Facial Surgery & Resurfacing

Facial Surgery & Resurfacing

Facial Surgery is performed on men and women. As we grow older, the firm fatty tissue below the surface of the skin decreases in volume, causing the skin to fit more loosely. Overexposure to sunlight and personal habits such as smoking, alcohol intake and nutrition choices will also contribute to wrinkles, creases and sagging skin.

Face Lift

Face Lift or rhytidectomy, is typically performed to remove loose or sagging skin from the face and neck. The physician makes an incision at the hairline and temple, then works through these to separate the skin from the tissue beneath it and tightens the skin for a smoother appearance. The scars are hidden in your hairline. If you have loose skin and excess tissue under your chin, your physician will remove this and you will wear a supportive dressing briefly after the procedure. The patient can usually return home in a day or two. Expect temporary bruising, swelling, numbness and tenderness of skin; tight feeling, dry skin. You may wear make-up after the removal of sutures.

Back to work: 10 - 14 days.

More strenuous activity: 2 - 3 weeks. You must limit exposure to sun for several months.

Nasal Surgery

Nasal surgery or rhinoplasty, is one of the most common corrective procedures because of injury or heredity. If your nose was injured or has been defective since birth, nasal surgery can improve function as well as appearance. The surgery may be performed by making small incisions around your nose or from the inside. You will wear a cast applied across the bridge of the nose for about one week. A one-day hospitalization is usually required if internal work is done on the breathing passages. Temporary swelling, bruising around eyes and nose, and headaches are common. You may also have some bleeding and stuffiness may also occur.

Back to work or school: 1 - 2 weeks.

More strenuous activities: 2 - 3 weeks.

It is important to avoid sunburn and hitting your nose. Final appearance of results may take 10 -12 months to become fully apparent.

Eyelid Surgery

Eyelid or blepharoplasty, is an aesthetic surgical procedure used to remove the excess skin folds above and below the eyes and pouches under your eyes. (For example, "crow's feet" and "bags" are often the earliest indications of the normal aging process). Excess skin and exposed fat are removed by the surgeon through incisions in the upper and lower eyelids. This procedure may also be performed in some cases using the CO2 laser. (See face peels for additional information). For some, blepharoplasty can correct conditions that impair normal vision. These incisions soon fade and become faintly visible. After surgery, swelling and discoloration, tightness of lids, temporary dryness, burning and itching of eyes is expected. You may notice excessive tearing and sensitivity to light for the first few weeks. Iced saline gauze will be placed over the eyes for the first 48 hours to reduce swelling and for comfort. You may wear make-up once the sutures are removed (usually 3 - 5 days).

Reading: 2 - 3 days.

Back to work: 7 - 10 days.

Contact lenses: 2 weeks or more. Strenuous activities may be resumed in about 3 weeks. Bruising and swelling will last for several weeks.

Forehead Lift

A forehead lift raises your eyebrows and smoothes forehead wrinkles and frown lines for a more youthful appearance. Your physician may perform a forehead lift in two ways. The first requires an incision along your hairline, where your skin is pulled tighter and smoother. The second type of procedure involves making several small incisions in the hairline and using an endoscope to reduce shallow wrinkles. You may experience temporary swelling, numbness, headaches and bruising, and, possible itching and hair loss (for coronal incisions) may occur for several months. A secured bandage is worn for the first 24 - 48 hours and then removed.

Back to work: 7 - 10 days.

More strenuous activity: several weeks. Bruising: 2 - 3 weeks.

Limit exposure to sun for several months.

Facial Peels

Facial Peels are performed by application of a chemical solution (tricholoroacetic acid [TCA] or glycolic acid). The chemical peel restores wrinkled, blemished, unevenly pigmented or sun-damaged facial skin, using a chemical solution to peel away skin's top layers. The peel works best on fair, thin skin with superficial wrinkles. You may have temporary throbbing, tingling, swelling, redness and sensitivity to sun is expected. Following TCA peels, make-up can be applied to the area in 10 - 14 days. The treated area may remain pink for 6 weeks to 3 months but can be covered by make-up.

CO2 Resurfacing Laser

The resurfacing laser treatment restores wrinkled, scarred or blemished facial skin which may be caused by smoker's lines, acne scars or lesions that protrude from the skin. The CO2 laser is a very high energy beam of light that vaporizes the wrinkles without burning your skin and surrounding tissues. The laser procedure may be performed on lines around the eyes and/or mouth or full face. In the first few days after the procedure, your skin will produce some oozing as new collagen is formed by the dermal layer to rebuild the skin from the bottom up. It will then go through a period of crusting for a few days. When the crusting is gone, the fresh new skin will have a pink quality, which will fade over a period of approximately 3 -6 months. This is easily camouflaged by make-up, which can usually be applied in 4 - 7 days, depending upon your skin's response to treatment. Pain is easily controlled with medication. Depending on the size of the area to be treated, this procedure may be performed under general anesthesia. You may expect to return to work or social situations in approximately 2 weeks.

Ear Surgery

Ear surgery or otoplasty brings the protruding ears into a more natural configuration. The physician makes an incision behind your ear to reposition the flexible cartilage. A total head dressing (turban style) is used for approximately one week to protect both ears, limit swelling and minimize your discomfort. The procedure takes 1 - 3 hours.

Return to play or work: 1 week.

Return to strenuous activity: 3 - 6 weeks.