Scars are an unfortunate part of life. When the skin is damaged beyond repair, the trauma results in scar tissue forming. This happens to everyone, from babies to the elderly.
And for those serving or those who have served in the military, like our own Dr. Garcia, those scars can be even more of a struggle, encompassing the memories of trauma and hardship along with them. Getting rid of scars or even simply reducing their appearance is no easy feat. That’s why Dr. Garcia founded the Purple Heart Project, an initiative that offers free scar revision to Veterans injured in active duty.
About Dr. Garcia-Zuazaga
Dr. Garcia is no stranger to the hardships of serving in the military.
In 1995, Garcia-Zuazaga was commissioned in the United States Navy and enrolled in the Navy Health Profession Scholarship Program. In 1999, he graduated at the top 5% of his medical school class at Penn State and moved to DC to complete his Internship at the renowned National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
After Bethesda, Dr. Garcia-Zuazaga moved to Pensacola, Florida for Aerospace Medicine training with the Navy. He earned his “wings of gold” as a United States Flight Surgeon in 2001 and was the recipient of the prestigious Surgeon General’s Award. Following his training at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute, Dr. Garcia moved to the Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort, South Carolina where he was assigned as a flight surgeon for the world famous Crusaders (VMFA-122) squadron. As flight surgeon he served as Medical Department head for his squadron and participated in several deployments all over the world. For his leadership and dedication to the Marines, Dr. Garcia was selected as Marines Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC) Operational Flight Surgeon of the Year.
After 5 years with the Marines, Dr. Garcia moved to Cleveland where he was offered a position as a Dermatology Resident at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Department of Dermatology. As a resident, Dr. Garcia used his leadership skills at a national level when he was elected Resident Member of the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Dermatology. He also was the recipient of the Dermatologic Surgery Research Award.
Read more about Dr. Garcia here.
The Purple Heart Project was founded in order to give Veterans injured in active duty a free service to the scars that plague them physically and mentally.
Founder of Apex Dermatology, Dr. Jorge Garcia-Zuazaga, is a Veteran himself. To combine his two passions of dermatology and military service, he created The Purple Heart Project, which offers free scar revisions to Veteran’s injured in active duty.
Scarring doesn’t just impact your physical appearance, but can go much deeper than this. Dr. Garcia understands that by providing scar revisions to veterans, he can aid in their ability to heal emotionally as well. Read more about this initiative here!
To fill out an application to be considered:
www.apexskin.com/purpleheartproject
*Note: Not all scars can be treated through dermatological techniques and may require plastic surgery. If we are unable to properly treat your scar, we will let you know.
