- Will the shape of my eyes change with surgery to take the bags and extra skin away?
- How many times will I have to have my eyelids operated on if I have my first surgery in my early forties?
- Only the skin of my neck bothers me. Can I have a neck lift alone without a face lift?
- How long will my face lift last?
- After operating to change the shape of my nose how long will it be before I see the final result?
- Will nasal surgery change the sound of my voice?
- After my pregnancy my breast deflated. Do I need a lift or implants?
- Can I just get an uplift of my breast without changing the size?
- How often do breast implants need to be replaced?
- Is there any way to avoid the "anchor" scar with a breast reduction?
- I am interested in a tummy tuck but my friends tell me I am too young. When is the best time to have this operation?
- Will I regain my full stomach if I gain a few pounds after tummy tuck surgery?
- I am twenty–four years old and despite going to the gym five days a week, I am troubled with excess fat in my outer upper thigh area. I have failed. Am I a good person for liposuction?
- I am thirty pounds over–weight and would like to have liposuction to reduce. Can this be done?
General:
Q: Should I bring pictures of what I want to look like to my plastics surgical consultation?
A: You can bring pictures to show the surgeon what you consider attractive. I will educate you as to the anatomical basis of why you the look the way you do. I would then illustrate for you how much I could alter your anatomy in order to best achieve the look you desire.
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Blepharoplasty:
Q: Will the shape of my eyes change with surgery to take the bags and extra skin away?
A: The almond shape that is made by the lids surrounding your eyes should not significantly change with normal eyelid surgery. The skin veils and puffy fat pads will be eliminated resulting in a more youthful and much more rested appearance.
Q: How many times will I have to have my eyelids operated on if I have my first surgery in my early forties?
A: Aside from the possibility of a very minor adjustment ten to twenty years after initial surgery, most people only need eyelid surgery once in their lifetime. Once the protruding fat pads are removed, they are gone forever.
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Face/Neck Lift:
Q: Only the skin of my neck bothers me. Can I have a neck lift alone without a face lift?
A: The neck and face are obviously intimately related. You can not alter the skin of your neck without going into the face to tailor out the excess skin so that the end result everything looks natural. If your neck is more affected by the aging process than your face, or vice versa, your face is worse than your neck, your operation will be customized to proportionally rejuvenate the most affected area.
Q: How long will my face lift last?
A: Once recovered from your face lift you will begin aging from your new, rejuvenated point. Depending on your genetic make–up and many environmental factors, including stressful life experiences, one might want a secondary procedure in eight to fifteen years.
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Rhinoplasty:
Q: After operating to change the shape of my nose how long will it be before I see the final result?
A: The majority of the changes, 90–95%, will be appreciated within several weeks. It is fair to say that one will not see the ultimate refinements of the nasal tip for up to one year after surgery.
Q: Will nasal surgery change the sound of my voice?
A: No, your voice will not change but often times improvements in your ability to breathe can be achieved at the same time you are changing the cosmetic appearance of your nose.
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Breast Surgery:
Q: After my pregnancy my breast deflated. Do I need a lift or implants?
A: If you enjoy the size of your breasts when they are supported by a bra but unhappy with their shape out of a bra, you need a lift or mastopexy. If you do not feel you have adequate size in that same supportive bra, you need implants or an augmentation. Some women need a combination of the two procedures which adds volume and reshapes the skin resulting in a pleasing breast size and form. All procedures with enhance upper breast fullness and cleavage.
Q: Can I just get an uplift of my breast without changing the size?
A: Of course, that is called a mastopexy. A Mastopexy reshapes and lifts your breast so that they are much more shapely and youthful appearing. The fullness in the upper half of your breast is restored, giving your much nicer cleavage without the use of an implant. You must have significant breast volume for a good result from such a procedure.
Q: How often do breast implants need to be replaced?
A: Studies show that approximately 6–8% of implants will rupture for no reason at all in ten years time. Saline implants obviously deflate in a few days time if ruptured. It is harder to determine if silicone implants are broken. That is why the FDA states that MRI’s are necessary to examine silicone prophesies. If they are not broken, you do not fix them and re–operation is not necessary unless there is a problem.
Q: Is there any way to avoid the "anchor" scar with a breast reduction? My friend had one and I find the scar unacceptable.
A: Yes. A newer technique, called Vertical Scar Mammoplasty, results in a scar around the areola (the pigmented area around the nipple) and vertically down to the chest wall. It is much more acceptable scar than the "anchor" and it is covered by the skimpiest of bikini tops. This new way of performing this operation will not any impact on your the style of clothes. This type of scar is also used with a mastopexy or breast lift.
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Otoplasty:
Q: Is there an operation to reduce my big ears?
A: Yes. One perceives their ears as big when usually they are just more prominent that desired and not truly larger than normal. The ear forms more of a right angle as it comes off the side of the face. This can be simply corrected with an incision behind the ear, allowing the surgeon the reshape the underlying cartilage and decrease their prominence, repositioning them closer to the scalp making them look smaller.
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Abdominoplasty:
Q: I am interested in a tummy tuck but my friends tell me I am too young. When is the best time to have this operation?
A: If you are in a weight loss program, you should wait until you have lost all your desired weight. You need to have stopped smoking or refrained of any form of nicotine for at least four weeks. One should not have an abdominoplasty until they are certain that they are no longer entertaining the idea of pregnancy.
Q: Will I regain my full stomach if I gain a few pounds after tummy tuck surgery?
A: No. Your body is not that smart to deposit your first few new pounds back on your abdomen. If indeed you gain weight, that weight will be evenly distributed throughout your body. Your new slim and trim abdominal look will not be affected.
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Suction Lipectomy:
Q: I am twenty–four years old and despite going to the gym five days a week, I am troubled with excess fat in my outer upper thigh area. I have failed. Am I a good person for liposuction?
A: Yes. First of all you are not a failure. You can not spot reduce an area of fatty fullness. That is your genetic make–up. Mid twenty year olds are excellent candidates for liposuction. After the surgical removal of fat through tiny incisions, their skin must be elastic enough to retract back to result in a nice contour. Once some one reaches their forties, their skin elasticity declines and a smooth contour after suctioning can not be guaranteed.
Q: I am thirty pounds over–weight and would like to have liposuction to reduce. Can this be done?
A: Although there are some people advocate suction lipectomy for weight loss, I personally feel the operation performed for weight reduction is too risky. I reserve liposuction for people who present with localized areas of fatty fullness. These people should get a wonderful result with minimal risk.
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