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Question :
How long does it usually take for children to recover from otoplasty surgery?

Answer :
Children recover from surgery significantly quicker than adults. The biggest issue that I have with children who have undergone otoplasty is not pain, or post operative fatigue, but, trying to keep them less active during the healing phase of their otoplasty surgery. I put a protective and compressive dressing on each child after otoplasty. The dressing will stay on for about 6 days after the otoplasty. Children like to return to normal activity before the first post operative visit and I instruct the parents to be vigilant in protecting their ears for the first week or two after their dressings are removed.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question :
How do I know if I’m a candidate for otoplasty?

Answer :
I believe the only way to tell if you are a candidate for otoplasty is if you do not like the appearance of your ears, or more specifically, your ears appear different from the ears of others. The most common reason for otoplasty surgery is because of prominent ears or large protruding ears. However, otoplasty is not a single procedure and different deformities of the ears are all addressed with otoplasty surgery. I would be happy to see you in consultation to discuss with you what improvements could be made to your ears with otoplasty if you are concerned with the appearance of your ears.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question :
Is it possible for me to have my ear surgery performed with local anesthesia?

Answer :
I have performed otoplasty under local anesthesia. Once the ears have been injected with local anesthesia, there is no pain and otoplasty is well tolerated. My choice in adults, however, is to give twilight anesthesia or IV sedation. The procedure can take a couple of hours for both ears and given the safety of IV sedation I see no reason to not be completely comfortable during the otoplasty surgery. Also, my experience is that when procedures are longer than an hour and somewhat invasive, patients become nervous as the case progresses and the sedation will really take the edge off.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question :
I’m considering otoplasty for my son but I’d like to know if ears that stick out ever improve as children age.

Answer :
If you are considering otoplasty for your son and he is older than 5 years of age, it is extremely unlikely that the prominant ears that you see now will become less prominant as he ages. You may not notice his prominent ears as much and will elect to wait prior to otoplasty, but, the ears will likely stay in the same anatomic configuration that you are seeing today.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question :
After my neck lift, how many days will it be that I’m totally out of it and in bed?

Answer :
My experience, most of my patients who have had necklifts actually feel quite fine the day after their surgical procedure. You may feel out of it on post operative day one simply because of the effects of anesthesia, however, the pain is only moderate and you should not feel particularly debilitated or need to stay in bed. In fact, I would encourage you to stay out of bed as much as you can the day following your necklift surgery except to nap.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question :
Are the incisions for the neck lift under the chin or by the ears?

Answer :
The answer to your question is that the incisions for a necklift are often times behind and beneath your ears as well as under your chin. If I need to address the excess muscle or fat of the neck, I will likely make a 3 cm incision into the area beneath the chin in order to perform the procedure. If there is a significant amount of excess skin of the neck that I am interested in reducing, I would make incisions that start just beneath the earlobe and extend to the back crease of the ear into the scalp. Once these incisions are made, I can effectively remove the excess skin of the neck, tighten the muscles of the neck, and remove any excess fat of the neck for an esthetically successful necklift.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question :
I’m 58 and I feel I look pretty good for my age but I do feel like my jawline has become a bit less defined in recent years. Is this something that a neck lift can fix?

Answer :
Rejuvenation of the jawline in an individual may require a facelift as well as a necklift. I would be surprised if you have a significant amount of jowl laxity that could be addressed with a necklift alone. In my experience, in order to really rejuvenate the jawline you will need at least a facelift or mini facelift, and in more extreme cases of neck skin/muscle/ fat/ excess, a necklift would also be necessary.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question :
How do you know if you need a neck lift instead of less invasive skin tightening procedures?

Answer :
Non-invasive skin tightening procedures of the neck are not particularly effective. If you have an excess amount of submental fat or an excess amount of skin and even muscle of your neck, then a formal necklift procedure is likely going to be necessary in order to rejuvenate your neck to the level you would like to see. I would be happy to see you in consultation to discuss with you the benefits and limitations of non invasive procedures for rejuvenation of the neck versus the benefits that can be obtained with a formal necklift surgical procedure.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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