Does Facial Asymmetry Surgery Treat One Feature At A Time Or All At Once?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have several questions/comments about facial asymmetry surgery I would like for you.

1. While this is not out of my budget, I am curious if insurance would cover part of this surgery? I imagine that most plastic surgery is considered cosmetic and thus not covered, but would this be a case of reconstruction since I am doing this to fix asymmetry/deformities in the facial area? I was researching online and saw that reconstructive surgeries may be covered, but was instructed to first contact the doctor and ask. 

2. You asked me during our consultation to make a list of the features that bother me most about the facial asymmetry. While the cheek volume is still certainly the top priority, a close second would be the asymmetrical mouth and eyes/eyebrows. The third feature is the uneven asymmetrical eyes/eyebrows. That said, I am curious about pursuing those as well.

I also understand that you may advise doing just the cheek first, and then the mouth at another time, as that may be a lot of features to target during one operation. On the flip side, it may save a lot of time, which is why I wanted to ask. 

A: In answer to your facial asymmetry surgery questions:

1) I do not participate in any health insurance plans so I can not say what insurance may or may not cover.

2) I will need to the 3D CT scan to determine the bony anatomy from which I can then address what may need to be done for the cheek, eyes and eyebrows. Since the shape and position of the mouth is not a bony structure any adjustments of its corner would be a soft tissue based procedure such as a corner of the mouth lift.

3) Most facial asymmetry surgery usually takes a comprehensive approach (multiple procedures at once) as opposed to separate surgeries for each issue.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana