Face Lift / Neck Lift

In time, gravity, sun exposure, and the stresses of daily life take their toll on our faces. Face lifts counteract these problems by removing fat and tightening skin and muscles, giving your face a fresher, youthful look.

Who is a Candidate?

• If you have experienced a loss of skin elasticity and muscle tone of the face and neck.
• If you have the appearance of jowls.
• If you have developed facial and neck wrinkles.
• If you believe you lack youthful chin and neck contours.
• If you think you have a tired facial appearance.

Intended Result

• A more rested and youthful contour to the face and neck.

• The operation is done on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia with sedation, or under general anesthesia.
• Incisions are made within the hairline (or along the hair margin) above the ear, extending down around the lobe and ending in or below the hairline behind the ear. The subcutaneous layers and neck muscles are tightened, the facial skin is redraped and lifted, and the excess skin is removed.

Recuperation and Healing

• The patient goes home with head and neck wrapped in dressings, which are usually removed the next day.
• Minimal initial discomfort is easily controlled with oral medication.
• Sutures are removed within 14 days. Bruising and swelling decrease to "socially acceptable" levels in 10-20 days.
• The final result is evident in 4-6 weeks or sooner with continued improvement for several months.

Other Options

• Additional procedures that would enhance the result are: Eyelid Lift, Brow Lift, Chemical Peel, Facial Sanding (dermabrasion), Chin Enlargement, Nose Reshaping (rhinoplasty), Fat Suction, and Laser Skin Resurfacing, Cheekbone Enhancement, Augmentation/Enhancement of Lips, Reduction of Earlobes.

The specific risks and the suitability of this procedure for a given individual can be determined only at the time of consultation. All surgical procedures have some degree of risk. Minor complications that do not affect the outcome occur occasionally. Major complications are rare.

Forehead Lift (Brow Lift)

Brow lifts can revitalize drooping or lined foreheads, helping you to look less angry, sad or tired. Using either traditional or minimally invasive (endoscopic) methods, the muscles above the eyes are altered to smooth lines and raise the eyebrows for a more youthful appearance. The procedure is often combined with other operations such as blepharoplasty and face lifts to improve the look of the eyes and other areas of the face.

In a traditional brow lift the surgeon makes a coronal (headphone-shaped) incision behind the hairline, stretching between the ears and across the top of the forehead. In a minimally invasive (endoscopic) browlift the surgeon makes three to five short incisions; then an endoscope -- a slim instrument with a camera on the end -- is placed in one incision while the surgeon works through the other incisions.

Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty)

Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty) can enhance your appearance as well as your self-confidence. As people age, the eyelid skin can stretch, muscles often weaken, and fat tends to accumulate around the eyes . This can result in "bags" forming above and below or a droopy look around the eyes. Sometimes these problems occur in younger people if droopy or baggy eyelids run in your family. Eyelid surgery can be the right answer to correct these conditions.

Who is a Candidate?

• If you have excessive, sagging or wrinkled upper or lower eyelid skin.
• If you have excess upper eyelid skin that interferes with vision.
• If you have lost your natural upper eyelid crease.
• If you have puffy pouches of fat in the upper or lower lids that create a tired or aged appearance.

Intended Result

• A more youthful and rested appearance of the eyes.
• Widening of visual fields if excessive upper lid skin has partially blocked vision.
• It will not remove or erase all wrinkle lines. It will soften wrinkle lines.

• The operation is done on an in or outpatient basis under sedation and local or general anesthesia.
• The incisions are made where the natural crease should be in the upper lids and below the lash line in the lower lids. Excess fat and skin are removed.
• If only excess fat is present in the lower lids, it may be removed through an incision inside the lower lids with no external incision or scar (transconjunctival blepharoplasty).

Recuperation and Healing

• All sutures are usually removed within 4-6 days.
• Initial mild discomfort is easily controlled with oral medication.
• Bruising and sensitivity to light last at least a week or two. Swelling progressively disappears over several weeks.
• Eye makeup can be used shortly after sutures are removed.
• Contact lenses can be worn when comfortable -- usually within 7-10 days.

Other Options

• Additional procedures that would enhance the result are: Face Lift, Forehead Lift, Chemical Peel or Laser Skin Resurfacing.

Occasionally, if surgery is being done to improve the field of vision, insurance may help cover upper lid surgery. Otherwise, these procedures are considered cosmetic and the patient is responsible for payment.

The specific risks and the suitability of this procedure for a given individual can be determined only at the time of consultation. All surgical procedures have some degree of risk. Minor complications that do not affect the outcome occur occasionally. Major complications are rare.

Nasal Reshaping (Rhinoplasty)

Who is a Candidate?

• If you have an abnormal appearance of the nose as a result of birth defects, injury, or disease.
• If you have a nasal obstruction due to a deviated nasal septum (divider between the two sides of the nose).
• If you have a nose that is cosmetically unattractive or does not "fit" with other facial features.

Intended Result

• More attractive nasal shape. Nose in better proportion to other facial features.
• Reduction of nasal obstruction -- ability to breathe better.

• The procedure may be done on an outpatient basis under sedation and local, or general anesthesia.
• STANDARD RHINOPLASTY: Incisions are made inside the nostrils. The nasal bones, cartilage, and soft tissues are reshaped to improve external contour.
• SEPTOPLASTY: The crooked septum is straightened through incisions inside the nose.
• Large nostrils may be reduced through tiny incisions at the outer base of the nostrils with either type of rhinoplasty.

Recuperation and Healing

• The patient goes home with an external cast or splint in place. The nose may be packed for several days. Splints are usually removed in 5-6 days.
• Initial discomfort is easily controlled with oral medication.
• Majority of swelling and bruising subsides progressively over 2-4 weeks.
• External sutures (if any) are removed in 4-6 days. Internal sutures dissolve.
• Final result is evident in 12-18 months.

Other Options

• Additional procedures that might enhance the result are chin enlargement, liposuction of the neck.

This procedure is not covered by insurance if being done for cosmetic reasons. If the nasal deformity is due to a recent injury, insurance coverage may be available. Septoplasty is frequently covered by insurance. The office staff will be able to assist in obtaining preauthorization.

The specific risks and the suitability of this procedure for a given individual can be determined only at the time of consultation. All surgical procedures have some degree of risk. Minor complications that do not affect the outcome occur occasionally. Major complications are rare.

BOTOX® Cosmetic

BOTOX® injections are the fastest-growing cosmetic procedure in the industry, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). In 2001, more than 1.6 million people received injections, an increase of 46 percent over the previous year. More popular than breast enhancement surgery and a potential blockbuster, Botox is regarded by some as the ultimate fountain of youth.

Botulinum Toxin Type A (BOTOX® Cosmetic) is a protein complex produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which contains the same toxin that causes food poisoning. When used in a medical setting as an injectable form of sterile, purified botulinum toxin, small doses block the release of a chemical called acetylcholine by nerve cells that signal muscle contraction. By selectively interfering with the underlying muscles' ability to contract, existing frown lines are smoothed out and, in most cases, are nearly invisible in a week.