Your Questions
Your Questions
Q: Dr. Eppley, I previously had jaw implants placed by you and now I’m considering cheek implants.
I am trying to achieve something similar to that model look where the cheeks look sunken in as I have shown here
1. ) I would like to know what (if any) are the benefits of choosing between off the shelf implants vs custom made from a CT scan ? I know with jaw implants you get the full wrap around effect without the breakage, but I don’t really see a benefit like that for cheek implants unless you know something I don’t?
2. ) How do you decide if someone is a good candidate for these?
3. ) What would you say are the best alternatives to cheek implants for males who want to achieve that hollow model look?
4. ) What are the risks one should consider ( other than asymmetry and infection ) ?
5. ) What are some of the most common complications or complaints that people have after getting these?
6. ) Are there any long term issues to consider?
7. ) Will they make my smile look weird or anything look unnatural around the eyes if I have very low body fat?
Thank you, looking forward to another potential procedure
A: Good to hear from you again. In answer to your cheek augmentation questions I can provide the following answers:
1) The first thing you have to realize is that ideal cheek augmentation result may not be absolutely possible given that it is a professional picture that has undergone some image manipulation. (lighting etc) But that issue aside, it is absolutely clear that such a result is never going to come from any standard cheek implant. Standard implants are not made to create that look and don’t have the proper design to do so. Only a custom cheek implant, like the imaged attached, can come close to such a cheek augmentation result.
2) The risks of such implants are like the ones you known and have already been through with your custom jawline implant. The good news is that those risks, and the recovery to o so, are not of magnitude of the bigger total jawline implant.
3) Whether it is a standard or custom cheek implant, neither affects ones smile or facial expressions once the swelling has subsided.
4) I will have my assistant Camille pass along the cost of custom cheek implant surgery to you on Monday.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, Hello, I am interested in breast augmentations revision.I have an old pair of submuscular saline implants (15 years old) and have had and nursed two babies since. The entire time I’ve had them the right side has felt much tighter and actually uncomfortable. I almost feel like the muscle is permanently flexed. I am very muscular naturally so I get pretty severe deformation even with a little flex and am mostly insecure about that aspect. if i bend over to pick my kid up my implant does not fall forward with me so i am left with wrinkly breast tissue just hanging there. So I am exploring sub glandular. My ideal breast would have almost all the volume in the lower pole. I am under the impression that the sub muscular implants tend to sit higher and then whatever breast tissue I have just hangs off the end of it. I have also read that they can migrate upward over time? I would consider sub muscular if I was convinced I could keep them low and they would not migrate upward through time and as my natural breast age and continue to sag. I am actually pretty satisfied with my left implant placement besides how they move when I flex. I’m looking to minimize the deformation when I pick anything up that is more than 10 pounds. I understand the risks with sub glandular most notably the palpability as I am thin.
Do you do revisions where your patient changes from sub muscular to sub glandular? Is there a method with the sub muscular placement where the pocket can be lower? I am also interested in something called the Dual Plane technique but I don’t totally understand it.
A: Thank you for your inquiry and detailing all of your breast implant history, concerns and objectives to which I can make the following commentary about your possible breast augmentation revision:
1) It sounds like you have 100% submuscular implants, a breast augmentation technique that has not really been in vogue for decades. With 100% submuscular position you would have most if not all of the symptoms you have described.
2) The decision in your case is whether your implant pockets, with new silicone implants, should be adjusted to a partial submuscular (aka dual plane pocket) or switched out to a completely subglandular position. Dual plane implant positioning avoids most of the symptoms that you have described and is how I have done ‘under the muscle’ breast augmentation. for 25 years. It is a combination of submuscular and subglandular pockets. Each implant pocket location as its own advantages and disadvantages….there is not perfect breast implant pocket location.
3) I have changed implants from subglandular to dual plane and vice versa. Implant malposition (implant falling after surgery back into the old pocket) is less likely going from submuscular to subglandular than the other way.
4) I would need to see pictures of your breasts, static as well as with the animation deformity to provide further insight.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, If possible I wanted to get your opinion on residual swelling post genioplasty reversal. I had the genioplasty reversal almost 3 months ago. I have a little swelling left and it’s been fluctuating- it went down a few weeks ago and then got more swollen this past week. This is only noticeable to me and my boyfriend- it’s not significant swelling but I just want to make sure it’s normal. Would the swelling fluctuations be caused by he increase in heat or using a sauna and hot tub? Will it go away on it’s own?
Thank you so much for your time.
A:It can take up to six months or more for residual swelling and tissue changes to eventually settle out, particularly in the secondary chin surgery patient. This is particularly so in the geniplasty reversal patient where the soft tissue support from the bone has been reduced. There is more than just swelling involved but the eventual soft tissue contraction (shrink wrap effect) that also must occur.
I would wait a full year after the surgery to not only let all the swelling subside but to make sure you have fully accommodated to the new look.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I’m interested in breast fat transfer to just my left breast. My left breast is like an A Cup and my right is a B cup. Im looking to achieve better symmetry. I’m 28 yrs old in good health. I weigh around 115 and am 5 ft tall. I believe I have enough inner thigh fat to achieve my goal. Is fat transfer or fat grafting a good long lasting procedure? How much would this procedure cost?
A:Thank you for your inquiry and sending your pictures. Given the one cup size difference between your breasts and only wanting to improve the asymmetry, breast fat transfer over an implant is a logical choice. The advisability of that treatment option depends on two key factors: 1) how much fat you have to harvest (aka is there enough to do the job) and 2) the patient’s understanding that injectable fat grafting is not completely predictable in terms of survival. It takes a lot more fat to do injection treatments than all patients think and I would question whether someone at 115lbs and using the inner thighs as the donor source would have enough fat to do so. But that determination awaits an assessment of the smaller breast’s volume needs and the generosity of your inner thigh fat.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I am a 35 year old female, 5’5 160 lbs (have lost about 70 and plan to lose 50 lbs more). I am having chin/jaw liposuction done in September but do not want a chin implant until after I have healed from the liposuction. Do you believe that I can still get good results by doing the chin implant after I am healed? Also do you think that the implant and liposuction alone will fix the issue of my face blending in to my neck (no jawline even in elementary school and very thin). My face is also very flat and I am wondering what you could do about that as well. Also I do have sleep apnea and I do believe I have had it even from a young age/low bmi but I am not sure if jaw surgery would be an appropriate alternative. Thank you.
A: While I think that liposuction of your neck will provide some good improvement, it is not the optimal treatment for the congenitally full neck that has a short chin and low hyoid bone. More ideally a submentoplasty which combines liposuction above the platysma muscle, central neck defatting below the platysma muscle and then midline platysmal muscle plication creates the best neck reshaping with the most well defined cervicomental angle. Because of the low hyoid bone and the benefit of anterior muscle pull and the need for some slight vertical chin lengthening, a sliding genioplasty in your case is preferred. Together with the submentoplasty a clear separation of the lower face and neck will result.
For the upper face, the combination of central face defatting (buccal lipectomies and perioral liposuction) combined with infraorbital-malar augmentation is the best approach to make an inversion of the facial shape below the eyes.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley: Over the last few years I’ve been intrigued with the idea of customizing implants to fit an individual’s face and I’m looking into getting a customized implant for my cheekbones. My cheekbones are quite flat but also quite low down my face. Meaning the main part of my cheekbones seem to sit well below my lower eyelid. My first question is whether this can be addressed with a customized implant? Can my cheekbones be brought higher????
The other question that I have is whether it’s possible to order a layered-segmented implant from the implant company. I’m scared about getting an implant too big, but also too small. So I had this idea: could we order a single implant that can be ‘layered’, meaning can we order a single segmented implant where the implant is essentially in two similar layers, one over the top of the other. My thoughts were that I could have the lower layer implanted and then reassess whether I want more, and if so I would get the second layer implanted over the top of the first, thus avoiding the need to order two separate implants from the company.
Look forward to hearing from you 🙂
A:When it comes to custom cheek implants they can be made just about any way we want. One of the most common reasons for custom cheek implants is to get the higher cheek look which standard cheek implants either can’t do or do very well. Attached are a few examples of the many types of custom cheek implant designs that I have done.
As for making a layered custom cheek implant, that can be done. They concept of secondary placement of the second layer if needed, however, is the reverse of what you have mentioned. It is far easier surgically to slide a second implant layer under the first one than it is to secondarily place it on top of it.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, How soon post op can patients return to corseting and does corseting after rib removal surgery increase the permanent waist reduction results. (actually permanent rather than the temporary results achieved from corseting under regular use).
A: Patients resume wearing their corset the day after surgery if that is the most comfortable garment for them to wear. It probably provides the best support due to its snugness and conformity of the garment to your body.
It would be logical to assume that corseting after rib removal further enhances the waistline reduction results as well as creates a permanent change vs the temporary one that corseting does. (although if used daily over many years it has been shown that it does create some permanent waistline changes…but this is for only the most dedicated and motivated of users)
It is actually not uncommon that women that present for rib removal surgery are using a corset beforehand. This is not only a good preoperative test for the surgery but a great postoperative garment afterwards as well. Most patients typically resume weaning their corset days to a week after the procedure.
I would point out, that while wearing a corset is a benefit after surgery, it is not a requirement as it is not what is responsible for the eventual waistline reduction result.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I’d like to do a brow bone augmentation surgery. I want to add some depth to my eyes and make my eyebrow bones more prominent
But I just want to do the parts in the middle where they connect to my nose… Is it possible? Or do I have to do the whole thing…? Also I assume implants will be used? What options am I looking at here when it comes to implant materials…?
Thank you very much for your time!
A: Thank you for your inquiry. You can make a custom implant that just augments the central glabellar and medial brow area from a 3D CT scan. This is best done with a solid silicone material which allows it to be placed through the smallest scalp incision. (endoscopic technique) All other materials (Medpor or PEKK implant materials or bone cements) would require a more open semi-coronal or full coronal scalp approach for placement but they can be used as well if one can accept a longer scalp scar)
The brow bone area you want to augment is the Y-area and would largely look like that in the final implant design. (probably closer to a more flattened Y)
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I have read about your wrap around jaw implants and I am very pleased with what I have seen so far.
My lower jaw is small in comparison to the rest of my face, but the bite is good. I think a wrap around implant would improve the appearance of my jaw drastically and have a positive effect on my life, as it can lengthen the ramus, reduce the gonial angle and create a more masculine chin while still looking natural.
My main concern is whether the implant will manage to to widen my jaw angle substantially. As my lower jaw is very narrow, i wonder if it is possible to widen each side of it about 1.5-2cm or to use smaller implants for the sake of long term stability of the implant and then widen the jaw angle a bit more with the help of masseter hypertrophy or dermal fillers.
A: Thank you for your inquiry in regards to wrap around jaw implants. A custom jaw angle can substantially widen the jawline and jaw angles. But I am fairly certainly you would not need 15mm to 20mms of additional width per side as that would by extreme and an amount I have not seen done in hundreds of custom jaw angle and total jawline implants. Understandably as a patient you would not grasp the significance of that number on an actual human face. But suffice it to say that your interest is in the most lower facial width that can be achieved.,
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I have some questions about plastic surgery, in particular, slimmer face surgery.
On both sides the proportion of the bone between the eye’s outer edge until the head’s edges (hairline, ear) is too broad… as broad as the eye itself, whilst ideally it should have had maximum 2/3s of the eye’s width. I’d like to have a throughout slimmer face through:
1) temporal muscle reduction, together with bone shaving
2) cheekbone reduction
3) bone shaving on the left and the right of the jaw (V shape)
What can be done for it? I read on your website about the temporal muscle reduction, but can it all be done together?
And how many millimeters will the face become slimmer? I need 1.5 cm in total, or 2 × 0.75 at least.
Thanks in advance!
A: The procedures of temporal reduction, zygomatic arch reduction and jaw angle/jawline shaving can all be done during the same procedure in an effort to achieve less head and facial width. (slimmer face surgery) I think it is realistic per side to have 7.5mm or a total of 1.5mc of bifacial width reduction achieved. This collection of head and facial procedures is the cost that can be done to reduce bitemporal and bifacial width.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I had an L-osteotomy zygoma reduction at 20 years of age, and then I had a temporal incision midface lift one year later to hopefully correct the cheek sagging I experienced.
Unfortunately, the midface lift yielded no appreciable results. I look exactly the same as I did pre-surgery and I am devastated.
What can I do to correct my cheek sagging for the long term? Would it be possible to re-do another midface lift when I am much older or are my cheek tissues too scarred and atrophied to do so?
A: The reason your endoscopic temporal-based cheeklift did not produce any appreciable change is not a particular surprise for the following reasons:
1) The concept of lifting facial tissues by any method is predicated on that there is a natural age-related tissue ptosis in an unscarred tissue base. Such is the case in the older patient who has developed cheek sagging from aging. This is the basis on which all cheeklifting/midface lifts were developed. It was never designed for the very young patient with good tissue elasticity and recoil who developed some moderate cheek sagging from a loss of bone support due to a surgical procedure. In short while the concept of a surgical cheeklift to correct cheek sagging from cheekbone reduction makes senses, it is being applied in a situation where it is very difficult to make it work.
2) While not having any significant scarring from a temporal-based cheeklift is appealing, the reality is that the vector of pull is really in the wrong direction. The cheek soft tissues have fallen vertically from their disinsertion from the bone but the temporal-based cheeklift is trying to pull them in an oblique direction with suture traction on the deeper cheek tissues applied from the intraoral approach. Optimal correction is in the vertical direction with a more cranially-based or vertical vector cheeklift with suture traction applied to the more superficial SOOF layer of the upper cheek tissues. But to do so requires an eyelid incision which in a young person is more difficult to accept one must always be wary of any other aesthetic trade-offs.
3) It is also possible that your cheeklift results are because of how it was performed. Some operations don’t work well because they were performed poorly. But I will assume it was done in the best manner possible.
In short, while the type of cheeklift you had has its limitations, it is done as the most acceptable approach in a very young patient. It was certainly worthy trying but it has a relatively high risk of not creating the correction the patient wants as you have experienced.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I’m four days post-op from cheek implant revision surgery (to change the size of my cheek implants). I wanted to get a second opinion on an issue that I’ve been having but my surgeon seems to brush off.
When my lips are in resting position, one side of my lips won’t close all the way down. The resting position is evidently asymmetrical and I believe this might be attributed to the painful and tight intraoral stitch on the left side of my mouth.
Will releasing this stitch allow my lip to rest a bit? Or could it be due to swelling? I look so stupid with the left side of my mouth slightly open when the right side is closed.
A: Unfortunately you asking a question in which I don’t have adequate information. Not knowing exactly what the suture line looks like inside your mouth I can not say if that is the case of your lip asymmetry. Given where the typical location is for the intraoral vesibular incision, it would not normally be in a location that would restrict lip closure.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in forehead contouring and brow bone augmentation. I have a negative orbital vector and was wondering how much a procedure would cost for bone grafting around my eyes, mostly upper eyelids and sides of eyes. My eyes look protruding and lack support around the area making me look tired and unhappy all the time. I am not interested in implants.
A: While bone grafting can be done for the brow bone and lateral orbital areas, let me point out the many differences, and what would be presumed to be its disadvantages, from not using custom implants:
- A full coronal scalp incision would be needed to do the procedure.
- A large area of split-thickness cranial bone grafts would need to be harvested with its contour reconstruction with hydroxyapatite cement.
- All bone grafts would need to applied with compression screws.
- here would be some resultant contour irregularities around the brow bone and lateral orbital trims due to the combination of the fitting of their edges and the subsequent healing which will undoubtably involve some areas of partial bone resorption.
In short this is a procedure which sounds good in theory because it uses autologous bone, but has its own aesthetic liabilities.
I will have my assistant Camille pass along the cost of the surgery to you on Monday.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I would like to find out more about the rib removal surgery. I have been considering doing this for some time now. I was wondering what the approximate cost for this surgery is. Could you also tell me more about the time needed for recovery? What is a general healing period after the surgery before going back to work. I would be flying in from abroad and I would also like to find out when it would be safe to travel again after the surgery. Also, is it recommended to do a tummy tuck with the procedure or is it usually done without? I am a pretty slim build.
A: Thank you for your inquiry. In answer to our rib removal surgery questions for horizontal waistline reduction:
1) My assistant Camille will pass along the approximate cost of the surgery to you tomorrow.
2) Recovery depends on what you are looking to recover to. For most normal activities 10 to 14 days, for strenous activities up to three weeks after the procedure.
3) Most patients travel home within 2 to 3 days after the procedure which is somewhat affected by whether they are traveling alone or not.
4) A tummy tuck has nothing to do with rib removal surgery or horizontal waistline reduction. In some cases a tummy tuck can be done for subcostal rib removal but that is for the treatment of a completely different body contouring problem that involves the anterior ribcage.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I continue to think about rib removal surgery and had a couple of additional questions for you if you don’t mind:
-For resections of 3 ribs (10-12), do you use the same incision or multiple incisions to remove the 3 ribs?
-Have you ever had to use mesh to close?
Thanks again for taking the time to respond to my emails. I really appreciate it.
A: In answer to your rib removal surgery questions:
1) The same incision is used to remove the posterior ends of the lower ribs whether it is one, two or three ribs. Proper placement of the incision is critical when all three lower ribs are removed on each side. The incisional length is usually about 5 to 5.5 cms in an oblique orientation on the low back.
2) There is never a need to use any synthetic material to close the deeper tissues after rib removal. This is not a procedure that can cause a hernia. Rib removal does not cause a posterior abdominal wall hernia, if it is properly done, as it preserves the integrity of the subperiosteal tissues beneath it.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I consulted with you last year regarding custom cheek-infraorbital and jawline implants. I had double jaw surgery one year ago and fat transfer to the cheeks six months later. Since my consultation with you, I’ve had filler (Voluma with around five syringes to cheek/jaw/chin) and rhinoplasty.
I had a couple questions:
1) If you recall, a local surgeon recommended contouring of the maxilla (and plate removal) in addition to implants. You said that it could be done, but that the exposure of the maxillary sinus — while fine on its own — would greatly increase the risk of infection if cheek implants were placed concurrently. I was wondering if perhaps mild/moderate burring could be performed such that the risk level would be acceptable. If it makes a difference, I think the osteotomy was performed slightly higher than the traditional LF1 cut. I attached VSP prediction and post-operative photos.
2) Would it be possible to design cheek/orbital/jaw/chin implants before the filler is dissolved? I have both clinical photos and a CBCT scan from last year
3) Would it be possible / make sense to excise the transferred fat during implant placement? I also have both clinical photos and a CBCT scan from February, which was before the fat transfer. This may be bad reasoning, but it seems intuitive to me that given likely uneven fat resorption, augmenting the cheeks/rims based on the bony contour may produce a soft tissue result that doesn’t “evenly” match the implant. In other words, if the implant doesn’t “account” for the fat transfer varying thickness (and it seems like this would be difficult to do), that varying thickness would be present in the result.
Thanks so much for your help/advice,
A: In answer to your custom facial implants questions:
1) As long as the burring does to expose the maxillary sinus the concurrent implant placement can be done. But it always turns out poorly if there is a sinus exposure when any type of midface implant is placed.
2) Having injectable filler in the face does not interfere with implant designing which is based on the bone anatomy and not that of the overlying soft tissues.
3) It would be very difficult and ill-advised to try and remove injected cheek fat from a prior procedure. Such fat is up in the soft tissues where the terminal branches of the buccal facial nerves reside. The area may be able to be treated by small cannula liposuction but not by an excisions method.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, some doctors in the USA do Sculptra. it is FDA approved for hip augmentation and can you do it in my hips to get more volume to my hips?
A: Sculptra is FDA-approved for use in the face in the United State. specifically for facial lipoatrophy. Using it for hip augmentation is an off-label use but can be done. The key with Sculptra injections, which makes it very different than any other injectable filler other than silicone oil, is that it takes a series of treatments to achieve its maximal effect. This is usually done up to three injection sessions spaced about 6 weeks apart. It is the scar tissue response to the injected PLLA particles which is how it works. If you try and put in too much of it at one time, adverse tissue reactions can occur. (inflammation, nodules) Thus it is a delayed response to the injected material that occurs and not the immediate result that is seen from most injectable fillers or injected fat.
The amount of injected volume of Sculptra (it is mixed into a solution at the time of its use) would be considerably more than that used in the face. As a result its cost would be also higher.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, My concerns and questions have to do with my chin. I had a chin implant removal procedure done over a year ago because I disliked they way it look. The capsule was left to give me some augmentation. However I still dislike it. I also have mentallis muscle strain and have gotten Botox to help with it in the past. Overall, I’ve been told that cutting the mentalis muscle will help the way my chin looks because now it kind of looks like a ball, really round especially when I smile. I would like another opinion and to consider my options.
A: With the tissue expansion that occurs from a chin implant, chin implant removal surgery results in an overall soft tissue chin pad excess. It is not just the mentalist muscle alone that creates the redundant so tissue chin pad. I have also never heard of leaving the implant capsule because it would create an augmentation effect as it ends up getting resorbed.
The direct answer to your question is that unraveling the contracted and stretched mentalist muscle MAY improve the ball shape that now exists with your chin after the implant removal. But there is no guarantee that it will be completely successful. That can not be accurately predicted before surgery.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I’m a 32 year-old male who has a flat back of head and consider doing a flat back of head augmentation surgery with you but I have a few question which be thankful if you can answer to those
1_. Do you use implant for these type of surgery? And if so which type of implant silicon or saline?
2. Can you please explain what a bone cement (PMMA) is? Is it implant or?
3. If you use implant how do you secure the implants in place do you screw the implant in to place?
4. Does the surgery result permanent? I mean do I need to do another surgery to replace the implant in future?
5. If you use implant how big is the risk for implant to rupture and leak and what should I do in this situation and how do I know that the implant is ruptured?
6. How much does it cost totally for surgery and hospital?
7. How long do I need to stay in touch with you in Indianapolis?
A: In answer to your flat back of head augmentation questions:
1) A custom solid silicone implant is used, made form the patient’s 3D CT scan.
2) Bone cement is another skull augmentation material but requires a full coronal scalp incision to place it.
3) The implant result is permanent.
4) The implant is secured by tissue ingrowth and a few small microscrews.
5) This is a solid silicone implant, not a gel filled implant like that used in breast augmentation surgery.
6) My assistant Camille will pass along the cost of the surgery to you tomorrow.
7) You would retain home 2 days after the surgery.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I have read quite a bit of informative material on your website. I am particularly interested in a procedure that you offer that is skull shaving. (skull reduction) I have always had a big wide head (wide, but short, I am brachycephalic.). Does it really make a different your procedure of burring into the diploic space? I mean, the cranial vault bone is 7mm thick, at most, I don’t see how it could make a difference visually. Do you have pictures I can see? Also, the docs I spoke to said that the bone will grow back.
A: In my experience in the properly selected patient when a large enough surface area is covered visual differences do occur from skull reduction surgery. This is most commonly done by skull bone shaving which is achieved by high speed rotary burring using carbide burr.. The question is not whether external changes occur, but whether the amount of change that occur meets the patient’s expectations. That must be determined in an individual patient basis. Also all in my experience, and I have done lots of skull reduction procedures, bone does not grow back in an adult nor is that biologically possible. You mist guard against excessive scar formation but not bony regrowth
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley,I have some facial surgery recovery questions. I’m in my early 20s. I came across your profile on RealSelf and was impressed by your experience across a vast number of procedures. I could not find any answers on the website to my problem and thought you could hopefully help me answer some questions about some recovery problems I have been experiencing.
I underwent multiple facial procedures in Thailand and now I’m really really worried about my decision and hope you can put my mind at rest or guide me in the right direction.
I underwent a silicone chin implant, breast fat grafting, double chin liposuction, endoscopic/intraoral cheeklift, and tiplasty. I am currently 2 weeks post-op.
(1) I had a winged silicone chin implant put in via the mouth. I believe I can feel the wing on the left side riding up so that the implant as a whole does not look symmetrical. How long should I wait before I have a revision for this if it truly is asymmetrical?
(2) My chin area is lumpy and red from the double chin liposuction. Is this normal at more than a week out or is there hope for the lumpiness to resolve further over time?
(3) My endoscopic cheeklift swelling was very extensive. Though there was no eyelid incision, my eyes blew up like balloons by day 3 and I was near-normal-but-puffy by day 6. Day 7 however took a turn for the worst. My right eye blew up again in the morning, and has stayed that way for the last couple of days. At the very outer corner of my right eye, there is a hard lump near the eye socket and a little pocket of air or fluid which is very tender. The little air/fluid pocket area is around the size of a quarter. From the 45 angle view, it is at the very top of the ogee curve and makes my cheeks look square. Could this be a possible seroma? Do I need it drained or will it go away? I’ve read that untreated, there can be consequential scar tissue and irregularities.
I am very worried about my healing and cannot communicate with my doctor as he is overseas and I have no translator with me.
A: In answer to your facial surgery recovery questions:
1) That certainly sounds like chin implant asymmetry which is much more common when placed intraorally.
2) The contour results from submental/neck liposuction takes 8 to 12 weeks to fully realize.
3) I can not speak to your cheeklift issues since I have no idea how it was done and what lies underneath that was used to perform it…but this sounds like a possible infection.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I am seeking a second opinion on my custom jawline implant placement. I’ve attached a few pictures I took today. One of the front facing photos is a duplicate with some arrows pointing to the four issues I have mentioned below. In addition, I’m attaching a PDF case report which was given to me shortly before my procedure done last year. It contains images of my jaw and the implant design.
For the reference photos:
1) The imbalance on the chin where I can feel a separation/shifting of implant.
2) This is harder to see, but I have a gristle-like mass along my right side of the middle jawline (under the skin, but over the implant). I makes the lower right jaw area look bigger than the left side.
3) Especially when flexing/biting down you can see the right side muscle seems much bigger.
4) The profiles show how the back edges of the jaw go behind the ear farther than I would like.
Let me know your thoughts.
A: Thank you for sending all of your pictures. What I can tell from them is the following:
1) The jaw angle implant portion extends posteriorly beyond the posterior ramus of the jaw angle and its natural curve, hence ‘being too close to the ear’.
2) There is masseteric muscle sling dehiscence which is why there is a bulge way above the inferior border of the implant in the jaw angle area.
3) What the mass represents in the middle third of the jawline can not be determined by your pictures alone.
4) Like #3, what the imbalance of the chin represents is impossible to know from your pictures alone.
The next important step in the diagnostic process is to get a new 3D CT scan and compare your current implant positioning on the bone to what you see on the outside as well as where it ideally should be. I don’t really see any design flaws in the initial implant with the exception that when you make the angle portion of the implant go beyond your natural bony jaw angle that is what can happen….the implant gets back too far and sticks out behind the muscle. This issue is magnified when the masseteric sling gets separated doing placement. This is not a criticism of your surgeon, these are just pearls that I have learned by doing hundreds of custom jawline implants. It seems straightforward on paper but there is a steep learning curve to doing the actual custom jawline implant procedure.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I am writing with hopes for more information on jaw angle implant removals. It seems jaw angle implants are relatively rare compared to other facial implants so it is difficult to find any information or cases online regarding them let alone their removal. I have seen that you have experience working with this type of procedure. I would be extremely grateful for any information you can provide relating to my case.
I have always had a weaker mandible and likely should have received orthognathic surgery for this when I underwent orthodontics many years ago, as had been recommended by my orthodontist at the time. As I got older, however, the main concerns were the significant amount of mentalis strain that caused my chin to ball up when I closed my mouth and my moderately recessed chin.
My concerns led me to a consultation with a maxillofacial surgeon as I believed I needed to either get orthognathic surgery as had been previously suggested by my orthodontist or a genioplasty to move my chin into better position to address my concerns. The surgeon told me I could undergo a ‘masking’ procedure that would make it appear as if I had the correct orthodontic treatment done, which was a genioplasty in conjunction with a complete jawline build-up with Gore-tex material. I was told that the jaw implants were necessary to do in conjunction with genioplasty to achieve a ‘balanced’ jawline.
I decided to undergo the masking procedure and had a maximal advancement genioplasty with approximately 5mm hand carved Gore-tex jaw angle implants as well as Gore-tex strips in the mid-jaw region to connect the genioplasty with the jaw angle implants. There is also a small Gore-tex strip that was placed across the front of my chin for additional contouring in the labiomental fold.
Due to various concerns, I am adamant to just have the implants removed. The original surgeon refused to do so.
My main questions are:
– What would be the likely consequences/risks of removing 5mm Gore-tex jaw implants, if any? I am a young woman and the implants have been in for about a year. Would there be risk of skin sagging/facial deformity or would my skin likely bounce back similar to how it was pre-op?
– If it is likely that my skin will contract normally, how quickly would it take for my face to return back to normal and what changes could I expect in the shape of my face from the tissue changes caused by the implants?
– Most importantly, what would the impact of removing jaw implants that were placed in conjunction with a genioplasty be? It is difficult to imagine what the outcome would be since the procedure was not isolated. Would it make my chin look very disproportionate to my face?
Thank you so much for taking the time to review my case and questions.
A: Thank you for your inquiry. While the use of ePTFE (the contemporary name for Gore-Tex) for jaw angle augmentation is very rare, it has a long history of use all over the face. In my experience I will occasionally use it to supplement standard or custom facial implants if needed and hand carve ePTFE blocks for some facial augmentation procedures. (I believe your jaw angle implants are probably ePTFE blocks)
While ePTFE does have more tissue adherence than silicone, for example, it can be removed if one is experienced in doing so. While I have no idea what you looked like now or before your surgery, 5mm thick jaw angle implants are not very big and, unlike facial implants in other facial areas where soft tissue sagging may be a potential post removal issue, this has a very low likelihood to occur in the jaw angle area. This is because it is the only facial implanted area that is placed under such thick muscle and the attachments to the skin lie above the muscle and not below it.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I am inquiring about back of head augmentation reshaping surgery?
What is process and how long does it take?
What is the recovery time frame?
How long before one can get back to work?
Can you fly and when after surgery is that possible?
Also what is the cost of this procedure and related procedures?
A: In answer to your back of head augmentation surgery questions:
1) The implant is made from the patient’s 3D CT scan and takes 30 days to do from time of design to manufacture to be shipped and available fir surgery..
2) Most patients recover fairly quickly and are back doing most normal activities in 10 days after surgery. The recovery us usually less than most would think for ‘skull surgery’. But this is because patients understandably confuse intracranial skull surgery with aesthetic skull surgery…which are two completely different types of skull surgery.
3) Most patients return home 1 to 2 days after surgery. In recovery it is relevant to really that no physical activity can adversely affect the skull implant as it is resistant to displacement or material disruption.
4) My assistant will pass along the cost of the surgery to you later this week.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I had under reye fat injection surgery four months ago. But I think its is overcorrected. Is there any way to remove these fat cells or make them go away? For example, with radiofrequency or laser or warm compress or sauna or pressing the area or using corticosteroid injections? Please help me as I feel so bad about myself. I don’ t like my under eye area now as it is unnaturally even with cheek. It’s awful, I don’t even look at mirror. It’s 4 month passed now since the surgery and it still looks like extra fat.
A: An under eye fat injection result that is undesired can not be reliably removed by any of the methods that you have described. I would definitely avoid steroid injections. After 4 months the injected fat has survived and integrated into the tissues. In some cases I have used BBL (broad band light) therapy or radiofrequency treatments to lessen their aesthetic effects. This can be effective but will require multiple treatments to achieve a visible effect in under eye fullness. The most effective one time method for under eye fat removal is a lower blepharoplasty approach for direct excisional removal.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I was reading online about rib removal and came across Pixie’s story. I am considering rib removal. I was wondering how many patients (in addition to Pixie) have you operated on that have had ribs 10-12 removed and whether any have developed flank hernias? That is my primary worry and I was wondering if you have any information you can share on that risk. Thanks very much!
A: A flank hernia is a defect in the posterolateral abdominal wall which is s risk in certain of abdominal and spine surgery.. Since rib removal surgery does not involve the abdominal wall, as the ribs are located outside of it, a flank hernia is not a potential risk of this type of body contouring surgery used for a smaller horizontal waistline.
It is easy to understand how one might think this is a surgical risk because rib removal surgery is not well understood by patients and doctors alike. What is really being done is removal of the outer half of the ribs 10, 11 and 12. Total rib removal is not done nor is it necessary to do. Thus the supportive part of the rib closer to the spine is maintained.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I am six months post-op cheekbone reduction surgery. I am happy with the results from the bony perspective as my face has been effectively narrowed, but there were some trade offs. I have some slight sagging of the midface which is evident in the form of hollower eyes and deeper nasolabial grooves.
I’m 24 years old and I’m booked for a cheek lift procedure in ten days. It is an understatement to say that I am absolutely terrified about the uncertainty of the operation and its outcomes.
My surgeon will be taking two 2-3 cm incisions in the temple, and reusing my oral incisions from the zygoma reduction. He will lift my cheeks off the bone and suture them to the temporal muscle.
However, I haven’t read a lot of good things about this procedure. Most people seem to have complaints about looking too pulled up or cat-like or too full in the cheeks after the operation. I asked my surgeon not to make the eyelid incision as I am still young and of Asian-descent.
My sagging was only slight and I would hope that I just get a slight lift of the cheek tissues. I am deathly afraid of looking too full or too pulled or my cheeks changing their shape dramatically.
From your experience of midface lifting in young individuals after cheekbone osteotomies, what kind of results can I expect? I just want a conservative redraping of the tissues slightly higher but it’s just so hard to communicate to my surgeon what “conservative” means.
I’ve read about an 18 year old removing implants and getting the same type of midface lift to correct sagging, and she mentioned it warped the shape of her cheeks. Please provide any insight you have about my situation.
A: The fundamental problem with a temporal cheeklift is that the vector is oblique while the direction of the cheek sagging has occurred in a vertical direction. Thus a swept back look is possible based on the direction of the pull. To make a vertically directed cheek lift a cranial suspension technique is needed. This is similar to the temporal cheeklift but the incisional access and the suture placement is directly upward in the scalp.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I currently have braces on my teeth and although they will probably be off by the time I have surgery with you, would there be any issues if I still had them on? For example, damaging the implant or braces during placement? Also, could the movement of teeth alter my bone structure? Is there a risk that the implants will not have a perfect fit if the movement of teeth has altered the bone after CT scan and implant design?
A: In answer to your custom jawline implant surgery questions:
1) Many patients for different types of custom facial implants have braces on their teeth. This is extremely common. This is not an exclusion or limitation of doing the surgery.
2) Orthodontic therapy moves teeth, not bone, in adults. That is the fundamental principle of how orthodontics works in general and in particular in adults…the teeth move through the alveolar bone and thus change position, the bone does move to make the teeth change position. As a result whether one is in orthodontic therapy or is going to subsequently undergo or has finished orthodontics, this will not adversely affect a custom jawline implant design and its fit.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, The reason I am considering rib removal is I do not have a defined waist or a flat stomach. I do exercise and have worked out like a beast in the past and am still unable to obtain the results I want. I had three children. The only way I can get a super flat stomach is to almost weigh like 100-112 lbs. I’m 5″8 so it’s not ideal because I lose my butt and my breasts are smaller when I lose that much weight. I have small hips which also adds to the look of no waist line. I don’t want the scars a tummy tuck gives you and I think rib removal and some liposuction might work. I’m not overweight so I do not know if liposuction is an option either. Attached is a recent photo . The second photo is almost two years old which is me at 110-112 lbs and still no defined waist and my belly pooch is still there.
A: Thank you for sending your pictures. I can see why you seek this procedure as there is not much more you can do in making your waistline more narrow other than removing the last anatomic barrier. (rib removal) Every posterior rib removal surgery includes aggressive liposuction of the flanks as well as wedge removal of the LD muscle which collectively results in 1″ to 3″ average horizontal waistline reduction. So both by pictures and description you are a good candidate for rib removal for maximal walstline reduction.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in forehead augmentation. My forehead is very round in shape and I believe a forehead implant can greatly impact my profile. I also have a bent nose and want to go through rhinoplasty simultaneously. I just want the tip of my nose to be lifted very slightly.
What im curious to know is that, would it be possible to do nasal augmentation, through a coronal incision, and by doing so completely avoiding any scarring of the nose.
A: Thank you for your inquiry. Please send me some picture of your forehead, particularly from the side view, for my assessment and recommendations.
Whether it is to build up the radix or bridge of the nose to for nasal tip manipulations, you can not do that successfully from a forehead approach. This requires an open rhinoplasty for which the small columellar skin incision to fo do so heals so well it is virtually invisible afterwards. I have never in 30 years of rhinoplasty surgery had a patient request a columellar scar revision which speaks to the issue whether any adverse scarring occurs.
In addition most forehead augmentation proedures that are done with a custom implant do not require a coronal scalp incision to place them. That type of access scalp incision is only needed for bone cement forehead augmentations.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
