Blog

Q: Dr. Eppley, What are your thoughts on fat grafting? Specifically in the chin area? Someone mentioned that it dissolves and others say it doesn’t. I am thinking of a chin implant but have a deep mental crease and was wondering if fat grafting would help. A: If you are concerned about a deep labiomental […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I want to know if you do a procedure to reverse a buccal fat removal  I want to recover the round of my face. Here I have before photos. I wanted to reduce other parts, but now I just want to recover the rounded face. A: There are two methods of buccal lipectomy reversal….fat […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, i have a bad facial asymmetry. what do you think i should do ? what procedures. my left side is asymmetry , i recently had a rhinoplasty but it didn’t go as expected.this is how I look. A: The two most important changes to make in your facial asymmetry is to correct […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have recently gotten TMJ replacement surgery, is it possible to place jaw implants at my gonial angles that would lessen the jaw angle? On my one side my ramus doesn’t drop down very far so I have a very steep jaw angle. How far can implants help with this, it would […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, For a while now I have been trying to remove all of my tattoos with laser and it is definitely working! The thing is, although they are black, as with every tattoo,  full removal could never be guaranteed till the end.  That’s why I decided to ask an actual reconstructive surgeon to […]

Q: Dr. Eppley,  I went for a consultation a few months ago to see if I would be a candidate for either jaw surgery, midface implants, or both. I had figured that I probably would benefit the most from infraorbital/submalar implants to even out the projection of my mid face, and the Surgeon checked with […]

Q:Dr. Eppley, I had double jaw surgery for sleep apnea recently and my cheeks are now out of harmony with the rest of my face and my jaw is fairly narrow with a fairly short ramus so it looks a bit strange and I think it would make me a very good candidate. A: it […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am also concerned if silicone would result in aesthetic differences as they’re softer than PMMA or PEEK. Would the results not have as defined of a look around the jawline or the mandible borders? A: There is no difference in the feel or appearance once implanted on the bone between solid […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, Hello! I’m interested in shoulder reduction surgery but had a few questions. One, I’m a graphic designer. How soon after this surgery would I be about to go back to doing my work? Secondly, what are the long-term impacts on the shoulders? Should I have any concerns about that…? A: In answer […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, Can you 3D print Brad Pitt’s Head shape? Is it possible to take it as an example, file the excess bones and add the missing parts to get the closest image? A: Many patients use other people’s head and face shapes to try and emulate. Since we don’t have their 3D CT […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, The fundamental thing I would like to resolve is the asymmetry between the two sides of the face, in particular the eyes and the jaw. I would like to understand the causes of facial asymmetry and whether it is possible to correct it, and with what procedures (for me it is a […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I was wondering what could be done for my pointed head shape? Could the area circled in red in one of the pictures be burred down to reduce the peaked look? A: While sagittal ridge skull  reduction can be done in your case its impact on improving the peaked head shape would […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am struggling with lower lip incompetence. I did bsso and a sliding genio 4 months ago. Half of my lower lip and chin are still numb. The numb side of my lip is also a bit crooked. Talking and eating is fine. I dont have much tightness except from my scar […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I read in your blog that you mention for someone with high gonials, using a widening jaw angle can make the face look heavier/ bulkier. How does that compare with adding vertical lengthening, as I imagine that also seemingly would add heaviness to the face? A:That has to be determined on an […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, i’ve always struggled with my appearance simply because of my high hairline and my wide forehead. kids used to call me an alien in middle / high school. i really want to get a forehead reduction along with a bilateral posterior temporal muscle reduction. A:  Forehead reduction in you poses some unique […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, My buccal fat pads were removed when I had my LeFort surgery was done.  I wanted to get your opinion as to whether it’s possible to restore them using a fat graft from some other part of my body.  I don’t want to use synthetic injectables as I have a lot of […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I want to get large deltoid implants. I have attached some pictures of some results that would be my goal. A:Those are subfascial deltoid implants, you just can’t see the scar by the AC joint. The key about implant thickness, besides the concept of what will fit, is that the pocket location […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am looking to get my temporal muscles reduced. (see pictures) A:You have distinct pattern of temporal muscle enlargement that involves both the anterior and posterior temporal zones. The relevance of that distinction is that each zone is treated differently as the thickness of the muscle and the shape of the bone […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am trying to achieve a more masculine/sharper jawline/chin while not overly looking fake and getting rid of the deep crease as much as possible. A:Thank you for sending your jaw thrust pictures which is a great way to simulate how much vertical chin lengthening a patient wants. This demonstrates that you […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I would be interested In your temporal reduction surgery and optoplasty. Would you be able to do this in one procedure? Reduction to muscle above the ears, making the head a bit thinner on both sides. Then having my ears pinned back in conjunction with this. A:Both temporal reduction and setback upper otoplasties can […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, Hello, I wanted to know if you did custom zygomatic arch implants that offer less than 3 mm of projection on each side. Perhaps 2.5 mm or 2 mm? A:In custom implant designing you make the implant have any dimensions the patient needs to achieve their objectives. The limitation in terms of […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, Last year I had a malar and premaxillary implant put in as I had a very sunken face from previous pr molar extractions. My surgeon promised me that this would not have any effect on my nose and that if I didn’t like it I could remove them and everything would eventually […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I hope to try for 7.5cm and want the biggest size possible but see from FAQ’s it may be best to start with something a bit smaller and then replace 3-4 months later with the larger size. What would be the cost of going that way?  A few questions if I may:  […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, Hello. I have a webbed neck and im looking into what options i have for correcting, i do also have a very low hair line which i’ve read somewhere that can also be corrected. My whole life i’ve struggled with this and my self confidence so im very excited to hear back […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I want toi get rid of my perioral fullness that occurs when I smile…but does not exist when my face is at rest. A: What you are essentially asking is to treat a dynamic problem with a static procedure. Surgery is almost always performed to correct facial tissues at rest not if […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am writing to you because I recently had a chin implant infection, after a chin implant and mandible implant surgery. I am  now3 months post op, my surgeon had to remove the chin implant and the infection was resolved for a bit, then it seemed to have returned. I’d like to […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, To confirm my understanding: there is no significantly increased facial trauma risk with titanium or PEEK facial implants, with respects to combat sports, as the “stress-shield” effect is irrelevant? I am considering this procedure and want to ensure I understand whether I would need to give up boxing afterward with either titanium […]

Q: Dr. Eppley,  I am researching the best options for facial implants and have a couple of questions regarding material suitability and safety: Given that PEEK has a smaller elastic modulus mismatch compared to bone than titanium, does this make PEEK implants a better choice for reducing risks associated with stress shielding? If I were […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, ! I’m 59 years old and considering getting a face/neck lift, but don’t really like the idea of hairline scars. My question is, if I got a 3D printer skull implant to correct my flat head and tissue expanders weren’t used would that also give me a neck and face lift? I’m […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, Hi, I was wondering if a genioplasty could be be performed shortly (I.e. a week) after Hyaluronidase had been injected in the chin area to dissolve filler – would any soft tissue inflammation affect the outcome of surgery? A: Hyaluronidase is an enzyme injectate that it placed into the soft tissues while […]