Blog

Q: Dr. Eppley, I would love to show less gum when I smile. I have tried Botox and it has slightly improved the amount of gum shown, however I would like a more permanent solution. I have had repositioning which involved sewing the lip down, and although it looked nice for a while, it appeared […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I would like to ask about the inconsistency that I see and you have talked about in jaw angle implant outcomes. For some reason, results seem to be very inconsistent with this procedure even with the same  plastic surgeon. Could you explain why this happens? A: Jaw angle implants are a very […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I definitely have come to the conclusion Silicone/Goretex, and a  foreign implant of any sortfor my rhinoplasty  is not the route I want to go. Not only am I worried about the complications as far as infections, extrusions, and any deformity it might bring to the skin if it ever decides to […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, my three year-old son has an 8 x 10 cm parieto-occipital defect after a craniectomy. I know there are numerous methods of skull reconstruction such as bone cements, bone grafts and computer-generated implants. Is the computer-generated implant the best method? I also have few more queries: How safe is bone cement in […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have some questions about custom jaw implants. First, can they not be made of Medpor material as opposed to silicone? Secondly, what is the limit of vertical lengthening of the chin. I have read that if you lengthen it very much you will disrupt the mentalis muscle sling. How do you […]

Q: Dr. Eppley,  I am 24 years old and am needing a breast lift with implants. I am looking for the least amount of breast scarring as possible but also the best results. What type of breast lift do you think is best for me? I have seen scars from the periareolar breast lifts and […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I had a cranioplasty on August 2012 after having a craniotomy in June.  A of now I have temporal wasting of the muscle on my right side and a serious indention where the muscle should be. My neurosurgeon says thats because the temporal muscle has fallen down and is being clinched in […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am considering having jaw surgery.  We have email conversed before and I am impressed with your perception and knowledge.  I hope you will help me in my search for answers. I have attached photos for you to review if you so choose. I wore braces in the past and had no […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am 26 years old and I have lived with a webbed neck birth defect all my life. I would like to have a normal length neck for looks as well as for pain. The last doctor I saw said I had short tight trapezious muscles and they actually hurt I have […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have a question or two. I’m 18 years old and have an really messed up forehead. Its bulgy, has horns and the brow bones sticks out and I also have a high hairline but small forehead. Is 18 to young to be fixing this? What age should I wait till. This […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, my son is 5 years old and has undergone a craniectomy of the right parietal skull bone which is quite large when he was 4 years old. We want to know which cranioplasty procedure would be best for him, bone cement or autologous bone transplant from the adjacent side of the skull? […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, my question is in regards to my face shape. I am twenty years old and I feel my face is too wide. I am in very good shape but I feel as if my face doesn’t have the chiseled look I want. The problem is I believe my cheekbones are too wide […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have a gummy smile and spacing. Is it possible for the maxilla to be shaven flatter with the muscle lip lengthening? A: I am afraid I do not know what you mean by having the ‘maxilla shaven flatter’. There is no such bony operation per se. In gummy smile surgery, there […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I want a slimmer less round lower face, so a slight ogee curve is visible. How is that best done? Or can it even be done? A: When it comes to  contouring the area between the cheek and the jawline, it is important to remember that this is an area not supported […]

Q: D. Eppley, I am a 30 year old and have had prominent eyes that are congenital but not hereditary. I have no medical problems and the thyroid readings are normal. My eyesight is very good. I have a negative vector and shallow orbits . Will I need both cheek and orbital implants? Could you please […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, do you think temporal implants is gonna have a positive change to my face? I want my upper face be wider than the lower part but I don’t want it to look fake or obvious. Lastly, can the temporal implants be fixed permanently so there is no risk of displacement? A: I would […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am considering a facelift and have consulted with three different plastic surgeons. From these consults, I got two different basic opinions. One option was a more traditional facelift with incisions in front of and behind the ear. The other approach presented was a mini facelift with an incision mainly on the […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, What I am most interested in is the cheek enhancement.  I feel like creating volume there will help balance everything else out.  If I still want to make other enhancements after, I suppose we can do them at separate times.  My question at this point is, considering how many different variations for cheek shapes […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, how many years does the sutures used to tie the muscles together in a tummy tuck last? A: The type of sutures used for rectus muscle fascial plication in a tummy tuck are variable and dependent on each plastic surgeon’s preference. Most commonly large O gauge permanent sutures are used composed of […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, My Dr suggested that I can benefit from Rib Graft rhinoplasty about a year and half ago. At that time I did not exactly what that consist of, and I figured he knew best, so he went on and performed it. I hated the way it looked and felt. So a year […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, In the process of researching procedures on skull reshaping, I found and read your entries about skull reshaping/reconstruction on exploreplasticsurgery.com. I have an interested in getting a procedure done. My head is shaped like a triangle. The width and length of my forehead is very small. My overall head is small compared […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, do you offer Dysport injections? If so, what is the cost per unit? Do you think Dysport is better than Botox? And if so, why? A:  I do both Botox and Dysport injections for aesthetic facial wrinkle treatments. In my opinion, they are essentially equivalent and Dysport has no significant advantages over […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, . I am currently 24 years of age. For several years now, after maintaining a short haircut, I have received comments from several peers that the back of my head is flat and that the posterior is slightly raised. It has come to the point where I felt I needed to do something about it. After […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have a long chin that goes straight down as apposed to sticking out a little bit. I would like to have my chin shaved down so it’s shorter and somehow have it stick out instead of going straight down. Another reason this problem is so severe is because I have an […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am 5’ 9” tall and fairly skinny. I have no extra fat but some loose skin from my three pregnancies. While I am not crazy about the loose skin, what bothers me the most are the many stretch marks that I have. They are around my belly button and lower as […]

Q: Dr. Eppley,  I am a transgendered MTF and had botched silicone injections in my face in the cheeks years ago.  Over the years it has enlarged especially my right side.  Will 5-FU/kenalog shots work to bring down this very noticeable mass in my cheeks?  How much are each shot?  A: I am assuming that […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I had my upper and lower jaw advancement done 7 months ago and was not too happy with the results. I recently had chin and jaw implants together with a rhinoplasty done. I have also had some facial fillers placed under the lower eyelids and on the upper cheeks. Regardless, I still […]

Q: Dr. Eppley,  I feel my brow is too prominent/large. I had one surgeon tell me only a full “sinus setback/type III” will be the only way to fix it. However, can the bones be modified/burred enough to make a difference? I want the side/profile to be more flat and less prominent. I feel my […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, My nose has been broken a couple of times, and I have a deviated septum. I am curious what it would take to straighten everything out–and what it would look like. A: Based on this one picture, I have done some imaging based on what I think is achieveable in an open […]

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am thinking about getting a custom jaw/chin implant. I think I have a small chin, vertically small jaw as well as narrow. Since I live in another city I can’t find any experienced surgeon. (or simply one I can’t trust) Would it be possible to get a CT scan done (of […]