BLOG

Question:
Ive been considering a chin implant for the past few months. A lot of my friends have gotten breast implants, and I know that theyre made of either silicone or saline. If I decide to get a chin implant, will it be made of one of those two materials?

Answer:
Chin implants are made of different products and the type of implant used is based upon physician preference. I like silicone implants. The silicone is in a solid formation, not liquid. Silicone implants are inert so they are not recognized by the body as foreign so the chin implant is not rejected. Silicone chin implants have a very low post operative infection rate, they are relatively safe to place, and if a problem should occur, unlike other chin implant material, silicone chin implants are easy to remove.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

No Comments »

Question:
Since Im not even 50, I dont feel like I need a facelift yet but I do have a lot of troublesome shallow wrinkles on my face that I dislike. Ive been considering laser skin resurfacing, but Id like to make sure that it would suit my needs better than a facelift. Does a laser peel produce the same effects as a facelift, only not as drastic?

Answer:
Subjecting yourself to a facelift may seem like a fairly aggressive approach to facial aging, however in the right situation, nothing delivers results quite like a facelift. When I discuss approaches to facial rejuvenation with patients I emphasize the different elements of the facial skin that contribute to signs of aging. One is skin quality, one is skin quantity, and the last is facial volume. In terms of the decision between laser skin resurfacing and facelift surgery, if you have a significant amount of skin excess, I believe a facelift may be necessary to give you the desired results. If you have poor skin quality, and medium wrinkling of the skin would certainly fall into this category, then laser skin resurfacing may be of significant benefit to you.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

No Comments »

Question:
Im 38, female, and Im getting ready to go ahead with a midface lift. My only concern at this point is the anesthesia. When I had my rhinoplasty they put me under twilight sedation, which I didnt like. Is a midface lift done with general anesthetic or twilight sedation?

Answer:
A mid-face lift can be performed under general anesthesia or under twilight anesthesia. Good local anesthesia and nerve blocks as well as an experienced anesthesiologist all make for a pleasant experience during a mid-face lift performed under twilight anesthesia.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

No Comments »

Question:
Im 32, female, and I HATE my underarm hair. I have to shave it at least once a day to keep it from looking like an animal. Ive been thinking that laser treatments might be a good option for me. How many treatments would I need to get my underarm hair under control?

Answer:
You are a perfect candidate for laser hair removal. Underarm hair requires approximately 5 or 6 laser hair removal treatments to adequately control your hair. The fact that your hair grows so rapidly is a benefit in the for laser hair removal in that the laser targets hair follicles that are in the growth phase. If more follicles are in the growth phase during your laser hair removal treatments, the better the laser will work to alleviate the hair.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

No Comments »

Question:
Two years ago, I got a rhinoplasty. I hated the results so a year later I got a revision. My nose is getting closer to what I wanted, but I’m still not satisfied. Would it be dangerous to get three rhinoplasty surgeries in about two years?

Answer:
Revision rhinoplasty can be tricky business. If you are mostly pleased with the results of your second rhinoplasty then unless the changes that you are seeking to your nose are significant and there are functional issues with your nose, I would suggest waiting prior to subjecting your nose to a third rhinoplasty in two years. You may find that you like your nose and the small imperfections that you see are really not that imperfect. Also, there are no guarantees that your third rhinoplasty will get you any closer to the way you would like to look than your second one did.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

No Comments »

Question:
I’m 23 and I’ve already had one revision nose job. It’s not that I’m unhappy with the look of my nose—it’s just begun collapsing. I know that having two surgeries can’t have helped. Is my nose likely to collapse again after my second revision?

Answer:
Noses can collapse after rhinoplasty for various reasons. If there was simply too much normal cartilage removed from the nose during the prior rhinoplasty then the nose can easily collapse. If a normal amount of cartilage was removed during the original rhinoplasty but, the surgeon who performed the original rhinoplasty and the one that performed the revision rhinoplasty did not stabilize the cartilage into its normal anatomical position then the cartilage may shift or collapse. During the revision rhinoplasties that I perform, I use a great deal of spreader grafts, alar grafts, and columella cartilage grafts to stabilize the nose to prevent future collapse. Finally, I use a combination of semi and permanent sutures in order to insure the the cartilagenous grafts stay where I place them.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

No Comments »

Question:
I’m a 32-year-old woman and I got a nose job 14 months ago. I’ve been wanting a revision since about the 4th month, but I’ve been patient. After my previous surgery, I was left with a pinched, but pig-like nose. What techniques are used to fix these kinds of problems?

Answer:
Your question with regards to revision rhinoplasty is not a simple one. In my experience, when the nose is over operated on and too much cartilage has been removed during the primary rhinoplasty, the nose can become pinched and pig like in its appearance. It would be difficult for me to give you the exact steps I would need to perform during your revision rhinoplasty in order to correct the current deformities without a thorough consult, but, I would likely need to essentially rebuild your nose. In order to do this I would need either nasal septal cartilage, ear cartilage, or sometimes both. The cartilage would need to be carved into specific shapes and placed into specific locations in your nasal ala, tip, and bridge in order to repair the work that was done during your prior rhinoplasty. Various suturing techniques would also likely be performed to stabilize the new grafts that are placed and to help repair the nose.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

No Comments »

Question:
I’m scheduled for a revision rhinoplasty next week. For my primary rhinoplasty, I had to have my nose packed. This time I was told I wouldn’t need that, but I would be fitted with an internal splint. What is an internal nasal splint?

Answer:
I perform numerous primary and revision rhinoplasty surgeries. I do not pack the nose for either one of these rhinoplasties. I use internal splints to maintain the shape and position of the septum if I have operated on the septum, and the splints help to maintain the position of the nose following rhinoplasty when significant bony work is performed on the nose. The splints are made of silastic and are easily removed. They also have airways molded into their structure so that you will be able to breath immediately following your rhinoplasty unlike with packing.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

No Comments »