Mr Hywel Dafydd is a Consultant Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon at Sancta Maria Hospital, Swansea, with an NHS practice at the Welsh Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery, Morriston Hospital. He has a specialist practice in hand and wrist surgery, peripheral nerve surgery and limb reconstruction, and has performed over 4,000 operations since his consultant appointment in 2015.

Mr Dafydd regularly receives referrals from other hand surgeons for patients with complex or ongoing problems following nerve injury or previous surgery, reflecting the breadth and depth of his specialist expertise.

Specialist Interests

• Hand and wrist surgery
• Peripheral nerve surgery
• Microsurgical limb reconstruction
• Amputation stump revision
• Trauma reconstruction
• Skin lesion and mole removal

Conditions Treated at Sancta Maria Hospital

• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Cubital tunnel syndrome
• Dupuytren’s contracture
• Trigger finger
• Basal thumb arthritis
• Ganglion cysts
• Wrist pain and wrist pathology
• Tendon injuries
• Nerve injuries, nerve compression and nerve pain
• Nerve tumours
• Fractures and traumatic hand injuries
• Chronic osteomyelitis (bone infection)
• Amputation-related problems (neuroma, bony overgrowth, soft tissue issues)
• Skin lesions, moles and skin tag removal

Amputation and Limb Centre

Mr Dafydd is the designated plastic surgeon for the Swansea Artificial Limb Centre, performing all amputation stump revision procedures for the South West Wales population. This includes surgery for bony overgrowth, neuroma and nerve pain, and soft tissue padding or scarring problems.

Trauma Reconstruction

Mr Dafydd works closely with orthopaedic trauma colleagues to manage complex skin, soft tissue and bony problems using a team-based approach. This often involves transplantation of skin, muscle or bone from one part of the body to another, with the blood supply re-established using microsurgical techniques.

Training and Fellowships

Mr Dafydd qualified from the University of Cambridge in 2001 with Distinction in Surgery, then trained in plastic surgery units in Leicester, Birmingham, Coventry and Swansea. He subsequently completed three highly competitive fellowships:

• Orthopaedic hand and wrist surgery, Auckland Hand Unit, Middlemore Hospital, New Zealand (2012-2014)
• Microsurgical reconstructive surgery, Taiwan, under Professor Fu-Chan Wei, one of only six international fellows selected for this programme
• Advanced peripheral nerve surgery, Washington University, St. Louis, USA, under Professor Susan Mackinnon

He was entered onto the GMC Specialist Register for Plastic Surgery in 2015.

Research, Publications and Education

Mr Dafydd co-authored Key Notes on Plastic Surgery (2nd edition, Oxford: Wiley, 2014) with Adrian Richards, a widely used reference for senior surgical trainees approaching their final consultant examinations. He is a peer reviewer for the Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (JPRAS) and has published research including work on outcomes following open lower limb fractures.

He is a member of the Plastic Surgery Specialty Training Committee for Wales, a panellist for UK National Selection of plastic surgery trainees, and was nominated as Welsh Nominee for Plastic Surgery Trainees’ Association Trainer of the Year in 2020.

Professional Memberships and Roles

• Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (Plastics) FRCS(Plast)
• Full member and Council member, British Society for Surgery of the Hand (elected 2022)
• Instructional Course Committee, British Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Education and Training Committee, British Society for Surgery of the Hand (2018-2021)

Languages

Mr Dafydd is bilingual and offers consultations in both Welsh and English.