Japan (March 9, 2026) — Capt. Matthew Keller, an ear, nose and throat and...... read more read more
YOKOSUKA, Japan (March 9, 2026) — U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka is increasing access to elective facial plastic and reconstructive procedures, offering beneficiaries specialized care while maintaining medical readiness in the Indo-Pacific region.
Among the procedures performed is functional septorhinoplasty with inferior turbinate reduction, which improves both nasal structure and airflow. The surgery may involve reconstruction of the nasal framework to restore breathing while maintaining overall facial balance.
“Patients can think of the nose like the frame of a tent,” said Capt. Matthew Keller, an ear, nose and throat and facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon at U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka. “Sometimes that structure needs reinforcement or straightening to create more space inside and improve breathing.”
The hospital offers a range of elective and reconstructive procedures, including rhinoplasty, facelift, neck lift, eyelid surgery, ear correction, scar revision and skin cancer reconstruction. Services are available to eligible beneficiaries, including civilian employees. Procedures performed solely for cosmetic purposes are scheduled on a space-available basis and require payment through the hospital’s Uniform Billing Office.
Keller, who has more than 15 years of surgical experience, has performed hundreds of facial plastic and reconstructive procedures and serves as a clinical associate professor of surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
Providing these services locally allows patients to receive specialized care without leaving Japan.
“Many of these procedures would otherwise require travel back to the United States,” Keller said. “Offering them here improves access and continuity of care for our patients and their families.”
Beyond access, the procedures can address both functional concerns and long-standing cosmetic issues that affect confidence and day-to-day life.
For pediatric patients, early intervention can be especially important.
“Children can be sensitive to differences in appearance,” Keller said. “Being able to provide care locally helps families address concerns early, before they begin to affect confidence or social experiences.”
Maintaining this surgical capability also supports operational readiness.
“Performing these procedures helps preserve the surgical skills required to treat complex facial trauma,” Keller said. “Those are the same types of injuries we may see in operational environments or training incidents.”
Hospital leadership emphasized the broader benefit to both patients and the command.
“Providing elective and reconstructive procedures locally improves access to care while strengthening the clinical readiness of our medical teams,” said Capt. Torrin Velazquez, director of U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka.
U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka supports a highly active population, including service members who participate in physically demanding training, contact sports and operational activities that carry an increased risk of facial injury.
By combining patient care with operational readiness, the hospital continues to support the warfighter, their families and the broader military community across the Indo-Pacific.
For more information about elective procedures, eligibility or scheduling, visit: https://yokosuka.tricare.mil/Getting-Care/Access-to-Care-for-DOD-Civilians-and-Contractors1
| Date Taken: | 04.30.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 04.30.2026 23:11 |
| Story ID: | 564064 |
| Location: | JP |
| Web Views: | 15 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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