Face & Neck Procedures

Brow Lift

A brow lift, also known as a forehead lift:

  • Reduces the wrinkle lines that develop horizontally across the forehead, as well as those that occur on the bridge of the nose, between the eyes
  • Improves frown lines, the vertical creases that develop between the eyebrows
  • Raises sagging brows that are hooding the upper eyelids
  • Places the eyebrows in an alert and youthful position

Other cosmetic procedures that may be performed with a brow lift include:

  • Upper and or lower eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty)
  • Facelifting
  • Skin resurfacing techniques

Cheek Augmentation

The goal of cheek augmentation is to add volume or lift to the cheeks. Some people are bothered by their cheeks losing volume, or even sagging, with age. Others never develop the desired volume in their cheeks and are bothered by cheeks that may be considered flat or thin.

Options for cheek augmentation

Valid surgical options for augmenting and enhancing the cheeks are fat grafting/transfer (where a patient’s own fat is used) or the use of solid cheek implants. A nonsurgical option is the use of injectable fillers to enhance the cheeks.

Ear Surgery

Ear surgery, also known as otoplasty, can improve the shape, position or proportion of the ear. A defect in the ear structure that is present at birth or that becomes apparent with development can be corrected by otoplasty. This procedure can also treat misshapen ears caused by injury.

Otoplasty creates a more natural shape while bringing balance and proportion to the ears and face. Correction of even minor deformities can have profound benefits to appearance and self-esteem. If protruding or disfigured ears bother you or your child, you may consider plastic surgery.

What can ear surgery treat?

  • Overly large ears – a condition called macrotia
  • Protruding ears occurring on one or both sides in varying degrees – not associated with hearing loss
  • Adult dissatisfaction with previous ear surgery

 

Facelift Surgery

A facelift, or rhytidectomy, is a surgical procedure that improves visible signs of aging in the face and neck, such as:

  • Relaxation of the skin of the face causing sagging
  • Deepening of the fold lines between the nose and corner of the mouth
  • Fat that has fallen or has disappeared
  • Jowls developing in the cheeks and jaw
  • Loose skin and excess fat of the neck that can appear as a double chin or “turkey neck”

The loss of youthful contours in the face can be due to variety of factors, including thinning of the skin, loss of facial fat, gravity, sun damage, smoking, as well as heredity and stress.

Other procedures that might be performed in conjunction with a facelift are brow lift and eyelid surgery to rejuvenate aging eyes. Fat transfer or fillers may be suggested to replace the lost fatty volume. Skin treatments such as IPL, dermabrasion, peels or laser may be offered to improve the quality and texture of the skin.

What facelift surgery can’t do

As a restorative surgery, a facelift does not change your fundamental appearance and cannot stop the aging process.

A facelift can only be performed surgically; minimally invasive rejuvenation treatments cannot achieve the same results, but may help delay the time at which a facelift becomes appropriate and complement the results of surgery.

Some minimally invasive treatments, such as stem cell facelifts, are of unproven benefit.

 

Neck Lift

A neck lift, or lower rhytidectomy, is a surgical procedure that improves visible signs of aging in the jawline and neck.

What neck lift surgery can treat

  • Excess fat and skin relaxation in the lower face that creates jowls
  • Excess fatty deposits under the chin
  • Loose neck skin
  • Muscle banding in the neck, which created abnormal contours

The loss of youthful contours in the face and neck can be due to a variety of factors, including heredity, gravity, environmental conditions and stress.

Some people feel they are not ready for a full facelift because the upper face is still pleasing. However, many patients will note excess wrinkling of the neck skin, a double chin or “turkey wattle” and jowl lines.

When the neck area doesn’t match the upper facial appearance, a neck lift may be a good solution.

Rejuvenation procedures that can be performed in conjunction with a neck lift are: a brow lift, to correct a sagging or deeply furrowed brow, fat transfer, to add fullness to the lips and cheeks and reduce the appearance of wrinkles, or eyelid surgery, to rejuvenate aging eyes.

 

Thread Lift

A thread lift, sometimes referred to as a “lunchtime lift,” uses absorbable, barbed sutures to offer a tighter, more youthful aesthetic appearance to the face and neck.

This minimally invasive procedure works by stimulating the production of collagen in the skin in order to produce healthier, firmer skin. It can also mechanically lift tissues where the barbed sutures are placed.

What a thread lift can treat

  • Early loosening of the facial structures
  • Jowls
  • Sagging eyebrows
  • Premature loosening of the neck skin

Who is a good candidate for a thread lift?

A thread lift procedure can be beneficial for both men and women who are wanting to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and early jowls on the face. This procedure can also reduce the appearance of sagging skin, as it gently pulls the skin tighter.

It also offers immediate results without the downtime or scarring that occurs with a surgical facelift procedure. If you desire natural-looking results for firmer skin, then a thread lift may be the right procedure for you. During a consultation, your plastic surgeon will evaluate your anatomy and review your goals to decide if you are a candidate for a thread lift.

 

Buccal Fat Removal

The goal of buccal fat removal is to thin the cheeks, specifically in the area of the cheek hollows. Although a face that is naturally soft and filled out is considered youthful, some people find that their face feels too full, even chubby.

A buccal fat removal removes the buccal fat pad, a naturally-occurring pad of fat in the cheek hollow area. The size of the buccal fat pad varies with each individual patient, and the buccal fat pad in each cheek may be different sizes. Buccal fat pad extraction surgery is typically not performed in people with thin, narrow faces as removal of the fat may cause the face to look more gaunt with age.

Chin Surgery

Chin surgery, or mentoplasty, is a surgical procedure to reshape the chin either by enhancement with an implant or reduction surgery on the bone.

Plastic surgery, and other minor office procedures, can often be performed on the lower jaw line and chin area to improve proportions of the face and to help with one’s confidence and self-esteem. These types of interventions are frequently suggested by board-certified plastic surgeons to improve the harmony of facial features and improve the chin/jaw/cheek/forehead balance.

Sometimes bone from the jaw itself can be moved forward in an operation called a mentoplasty or genioplasty. Alternatively, shaped silicone implants can be used to give more projection to the chin. Conversely, bone can be removed to decrease an overly projecting chin. Furthermore, modifications to the upper and/or lower jaw can be advised for improved chewing dynamics and occlusion – or how the teeth fit together. These operations can range from simple to very complex.

Many times a plastic surgeon may recommend chin surgery or procedures to a patient having a rhinoplasty in order to achieve better facial proportions, as the size of the chin may magnify or minimize the perceived size of the nose.

Additionally, with recent advances in technology, and after obtaining informed consent after reviewing all options, risks and benefits, your plastic surgeon may suggest off-label use of FDA-approved gel filler material as an alternative for providing augmentation of the chin area that may last for a shorter duration.

 

Eyelid Surgery

Eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty, is a surgical procedure to improve the appearance of the eyelids.

Surgery can be performed on the upper lids, lower lids or both.

Whether you want to improve your appearance or are experiencing functional problems with your eyelids, eyelid surgery can rejuvenate the area surrounding your eyes.

What eyelid surgery can treat

  • Loose or sagging skin that creates folds or disturbs the natural contour of the upper eyelid, sometimes impairing vision
  • Fatty deposits that appear as puffiness in the eyelids
  • Bags under the eyes
  • Drooping lower eyelids that reveal white below the iris
  • Excess skin and fine wrinkles of the lower eyelid

Facial Implants

Facial implants are specially formed solid materials compatible with human tissues, designed to enhance or augment the physical structure of your face.

The precise type and size of facial implants best suited for you requires an evaluation of your goals, the features you wish to correct and your surgeon’s judgment.

While any area of your face can be augmented with implants, the cheeks, chin and jaw are the most common sites for facial implants. If you are bothered by a small chin, weak jaw or lack of facial contour, plastic surgery with facial implants may benefit you.

Chin implants

Chin implants can increase the size and projection of a chin that is not in proportion with the forehead and mid-face. A small or recessed chin can also be described as one that seems to disappear into the neck of an individual of normal weight, rather than appearing as a distinct facial feature.

Jaw implants

Jaw implants increase the width of the lower third of your face. Much like the chin, a weak jaw can be thought of as one that is not well defined and distinct from the neck or one that slopes rather than angles from the ear to the chin. In some cases, both the chin and jaw can contribute to facial imbalance.

Cheek implants

Cheek implants increase the projection of the cheekbones. They add volume to areas that may be recessed or flat.

Rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty, sometimes referred to as a “nose job” or “nose reshaping” by patients, enhances facial harmony and the proportions of your nose. It can also correct impaired breathing caused by structural defects in the nose.

What rhinoplasty can treat

  • Nose size in relation to facial balance
  • Nose width at the bridge or in the size and position of the nostrils
  • Nose profile with visible humps or depressions on the bridge
  • Nasal tip that is enlarged or bulbous, drooping, upturned or hooked
  • Nostrils that are large, wide or upturned
  • Nasal asymmetry

If you desire a more symmetrical nose, keep in mind that everyone’s face is asymmetric to some degree. Results may not be completely symmetric, although the goal is to create facial balance and correct proportion.

Rhinoplasty to correct a deviated septum

Nose surgery that’s done to improve an obstructed airway requires careful evaluation of the nasal structure as it relates to airflow and breathing.

Correction of a deviated septum, one of the most common causes of breathing impairment, is achieved by adjusting the nasal structure to produce better alignment.