Blog

Q: Dr. Eppley, I had a rhinoplasty six months ago. My main goal was to make my nose larger in the middle. I have breathing problems and when I use nasal strips it makes me  breathe better. I didn’t want to change my nose very much but just add support and width to the middle […]

Q:  Dear Dr. Eppley, I am interested in both malar and paranasal implants and I have learned a lot about facial implants on your homepage! In one article you stated that some areas in the face are more sensitive to implant size than others. For example, the orbital rim is one of these areas where […]

The large number of stem cells in fat has led to a new wave of treatments in plastic surgery that hopes to harness the potential of this ‘wonder’ cell. Since a stem cell can turn into any type of cell if properly stimulated, it is not hard to see why any treatment attached to it […]

Q:  I am interested in a corner of the mouth lift. I have checked in my area but have been unable to find anyone as of yet.  How would it work if I was to choose to see you? How many trips would I need to make? Have you done many of the corner mouth […]

Q: I am a 24 year old male who was born with a right cleft lip and palate and have been through five surgeries so far in my life.  Besides my inital cleft lip and palate repairs, I underwent iliac crest bone grafting at age 11 and a Lefort 1 osteotomy combined with alveolar cleft […]

Q: I am an 18 year old looking to correct “witch’s chin” deformity or chin ptosis. I do not know of any doctors in my area who have experience with this procedure, so I am seeking your advice and hopefully you can educate me a bit more about my case. The problem is that I have […]

Q: My 14 year-old son has developed breast enlargement that is quite troubling to him. Do you know if insurance will cover gynecomastia surgery? A: There is no way to predict whether any insurance company will or will not cover an adolecent’s gynecomastia surgery. I have seen numerous cases over the years that has been […]

Q: I am studying to become a radiology technologist at a local community college and I am preparing a powerpoint presentation on the skull.  I’d like to play Dr. Eppley’s HTR/PMI Cranial Implant Reconstruction video as seen on YouTube during my classroom presentation to demonstrate current medical procedures to repair and reconstruct features of the […]

Q: I want to thin out my face  and am thinking of having a facelift to initially tighten my skin and then my cheekbones (zygomas) cut and narrowed. The reason I am considering zygomatic reduction and face lift is to first “trim” excess skin for maximum tightening of the jowls, nasolabial region, cheeks and neck. […]

Q: I am interested in changing the shape of my neck. I want a visible Adams apple as my neck is too flat and feminine. Can it be done? How would it be done? Imperative to get an answer please! A: When it comes to tracheal or thyroid cartilage (Adam’s apple) surgery, the standard operation […]

Q: I have a 14 year old boy with gynecomastia. It is hereditary. He is a thin boy but his chest is overdeveloped. If he has a liposuction done now, what are the chances he may need to do it again in the future? A: The classic teaching in plastic surgery is to do gynecomastia […]

Q: I have very dark circles under my eyes that bothers me a great deal. I have tried all sorts of creams and lotions without any improvement. Are there any more result-oriented surgical approaches that will work? A:Some of the best results for dark circles improvement is based on volume addition, either using injectable fillers […]

Q: I hate my  deepening nasolabial folds that are developing. I was looking for something more long-lasting to treat them. I have read about the wire release method. At what age can you perform the new wire-release method for nasolabial folds? A: Deepening nasolabial folds is a result of the cheek tissue above the lip […]

Q: Dr. Eppley ! My question to you is that I have a very short face. My midface is short and my ramus and lower jaw is also short which makes my face long horizontol and very short vertically. Also, my teeth of my upper jaw is way forward which is making my life miserable […]

Q: I desire to have cosmetic surgery next year with the wishes of making my forehead larger both in length and width. Can you inform me with what this procedure is called and also with all the information there is to know on this surgery (including risks, the type of implants used, how long it […]

Q: My 13 year-old daughter was bitten by a bull mastiff just 4 days. She has a lot of jagged lacerations across the nose and just under the left eye. There were no lacerations on her left eyelid or any eyeball trauma. She was repaired in our hospital’s emergency room with a lot of stitches. […]

Q: Hello Dr. Eppley, I was considering zygomatic reduction surgery to narrow the sides of my face. I am also considering SMAS facelift or modified SMAS like MACS-Face Lift to be done later this year. Could facelift interfere with zygomatic arch reduction surgery? Could you give me a second opinion if either or both procedures […]

Q: My chin is too big and I need it reduced. What is the cost of chin shaving surgery? A: Thank you for your inquiry. When one mentions ‘chin shaving’, they may really need a submentoplasty with chin burring reduction or they may really need a chin reduction via an osteotomy. It depends on their chin […]

Q: Hello Dr. Eppley, is it possible since you’ve had experience with silicone injections running out before during your surgeries for you to do a surgery and just let as much of the oil as possible run out?? I had the same injections but I don’t know if they were done in my tissue of […]

Q: I underwent suprapubic liposuction one week ago. I was surprised and concerned about how much swelling and bruising I have on my penis, scrotum and inner thighs. There is also a lump at the base of my penis which makes it look shorter than before the surgery. Will this go away and will my […]

Q: I have a major issue with my face that has effected me my entire life. I was born with a skeletal deformity which caused my entire right side of my face to be noticeably bigger then my left side. My bite pattern is off due to this problem which in turn has prevented me […]

Getting rid of the jelly belly and having a flat stomach is the desire of most women.  Many women can remember that belly of their youth with fond nostalgia when they good eat whatever they want and still look good in a swimsuit. However the combination of pregnancy, weight gain and gravity conspires against this […]

Q:  I am developing deep folds on the sides of my mouth and my eyelids have extra skin that make me look tired. I have attached a picture so you can see my concerns. What type of plastic surgery will get rid of these problems? A: Thank you for your inquiry and picture. There are […]

Q:  I have had 3 c-sections, hysterectomy, and my gall bladder removed that left a large scar. I have a lot of scar tissue that causes me sever pain in my stomach plus I know the muscles in my stomach have separated because you can feel it by feeling my stomach. The scar tissue is […]

Q: I would like to know more about the transconjunctival approach referring to orbital rim augmentation with medpor implants and subperiostal midface lifts. Because you are both a plastic surgeon and an oral an maxillofacial surgeon I´am sure you are very familiar with this kind of approach. Once I have read that the infection rate […]

Q: I have suffered from severe disabling migraines for years. I have seen two different neurologists and none of the medications seem to work or are causing severe side effects. I’ve been doing research and came across the migraine surgery. I am willing to try anything to do away with or at least ease my […]

Q: Will a LeFort osteotomy for short face syndrome tend to increase upper lip length (vertical height of upper lip)? If not is there a surgery to increase upper lip height (distance between columella and mouth)? A: A LeFort I (maxillary) osteotomy for a short face is either being horizontally brought forward or being vertically […]

Q: I have scleroderma which over time has caused atrophy and asymmetry to my face. I’m interested in plastic surgery to help fill my face out and not make it look so narrow. So if you could please just send me some more information about this that would be great. Thank you. A: Scleroderma that […]

Q: Hello Dr. Eppley, I have many problems related to my face. Firstly, my jaw is asymmetrical. Right side of my face/jaw is smaller than the left side. Therefore, my jaw is slanted to the left. My nose is deviated. Secondly, I have prominent zygomatic arch but my cheeks are hollow. My eyes are also […]

Q: Dr.Eppley, my fiance was hit in his face with a softball. We went to the doctor and the doctor told us that a part of it had shattered and recommended us to see a specialist. Approximately how much will his cheekbone surgery be? He doesn’t have a job, or any insurance. It is only […]