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Question:

Is it normal for one side of the nose to be much more swollen than the other after rhinoplasty? It’s been nearly a year since my surgery. When should this be cleared up and is there a concern that it might be permanent?

Answer:

If one side of your nose is swollen more than the other a year following your rhinoplasty procedure, you likely have either bony or cartilagenous issues that will need to be examined by your rhinoplasty surgeon. It is unlikely that significant nasal asymmetry a year after rhinoplasty surgery will resolve completely without some sort of intervention. If it is soft tissue issues, a steroid injection may help. If it is bony or cartilagenous asymmetry of the nose, your surgeon should be able to identify these issues and correct them with a simple secondary rhinoplasty procedure.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:

I’m a male and I’m considering liposuction to improve love handles. Is laser liposuction better for treating the love handles?

Answer:

Laser liposuction is outstanding for treating love handles in males. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia with a mild oral sedative. Depending upon the amount of fat that you need to have removed and the size of your waist, laser liposuction can be performed in a couple of hours and you can return to work in 2 or 3 days.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:

I’m not interested in undergoing full liposuction but I’ve been reading about less invasive liposuction alternatives. Is laser liposuction less invasive? Is it as effective?

Answer:

Laser liposuction is less invasive than traditional liposuction yet equally at effective. Laser liposuction can be used to address small or large areas of fat that need to be treated. The amount of liposuction that you will have, whether traditional or with the laser liposuction, will depend entirely on how many areas of fat, and how much fat you desire to have removed from each of these areas.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:

I’ve heard that self-massage is good after liposuction. Is this true for laser liposuction too? Can you explain why this is and how exactly one should perform the massage?

Answer:

Self-massage after liposuction is good for areas where there seems to be some prolonged edema and to help smooth out areas that are still a bit lumpy feeling after the procedure. Gentle massage immediately after liposuction also helps to get rid of the excess fluid which is infused as tumescent solution at the beginning of the case. The massage is really considered “milking” at this point and the idea is to massage toward the small incisions through which the liposuction cannulas have been inserted. I use a rolled towel to perform this task at the time of the liposuction procedure. The benefits of gentle massage and of “milking” are the same for both traditional liposuction and for laser liposuction as fluid and edema will be present at the conclusion of each of these procedures and the sooner that these issues are addressed, the quicker the recovery.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:

Is there a risk for hearing loss in a patient who has otoplasty?

Answer:

There is absolutely no risk for hearing loss in an individual who is undergoing otoplasty surgery. The anatomy and structures responsible for hearing are far deeper in the ear than the areas of the ear that are traditionally addressed with otoplasty.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:

What type of ear shape benefits the most from an ear pinning surgery?

Answer:

Ear pinning surgery, or otoplasty, can be of benefit to almost any protruding or misshapen ear. Traditionally, otoplasty is used in those individuals with prominent ears that stick out from the head and lack the normal definition of an ear. I have used otoplasty to sculpt malformed ears and the otoplasty procedure is an artistic procedure that can be tailored to the needs of the individual.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:

My face is gaunt and lacks definition. I think cheek implants will soften my look, but I am worried I don’t have enough skin to cover the implant. Can my skin be stretched to allow the cheek implant to be inserted?

Answer:

From the description that you have provided me I would suggest the addition of autologous fat to your cheeks and not cheek implants. Fat injections to the face will not only augment your cheek area in a very precise manner, but, if your face is already thin and gaunt, fat injections to the face will create a smooth and natural augmentation to your face that I feel cheek implants simply do not do in thin skin individuals. I do perform cheek implant surgery, but, from what you have described about your face, well placed fat grafts or dermal fillers will give you a wonderful result.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:

I have a protruding chin that I do not like. Is this something that could be fixed with chin augmentation surgery?

Answer:

I would not suggest having a chin implant placed in order to deal with your protruding chin. A chin implant will only project your chin even further. You may be a candidate for chin reduction surgery. The surgery is more involved than chin augmentation surgery and involves cutting the bone of the chin and removing a portion of the bone to retro displace the prominent chin.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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