Get to Know Me
Dr. Arturo J. Rios Diaz is a pediatric plastic and reconstructive surgeon in Wilmington, Delaware, at Nemours Children’s Hospital, caring for children, adolescents, and young adults. He treats the full range of face and body conditions, from everyday procedures to complex microsurgical reconstruction. Common procedures in his practice include removing moles, birthmarks, cysts, and skin lesions; ear surgery (otoplasty) for prominent ears; breast reduction and gynecomastia surgery; and body contouring after major weight loss. He also works to restore form and function after injury, burns, and cancer surgery, and cares for complex and non-healing wounds. He treats scars and keloids with both surgery and laser. He trained in plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Pennsylvania after general surgery at Thomas Jefferson University, with research fellowships at Harvard and Penn. He cares for every family with a highly individualized approach.
Why I Treat Children
As a parent of two, I know what it feels like to place your child in someone else’s hands, and how much you want the very best for them. That understanding shapes how I care for every family I meet. Working with children keeps me grounded and reminds me each day why I chose to be a surgeon. I feel privileged to care for kids through challenging times and to help them heal, and I especially value the long-term relationships I build, caring for patients over time and watching them grow and thrive. I believe every child deserves access to this kind of care, regardless of their circumstances.
What I'm Passionate About
I hold myself to a high standard on every case and give each child my very best, because the result shapes how they look, move, and feel for years to come. My goal is always to restore function and quality of life, working within a coordinated team that keeps safety and quality first. I’m also passionate about advancing what reconstructive surgery can do for children. I trained in robotic-assisted microsurgery and took part in some of the earliest robotic microsurgical cases in the United States, and I draw on my background in data science and advanced statistics to bring artificial intelligence into patient care and research safely and ethically. To me, new technology earns its place only when it makes care safer, recovery easier, and results better for the children I treat.
I have specific medical expertise in:
- Mole, birthmark, cyst, and skin lesion removal
- Ear surgery (otoplasty) for prominent ears
- Breast reduction, breast asymmetry, and congenital breast differences
- Gynecomastia surgery (male chest reduction)
- Scar and keloid treatment, including laser
- Body contouring and excess skin removal after weight loss (panniculectomy)
- Facial injury and facial reconstruction
- Microsurgical (free flap) reconstruction after cancer, trauma, and complex wounds
- Orthoplastic surgery: soft-tissue reconstruction for complex limb and orthopedic conditions
- Complex abdominal wall reconstruction (congenital and acquired defects)
- Lymphedema surgery
How I Try to Make A Difference
My guiding principle is simple. I care for every patient and their family as if they were my own loved ones facing the same circumstances. That means listening closely, understanding each family’s needs and goals, taking the time to set expectations, and staying present from the first consultation through recovery and the years that follow. Reconstruction is often a journey rather than a single operation, so I focus on longitudinal care, walking alongside families over time and making sure they always feel heard, supported, and confident they are in good hands.
