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Question :
I had eyelid surgery two and a half weeks ago on both my upper and lower eyelids. I was hoping that the bruising would be gone at this point but I’m still bruised. What can I do to help get rid of the bruising faster?

Answer :
Your question with regards to bruising following surgery especially eyelid surgery is a common one.  The old saying, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" really rings true in terms of bruising. I encourage my eyelid and all cosmetic surgical patients to stop all natural remedies and vitamins prior to surgery as many of them, although healthy in normal circumstances, may lead to bleeding and increased bruising in the face of eyelid surgery.  I start my patients on Arnica and encourage the use of ice immediately after eyelid surgery.  I use epinephrine for hemostasis during surgical injections of the eyelid and face which decreases intra operative bleeding.  In spite of all of these precautions, bruising still occurs and there is not a great deal to do for bruising other than perhaps a light laser treatment that will expedite the resolution of the bruising postoperatively.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question :
I’m interested in getting a facelift and I’m wondering where you perform the surgery. Is it done at your office or in a hospital?

Answer :
I do not perform facelifts in my office.  I use a AAAHC outpatient surgery center for the vast majority of my facelifts but use the ambulatory surgery center at the local hospital if a patient has come from a long way for their facelift or they would like to recovery overnight in a hospital.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question :
I want my jawline tightened. Does this mean I need a facelift?

Answer :
Tightening the jaw line can be achieved in a variety of methods and technique that I would choose is based upon your particular physical appearance and the status of your jaw line.  If your skin and fat is extremely lax then a full facelift or a mini facelift may be necessary to adequately tighten significant amounts of redundant skin.  If there is a great deal of fat but your skin has good elasticity or tone, then you may be a candidate for laser liposuction of the jaw line which will not only remove the excess fat and sculpt the jaw line, but also modestly tighten the skin.  Recovery from laser liposuction of the jaw line is extremely rapid as opposed to facelift surgery.  Laser techniques such as thermage may also be of benefit if your jaw line does not require an extensive amount of tightening.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question :
How exactly is fat removed from the donor site for fat transfer and is this a painful process?

Answer :
Harvesting of fat for fat transfer is actually a fairly non painful procedure.  I prefer to harvest fat from the lower abdominal area.  Not only is there usually a decent amount of fat available for harvest and fat transfer, but, the fat of the lower abdomen has recently been shown to contain more stem cells which may lead to increased survival of the transplanted fat and the production of fibroblasts which would lead to skin tightening.  Fat harvesting from the abdomen takes about 30 minutes and is performed under local anesthesia.  I use tumescent liposuction solution to anesthetize the area and provide hemostasis for reduced blood loss during fat harvest.  I use extremely small liposuction cannulas placed through small incisions around the belly button in order to harvest the fat but large enough to prevent damage to the fat cells.  Recovery from fat harvesting is quite rapid.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question :
How soon after I get cheek implants can I return to work? Will it be really noticeable t people that I’ve had work done?

Answer :
Cheek implants surgery can take a week or two before you can return to work without anyone recognizing that you have had any work done.  I prefer an intra-oral approach to cheek implants.  Although there is not a great deal of bruising following cheek implant surgery, the swelling can be quite profound for several days. The appearance of your face will change simply because of the placement of the cheek implants, however, the swelling will multiply these changes to your face so if you are self-conscious about changes to your appearance, you may want to wait two weeks prior to returning to work.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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