Blog

Q:  Dear Dr. Eppley, what is the difference between craniofacial and maxillofacial surgery? I am thinking that they use the same surgical procedures and the same materials like bone cement? I am interested in getting my forehead reconstructed from a dent in it  due to an injury but don’t know which type of surgeon to […]

Q:  Dear Dr. Eppley, I want a rhinoplasty and as part of  it I’d like a wedge excision procedure to reduce the alar flare without reducing nostril size. However, there seems to be a lot of concerns with the wedge procedure as it leads to some external scarring. I wouldn’t mind this if the scar […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I had an accident when I was 16 that resulted to a dent between my eyebrows. I had a surgery to elevate that dent 10 months ago and it was done by my neurosurgeon because my frontal sinuses were also indented. My forehead now is improved but I can still see a […]

Q: I’m very interested in chin and jawline enhancement, particularly the solid one piece custom made framework. I have very little time off these days due to the economy so time off and downtime is of great concern for me. I loved the before and after pictures and would be ecstatic to get rid of […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I had a sliding genioplasty four years ago. Everything went well and I like the result. My surgeon told me that he could remove the titanium plates and the screws but it wouldn’t be a problem if they stay inside me for the rest of my life. So I decided to let […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, My son required a decompressive craniotomy after being injured in a sporting event. His replaced bone flap subsequently got infected and had to be removed. He is now awaiting  a second cranioplasty for replacement of his bone flap. Could you provide any insight to titanium versus PMMA and/ or PEEK custom manufactured […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I know that there are silicone and Medpor facial implants for the tear trough areas. But I have also read about the use of Gore-tex material as well. I don’t know if there are specific tear trough implants for Gore-tex though. My question is how easy are they to remove if the […]

Q:  Dr. Eppley My problem is that I look pregnant even though I am not. I was very athletic until  I went through three pregnancies and never had time to get back to exercise between them. My underlying stomach muscles feel tight and I can suck in my stomach but there still remains a pouch. […]

Q: Dr Eppley,  I would like the fat tip of my nose made slimmer and the size of my nostrils reduced. While I like the shape of the upper part of my nose, the lower part is too big and disproportionate to how small the rest of my face is. Is this something that rhinoplasty […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am 29 years old and have always had heavy legs. For whatever reason, I got stretchmarks on my inner thighs during my teen years and they have never gone away. I want to get liposuction and was wondering if my stretchmarks would affect the result in any way. Will it not […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, five years ago I got Medpor malar implants. I am very happy with my cheek implants that provide me with very high and prominent cheek bones – a look that I have always wanted. I also like the fact that they integrate with my own tissue. But recently I have read this […]

Q:Hi Dr. Eppley. I will be 17 years old next summer. I’m looking to get some implants as I get a little older. Is there any way of creating a custom jaw/chin implant? If so, would this cost extra? If so, how much? Much appreciated. Also, what is the minimum age requirement if one wanted […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have questions about using rib grafts for rhinoplasty. How would the surgeon even determine if the rib graft he is going to take would be straight ‘enough’ for it to be placed directly to augment the bridge? What if the carving of the graft isn’t successful? Would you diced it instead […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have some questions about skull reshaping. I have a decent head shape, it’s just that when I cut my hair really short or shave off all of my hair my head shape looks distorted. I’ve been realizing lately that the two sides of my head tend to be larger than the […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am Asian and am interested in getting my jaw angles reduced. They make my lower face look too wide. How risky is the surgical reduction? And how long is the down time? Is it possible for me to undergo the procedure during spring break (2-3 weeks)? A: This is not a […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, A friend of mine just had her upper and lower eyelids done. She said that on her lower eyelid, besides removing fat and pinching some skin out, that she also had her cheek muscles repositioned. Is it true that cheek muscle can be lifted with a lower eyelid procedure? If so, what […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have had several children and am wanting to get my stomach back in shape. I am only 26 years old and I don’t want to live the rest of my life with this stomach. I am too young for that! My question is what will happen to my pubic area after […]

Q:  Dr. Eppley, I had breast augmentation eight months ago. They were Mentor 375cc moderate profile silicone gel implants. My problem is that the implants are too widely spaced apart. My plastic surgeon told me he could fix them by removing the implants, putting in stitches into the sides of the pockets to move them […]

Q:  Dear Dr. Eppley, Do you mind sharing some advises of yours regarding to diced cartilage for nose jobs? What is the main difference between a piece of rib cartilage being place directly to augment the bridge and injecting fine diced rib cartilage into the bridge as well? Are the side effects of using this […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am pursing getting a rhinoplasty to make my nose look better. In fiddling with my own version of computer imaging, I have made some changes to my nose that I would like to get done. Are these type of nose changes possible? If so, Acne X Factor what type of rhinoplasty […]

Q:  Dr. Eppley, I had a gullwing upper lip lift two years ago. I am very unhappy with the resulting scar. The surgeon who did the procedure said that the scar would end up invisible…it did not. The scar sits 2mm above my vermilion line and is very indented so even if I try to […]

Q:  Dr. Eppley, I had a belt lipectomy six months ago.  The tummy tuck portion in the front did lift my pubic area a bit but it is still puffs out below the scar line compared to the tight abdomen above it. When I lay on my side, my abdomen is tight but the pubic […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in getting an otoplasty but am concerned about how will the scars on the back of my ear look after surgery. I almost always wear my hair pulled behind my ears. I worry that my friends and others will be able to notice the scars from having my ears […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I got jaw angle implant one year ago and want to get new ones. I have two problems with the ones I have. The first thing is that they did not give me the look that I wanted. They added very little width and did not make the jaw angle any more […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in a chin implant revision. I had a chin implant about six months ago and the doctor said it would look just like I wanted. Well it hasn’t and he appears to have chosen the wrong implant. What I wanted was a much wider and more square chin look […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I had a revision rhinoplasty about ten years ago. I had a Medpor nasal shell put in. It was a thicker shell which augmented my nose too much in width, but I’ve always liked the right side and the profile is good. However, the left side is too bulbous and makes my nose look too […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I need a sinus setback procedure. I think it is called the brow bone. but my brow bone is a bit asymmetric. Will a browlift be needed after this surgery? Is in the quoted price also the hospital care and everything? How many days should I stay in your town all together? Also […]

Q: Dear Dr. Eppley, i have really hollowed temporal areas and I have heard that there are temporal implants which can correct this. So can an implant be placed under the skin of the temporal regions? Also, can the implant be misplaced or is it screwed in place to stay there? Thanks a lot doctor […]

Q: Dr. Eppley I have a question. I did open rhinoplasty and now I’m 3 months post op. I have stopped taping my nose but now I feel like my tip is more bulbous than it used to be. When I was taping it was more rounded and big. Now it feels firm with slight […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I want a rhinoplasty to change the shape of my nose. I have attached a picture of the type of changes that I want done to my nose. This is my effort at a little computer imaging with Photoshop. The first plastic surgeon I saw told me that  all I need is […]