The information provided is an introduction to various plastic surgery procedures. If you are interested in having plastic surgery, a consultation with one of our plastic surgeons will help you decide what procedures might benefit you.

Restore wrinkled, blemished, unevenly pigmented, or sun-damaged facial skin, using a chemical solution to peel away skin's top layers. Works best on fair, thin skin with superficial wrinkles.

Length:

1 to 2 hours for full face.

Anesthesia:

None; sedation & EKG monitoring may be used.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient. Full-face phenol peel may require admission for 1 to 2 days.

Side Effects:

Both: Temporary throbbing, tingling, swelling, redness; acute sensitivity to sun. Phenol: Permanent lightening of treated skin; permanent loss of ability to tan.

Risks:

Both: Tiny whiteheads (temporary); infection; scarring; flare-up of skin allergies, fever blisters, cold sores. Phenol: Abnormal color changes (permanent); heart irregularities (rare).

Recovery:

Phenol: Formation of new skin: 7 to 21 days. Normal activities: 2 to 4 weeks. Full healing and fading of redness: 3 to 6 months TCA: New skin within 5 to 10 days.

Duration of
Results:

Phenol: permanent, although new wrinkles may form as skin ages. TCA: variable (temporary).

Procedure:

Plump up creased, furrowed, or sunken facial skin; add fullness to lips and backs of hands. Works best on thin, dry, light-colored skin.

Length:

15 minutes to 1 hour per session.

Anesthesia:

Collagen: usually none; local may be included with the injection. Fat: local.

In/Outpatient:

Outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary stinging, throbbing, or burning sensation. Faint redness, swelling, excess fullness.

Risks:

Collagen: allergic reaction including rash, hives, swelling, or flu-like symptoms; possible triggering of connective-tissue or autoimmune diseases. (A skin test is required before collagen treatment to determine whether an allergy exists.) Both: Contour irregularities, infection.

Duration of
Results:

Variable; a few months to 1 year.

Procedure:

Set prominent ears back closer to the head, or reduce the size of large ears. Most often done on children between the ages of 4 and 14 years. (Occasionally covered by insurance.)

Length:

2 to 3 hours.

Anesthesia:

Young children: usually general. Older children or adults: general or local, with sedation.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary throbbing, aching, swelling, redness, numbness.

Risks:

Infection of cartilage. Excessive scarring. Blood clot that may need to be drained. Mismatched or artificial- looking ears. Recurrence of the protrusion, requiring repeat surgery.

Recovery:

Back to work or school: 5 to 7 days.
Strenuous activity, contact sports: 1 to 2 months.

Procedure:

Correct drooping upper eyelids and puffy bags below the eyes by removing excess fat, skin, and muscle. (Upper-eyelid surgery may be covered by insurance if used to correct visual field defects)

Length:

1 to 3 hours.

Anesthesia:

Usually locally with sedation or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary discomfort, tightness of lids, swelling, bruising. Temporary dryness, burning, itching of eyes. Excessive tearing, sensitivity to light for first few weeks.

Risks:

Temporary blurred or double vision. Infection, bleeding. Swelling at the corners of the eyelids. Dry eyes. Formation of whiteheads. Slight asymmetry in healing or scarring. Difficulty in closing eyes completely (rarely permanent). Pulling down of the lower lids (may require further surgery). Blindness (extremely rare).

Recovery:

Reading: 2 or 3 days. Back to work: 7 to 10 days. Contact lenses: two weeks or more. Strenuous activities, alcohol: about 3 weeks. Bruising and swelling gone: several weeks.

Duration of
Results:

Several years. Sometimes permanent.

Improving sagging facial skin, jowls, and loose neck skin by removing excess fat, tightening muscles, redraping skin. Most often done on men and women over 40.

Length:

Several hours.

Anesthesia:

Local with sedation, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient. Some patients may require short inpatient stay.

Side Effects:

Temporary bruising, swelling, numbness and tenderness of skin; tight feeling, dry skin. For men, permanent need to shave behind ears, where beard-growing skin is repositioned.

Risks:

Injury to the nerves that control facial muscles or feeling (usually temporary but may be permanent). Infection, bleeding. Poor healing; excessive scarring. Asymmetry or change in hairline.

Recovery:

Back to work: 10 to 14 days. More strenuous activity: 2 weeks or more. Bruising: 2 to 3 weeks. Must limit exposure to sun for several months.

Duration of
Results:

Usually 5 to 10 years.

Change the basic shape and balance of the face using carefully shaped implants to build up a receding chin, add prominence to cheekbones, or reshape the jawline.

Length:

30 minutes to 2 hours.

Anesthesia:

Local with sedation, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient. Occasionally overnight hospital stay.

Side Effects:

Temporary discomfort, swelling, bruising, numbness and/or stiffness. In jaw surgery, inability to open mouth fully for several weeks.

Risks:

Shifting or imprecise positioning of implant, or infection around it, requiring a second operation or removal. Excess tightening and hardening of scar tissue around an artificial implant ("capsular contracture"), causing unnatural shape.

Recovery:

Back to work: about 1 week. Normal appearance: 2 to 4 weeks. Activity that could jar or bump face: 6 weeks or more.

Duration of
Results:

Permanent.

Procedure:

Minimize forehead creases, drooping eyebrows, hooding over eyes, furrowed forehead and frown lines by removing excess tissue, altering muscles and tightening the forehead skin. May be done using the traditional technique, with an incision across the top of the head just behind the hairline; or with the use of an endoscope, which requires 3 to 5 short incisions. Most often done on people over 40.

Length:

1 to 2 hours.

Anesthesia:

Local with sedation, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary swelling, numbness, headaches, bruising. Traditional method: Possible itching and hair loss.

Risks:

Injury to facial nerve, causing loss of motion, muscle weakness, or asymmetrical look. Infection. Broad or excessive scarring.

Recovery:

Back to work: 7 to 10 days, usually sooner for endoscopic forehead lift. More strenuous activity: several weeks. Full recovery from bruising: 2 to 3 weeks. Limit sun exposure for several months.

Duration of
Results:

Usually 5 to 10 years.

Reshape nose by reducing or increasing size, removing hump, changing shape of tip or bridge, narrowing span of nostrils, or changing angle between nose and upper lip. May also relieve some breathing problems. (May be covered by insurance.)

Length:

1 to 2 hours or more.

Anesthesia:

Local with sedation, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary swelling, bruising around eyes, nose and headaches. Some bleeding and stiffness.

Risks:

Infection. Small burst blood vessels resulting in tiny, permanent red spots. Incomplete improvement, requiring additional surgery.

Recovery:

Back to work: 1 to 2 weeks. More strenuous activities: 2 to 3 weeks. Avoid hitting nose or sunburn: 8 weeks. Final appearance: 1 year or more.

Duration of
Results:

Permanent

Smooth the face and smooth fine wrinkles using a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser device that treats layers of damaged skin. Softens lines around the eyes and mouth and minimizes facial scars and unevenly pigmented areas.

Length:

A few minutes to 1 hour. May require more than 1 session.

Anesthesia:

Local with sedation, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient, unless combined with other surgical procedures that require hospitalization.

Side Effects:

Temporary swelling, discomfort. Lightening of treated skin. Acute sun sensitivity. Increased sensitivity to makeup. Pinkness or redness in skin that may persist for up to 6 months.

Risks:

Burns or injuries caused by laser heat. Scarring. Abnormal changes in skin color. Flare-up of viral infections ("cold sores") and other infections (rare).

Recovery:

Back to work: 2 weeks. More strenuous activities: 4-6 weeks. Complete fading of redness: 6 months or less. Return of pigmentation/light sun exposure: 6-12 months.

Duration of
Results:

Long-lasting, but does not stop aging. New wrinkles, expression lines may form as skin ages.

BTX is used for the treatment of frown lines, forehead furrows, "crow’s feet," lines and wrinkles of the lower face, and even nasal muscles (to decrease nostril flaring)

Length:

Depending on the areas treated, the procedure can last 5-20 minutes.

Anesthesia:

None

Side Effects:

Possible side effects include local numbness, swelling, bruising, or a burning sensation during injection. Some patients have reported temporary headache and nausea. Most complications are of short duration and can be avoided with proper injection techniques.

Risks:

Long experience has proven BTX to be safe. To date, no systemic complications associated with BTX injections have been documented.

Recovery:

No downtime. Patients can immediately resume normal activities.

Duration of
Results:

BTX injections are a temporary solution for the treatment of wrinkles. The effects last from 3-4 months and require repeat treatments.

Sculptra™ is used for the treatment of facial lipoatrophy. It is used to restore and/or correct the signs of facial fat loss. It is also used for filling wrinkles and depressions as well as for cosmetic facial contouring.

Treatment of Sculptra™ is performed by multiple sessions. The number of sessions will vary by patient. A specified amount of Sculptra™ is injected and then assessed two weeks later to monitor the dermal thickening. Additional amounts are added until the desired effect is achieved.

Length:

Depending on the areas treated, the procedure can last 30 minutes to an hour.

Anesthesia:

None

Side Effects:

Possible side effects include bruising, redness, lumps and nodules, or granulomas.

Risks:

Recovery:

No downtime. Patients can immediately resume normal activities.

Duration of
Results:

The effects last up to 2 years.

Restylane® is injected directly into mid-to-deep dermis for the lasting correction of facial wrinkles and folds.

Length:

Depending on the areas treated, the procedure can last 5-30 minutes.

Anesthesia:

None

Side Effects:

Restylane treatments produce a very low occurrence of adverse events. The most commonly reported side effects were temporary redness and swelling at the injection site. These effects typically resolve within two to three days.

Risks:

Restylane® has been used in more than 1.5 million treatments in over 60 countries and is now approved in the U.S. for the treatment of facial wrinkles and folds.

Recovery:

No downtime. Patients can immediately resume normal activities.

Duration of
Results:

Results from a typical Restylane® treatment have been documented to last six months or even longer. However, individual results may vary.