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Question:

I am a 48-year-old woman who had lower blepharoplasty 6 weeks ago. My eyes have been very dry since the surgery. What type of eye drops are safe to use?

Answer:

If you have had prior episodes of dry eyes then eyelid surgery can exacerbate your dry eye problem. I routinely recommend natural tears to all of my post blepharoplasty patients. The natural tears really help to sooth the eyes even if there is not a history or complaint of dry eyes. After six weeks following blepharoplasty I would likely start you on lacrilube ointment. The lacrilube will be applied at night when you are less likely going to be able to protect your eyes and you can apply the lacrilube as needed throughout the day. Your eyelid swelling should subside and you will feel significantly better.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:

I noticed that one of the incisions for my endoscopic brow lift is located in part of my hair. Will this affect future hair growth?

Answer:

The incisions for your endoscopic browlift were made in the hair bearing skin of the scalp in order to camouflage the incision. Although the incision may be more prominent in the immediate postoperative period, the endoscopic browlift incisions will heal nicely and hair will eventually grow either directly through or right next to the incisions.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:

Are there large risks in getting a forehead lift? Does it have the same potential for paralyzing muscles that botox has?

Answer:

A forehead lift is a relatively safe procedure. The trick to safety is making sure that two sets of nerves are well protected during surgery. The first nerve is the frontal branch of the facial nerve. These nerves, one on each side of the forehead towards the temple, is responsible for controlling the muscles of the forehead. Injury to this nerve can result in an inability to elevate the brow much like the effects seen with the use of Botox or Dysport. Fortunately, this injury is not a common one and is usually temporary in nature.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:

I am a 56 year old female who had a mid facelift about 7 months ago. I’ve noticed some of my skin still sags around my nose, is there another alternative to help fix this problem?

Answer:

A mid facelift is an excellent way to decrease the appearance of the nasolabial folds. I have found that in cases where the nasolabial folds are extremely deep it is difficult to completely correct this area using only a mid facelift. I suggest the placement of dermal fillers, such as Perlane, Juvederm, and Radiesse, or the use of facial fat injection techniques to help fill in the nasolabial folds when mid facelift has been performed. Dermal fillers can be performed in the office and there is no downtime associated with their use.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:

I have an asymmetrical chin. Is it possible to have an asymmetrical implant put in to even out my chin or is there some other way to create more symmetry?

Answer:

I have had the opportunity to treat individuals with asymmetric chins. I have found that chin implants, though effective, are not the best way to treat an asymmetric chin unless the chin is extremely deficient in appearance. If there is a significant amount of prominance to the chin on one side then filing down the excess bone on the more prominant side may be the best approach. Another alternative is to place a filler into the chin to create more chin symmetry. I really like the use of Radiesse in these situations as Radiesse is made of bone and is extremely compatible with the objective of chin augmentation.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:

I will be getting a cosmetic surgery procedure done next month. I am scheduled for a chin implant with fat transfer to the face. I was recently looking at articles online and I found a worrying piece about breast implants. One of the complications of breast implant surgery is that the implant can slip out of place. I am sure this would be devastating to someone with implants but it would be even more so if it took place on the chin, as the chin is so noticeable. What are the possibilities of implant dislocation? What other possible complications may occur?

Answer:

Having implants placed into the body does come with potential risks and complications. Chin implants, like implants placed in other parts of the body can shift. In order to prevent shifting of the chin implant, the chin implant is stabilized to the bone with the use of sutures in the immediate postoperative period. After several weeks the chin implant will become encapsulated by your own tissue so that the chin implant will not shift and essentially becomes part of your body. Other potential risks and complications of chin implant surgery are transient or permanent numbness of the lower lip and chin, bleeding, and infection. It is imperative that your surgeon discuss all of these potential issues of chin implant surgery with you prior to your commitment to the surgery. I will tell you that complications from the placement of chin implants are not particularly common, and most if not all can be fixed or improve over time.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:

I would like my face reshaped in what I think would be a fairly simple but dramatic way. I would like cheek implants to give some definition to my face and I would like to remove some fat from my cheeks at the same time. I have a very round face and I think would take away some of the roundness. If this can be done under local anesthesia, is the recovery time less? Would I be able to get back to work sooner?

Answer:

Placement of cheek implants and removal of a conservative amount of cheek fat would certainly help to change a rounded face into a more dramatically sculpted one. Although cheek implants and removal of facial fat can be performed under local anesthesia, I do not suggest this approach for a couple of reasons. Placement of cheek implants requires a fairly significant amount of surgical dissection into the face. The surgical procedure can be somewhat anxiety provoking without the use of IV sedation or general anesthesia. Regardless of the type of anesthesia that you have the recovery period from cheek implants and facial fat removal will be exactly the same. Your recovery will neither be easier or quicker if your cheek implants are placed under local anesthesia or with the use of IV sedation. I would suggest using IV sedation for this particular procedure.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:

Is it possible to have my cheek implants removed and would this look bad?

Answer:

If you are unhappy with the appearance of your cheek implants then you may have them removed and in all likelihood you will look exactly as you did prior to the placement of the cheek implants. I prefer the use of silicone cheek implants in my patients. Silicone implants are extremely well tolerated by the body but, if there should be any reason for removal, they are easily removed without significant facial trauma.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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