Your Questions
Your Questions
Q: I have had 2 c-sections and they were emergency so they cut me the “old” way- and my abs have never recovered. So my main question would be, what areas will show the differences of before and after? It seems like I currently have 2 “tubes” around my belly. The top where my abs used to be (and even when I have lost a lot of weight still seemed to appear puffy) and then my belly button kind of creates a line that goes into the bottom innertube. The idea of a tummy tuck in my head will smooth everything down so I would not have these 2 rolls of fat around my waist as well as the fat that is on my back. Does that sound right?
A: I think you have hit the general concept right on the head. You are right for two specific reasons. First, to get rid of what is not desired between your belly button and the pubic region, it has to be cut out. That is the definition of a full tummy tuck, a horizontal excision of skin and fat that goes just above the belly button. Secondly, the only way to unravel the excess tissue around the belly button is to allow the skin and fat above it to be stretched down over it, again the definition of a full tummy tuck. The only concept you have in error is the rolls of fat along your waistline and into your back. A tummy tuck will not remove those, only liposuction will. That is why most tummy tucks incorporate liposuction into the flanks area as well to avoid the dreaded ‘muffin tops’ afterwards if it is not done.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: My initial breast augmentation was over ten years ago. Two years later, my left breast implant suddenly ruptured. I have had my current saline Mentor Round textured implants in since then and have recently noticed some slight soreness and what seems to be a section that is possibly hardening in the center, all of this is in the left breast again. I do not want to have revision surgery if it is not necessary at this point. I realize that I will again as I am only 35. I am not against it if it is recomended now,I just want to prolong the life of my implants as long as possible. I have read that there are some asthma medications that have been used to treat early stages of capsular contracture with some success. I would like advice on treatment, either trying out the asthma medication or revision surgery or waiting it out to see. I really need advice on what is needed in my situation, an educated opinion would be greatly appreciated. I look to you because your video says you do not believe in selling the surgery, you listen and help clients make informed decisions. That is exactly what I need right now. Thank you very much.
A: Capsular contracture is far less frequent today due to improved implants and the general trend of placing the breast implant under the pectoralis muscle. Even when it was far more prevalent, what causes this excessive scarring and potential breast distortion is not well understood. When medical conditions are not well understood that usually means the treatment(s) for it does not work that well either. Capsular contraction treatment consist only of release and excision (surgery) or a drug medication. The use of Singular, an asthma medication, has been reported to have some success with preventing recurrent capsular contracture. These reports are largely anectodal and are not the result of information of a controlled clinical trial nor is it FDA-approved for this use. From those that report some success with it, it is in the use after a capsulotomy or capsule excision and is given with the intent of prevention. I am not aware that it has any effect on an ongoing or pre-exiting capsular contracture.
Because Singular is expensive and unproven in established or progressive capsular contracture, I would not recommend its use in your case. If the capsular contracture is significant, then surgery should be performed. If it is only minor, which it sounds like, then I would wait it out and see if it becomes more severe.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: I would like to have my skin tone more even. Due to the sun, my skin color on my face and neck is much darker than rest of my body. I was born with darker private areas as well as my butt. I am an African American with a yellow skin to light brown complexion similar to Beyonce complexion in the L-oreal ad.
A: Skin lightening is a well known pharmacologic treatment that is well proven for the treatment of dark spots, primarily from aging and sun exposure on the face and hands, as well as reactive hyperpigmentation from injury or ablative skin treatments. Using established agents, such as hydroquinone and kojic acid, they work to inhibit the cells (melanocytes) that are responsible for creating the pigment in our skin. They are many combination products today that combine these pigment treatment agents with our adjunctive topicals such as exfoliants.
What you are referring to, however, is a more global color treatment of an area. Rather than treating a specific pigment problem, your quest is to lighten the base pigment in the skin. This has become recognized as a possibility by the plastic surgery exploits of Michael Jackson who definitely used skin lightening agents. While often conjectured, it is now proven after his untimely death last year after police investigations found many tubes of skin lightening creams. Whether he was treating a medical condition such as vitiligo or just overall lightening his skin is unclear.
The concept of skin lightening one’s base pigment is possible but is fraught with several concerns. First, it would take a lot of cream used continuously to create a lightening effect. Given the volume needed, one may be able to lighten small areas such as the face and neck but ot larger body regions. Second, how effective topical creams are for base pigment lightening is not a certainty. Lastly, these drugs do have side effects and the high doses done over a long time may have undesired effects that are not known. These topical creams were never designed and studied for a more overall skin bleaching effect.
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: I am a 35 year-old heterosexual male who is interested in getting my adam’s apple reduced. I do not want to look feminine but the way it sticks out is bothersome to me. How is the operation done, how bad is the scar, and what is the recovery like?
A: Most of the Adam’s Apple reductions (technically known as reduction chondrothyroplasty) that I do are in heterosexual males and they make up most of the patients. Contrary to popular perception, transexual patients requesting this procedure are in the minority. That is not surprising given that the ratio of heterosexual males far exceeds the number of patients requesting a transgender change. While once done mainly for feminization, that has changed today. It is becoming an increasingly requested procedure amongst men in general who find a large thyroid bulge detracts from a pleasing neck contour.
The operation is a one hour outpatient procedure done under general anesthesia. There is minimal pain and swelling afterwards. The small incision is just an inch and a half long and heals with an imperceptible scar. I have never had to perform a scar revision for it. There are not sutures to remove. The typical result reduces the prominence of the thyroid cartilage but 50% to 75%. You usually can not get the neck profile completely flat but the improvement is substantial and patients are uniformly pleased. The location of the vocal cords, and the necessity to protect them and the patient’s known voice quality, prevents the cartilage to be reduced to the point that the neck has a smooth profile.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Greetings. I have a problem that I hope Dr. Eppley can address. I had a light therapy treatment (IPL) to my face that ended up too deep or too hot. It not only burned my skin but I also developed underlying fat loss as well. My skin is a series of pockmarks, holes, scars, lines. The problem that bothers me the most, however, is around my mouth. It appears to be scarred and my mouth has gotten smaller. It concerns me that may still be getting smaller. I have found that Dr. Eppley does many mouth revisions and am hoping he will take interest in my case. I am in need of help. Thank you in advance.
A: Such a reaction from a pulsed light facial treatment is certainly unusual. While I have seen some superficial skin burns from IPL or BBL treatments, deeper or more partial thickness burns have not been previously reported that I am aware.
Like all burn injuries around the mouth, the most restrictive area is usually around the corners or commissures. This is the side union between the upper and lower lip and needs to be the most flexible of any area on the lips. Tightness in this area makes mouth opening more difficult and may actually make it look smaller if there is scar contraction.
Early mobilization or physical therapy is important in the initial phases of healing after any burn injury around the mouth. It can help scar contraction from significantly tightening the commissures. In established commissure scar or restriction, surgical help may be needed. This could consist of scar release or a commissurotomy. This procedure can help open up the corners, making the mouth a little wider and lessen the tightness on opening.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: My friend who just had a facelift had a slim face before and it’s even slimmer after the facelift. I am considering a facelift but I don’t want to lose any volume in my face or lose my round face. I think a round face keeps you looking younger. I have that St. Bernard look and is why I want a facelift. Could you explain better the SMAS part of a facelift? I want to have the volume that is now around my mouth back up in my cheeks without having that “alien” look (inverted triangle). That to me is the tell tale sign of a facelift. I want a smoother transition between my cheeks and my lower face and not all the fat in my cheeks. In other words, I don’t want to lose my round face. Would you mind explaining this some more to me please. The best facelifts I have ever seen is when the volume is added to the outside of the cheeks (side closest to ears) making the face wider hence more volume. Is it possible to ask the doctor where to reposition the fat as he marks up my face next week for my nip tuck?
A: A facelift fundamentally works by pulling the skin and the underlying tissues back up along the jaw line and neck towards the ear. In thin faces, tightening these tissues can often make it look even slimmer or more gaunt. That is a simple function of having very little subcutaneous fat between the skin and the muscle. It definitely can give the impression of being pulled too tight even though it really isn’t.
The SMAS part of a facelift is the separation and lifting of the tissue layer between the skin and the muscle. It s usually lifted up in a more vertical direction than the way the skin is moved back. (which is up and back at about 45 degrees) It can help add volume to the side of the face if the SMAS layer has enough bulk. In thin-faced patients, it is quite thin.
In really round faces, a significant slimming effect will not happen after a facelift…even if you wanted it too. It will make the neck and jawline better shaped (which is the lower face) but it will not change what most people interpret as the ‘meaty’ part of the face, the cheeks and side of the face. The change in the neck is what creates the impression that you have lost weight, which is what many people comment on afterwards. (provided they didn’t know you had a facelift)
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: I am interested in getting a deltoid implant but am having a hard time finding out much about it. I know it is not commonly done but have read that it is done. I would like to get my one shoulder to look more like the other rather than deformed and asymmetric. What can you tell me about this type of implant?
A: The deltoid muscle is a bulky triangular muscle that covers the shoulder joint and contributes to movement and stability of the upper arm, particularly when it is lifted away from the body. The rounded curve of the shoulder is due primarily to the bulk of the deltoid muscle. Deltoid muscle atropy is most commonly caused by injury to the axillary nerve or muscle wasting after shoulder surgery or injury.
Placing silicone implants into the arm or shoulder has been historically avoided by plastic surgeons. Besides being rarely done, there is an understandable fear that the complication rate is higher than many other implant locations. To avoid complications, implants are placed beneath the muscle and just on top of the humerus bone. The deep location of the implant then acts as a spacer providing a deep push on the outer contour for volume enhancement. Placement of the implant right under the skin is easier but has a much higher rate of infection and capsular contracture and often results in visible outlining of the implant on the shoulder.
The type of implant used is the same as any other body implant, a soft and flexible form of silicone rubber.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q : I have a bump at the front of my head. I would like for it to go down a bit. Please help me. Thanks.
A: Bumps on the forehead are not rare and are commonly seen by plastic surgeons. While the exact diagnosis can be varied, the usual suspects are either bone-based (osteoma) or of soft tissue origin. (lipoma) Feeling the bump can usually help one distinguish between the two. If in doubt, a CT scan can easily tell which one it is.
If the bump is hard and doesn’t move it most likely is a classic osteoma. These are benign bony growths that develop slowly. For many patients the exact origin is unknown. They can develop after being hit on the forehead, particularly if a bruise or hematoma resulted. It is thought that bleeding under the periosteum serves as a nidus to stimulate the laying down of bone.
Removal of forehead osteomas is traditionally done through an overlying horizontal skin incision. In an older patient, this can be skillfully placed in an adjacent wrinkle and the scarring can be quite minimal. In patients without a close wrinkle or few wrinkles, the scar is not as appealing. In most casesw of forehead osteoma removal, I prefer the use of an endoscope to recontour the bone of the forehead. By placing the incision in the hair, no visible scar is left on the face. Osteomas can usually be made to pop right off the bone by using a small chisel. Through two endoscopic incisions, the scope and the osteotome can be simultaneously used.
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Indianapolis, Indiana
Q : I am scheduled for a facelift next week. My friend had hers last week. We both go to the same plastic surgeon who is well known. I was shocked today when I saw my friend. It appeared she had been beaten up and looked horrible. Granted it has only been six days but is this normal? When I asked the plastic surgeon about the swelling, he said my friend was still swollen. He does the SMAS lift and pulls the skin as tight as he can knowing that in 3 months it will look normal. Is this routine? I really want a natural look and now am not sure what to do. Please advise. Thanks.
A: Your concern is understandable and let me provide you with this analogy. Facelift results are a lot like getting a haircut. Sometimes in the beginning it looks bad right after, you think it looks good during the middle part of its growth cycle, and then dislike it again once it is too long or outgrown. That is analogous to a facelift because it is not a static result over time.
Meaning…if you have don’t do too much (conservative facelift) then your swelling will be more mild, recovery will be quicker, and your result will look more natural from the getgo…but the result may not last as long. If an aggressive facelift is done, one will have a lot of bruising and swelling (i.e., look awful) and look overdone in the beginning…but will relax into a more natural reesult much later and the results may last a little longer.
As you can see, the facelift operation is balance of how much recovery one can sustain for perhaps a longer lasting result. While everyone wants the best result possible that lasts the longest, the reality is that the initial and short-term recovery period from doing the most aggressive/extensive facelift is not for everyone. Unfortunately, plastic surgeons generally use whatever facelift technique that they prefer on everyone.
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q : Three years ago I had a nose job. The result was initially perfect. Then at six months after surgery, a mysterious bump appeared on the tip of my nose. The surgeon tried to remove it but that effort met with no success. Subsequently, I have had three minor surgeries to try and get improvement, and to make things worst, these surgeries left a scar on the tip of my nose. I wonder if you can help me.
A: The success of any rhinoplasty should not be fully judged for at least 6 months after surgery. Because the overlying skin must shrink back down to the structural framework of the nose (bone and cartilage), a process which can take up to a full year after surgery, the final shape and contours can take awhile to be fully revealed. Any irregularities of the bone and cartilage may not show themselves for a long time. In addition, reactions to sutures or any synthetic grafts used to reshape and contour the cartilages may not develop for many months after surgery. I have even seen a few cases where reactions to indwelling sutures did not appear for years.
The finding of a bump or irregularity on the tip of the nose indicates exactly that point. What initially looked good developed a bump later. The question that remains unknown is what was the cause of the bump? Was it a cartilage edge or irregularity or a reaction to a suture? If it persists, only re-entering the tip of the nose (revision rhinoplasty) and exploring it can answer that question. Some surgeons may attempt to treat the bump with injectable steroids but that approach is only helpful if the problem is excessive scar tissue or swelling.
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Hello Doctor, my question is about how to correct the sagging chin after chin implant removal. I had a chin implant removed several years ago and developed initially fluid and then a ball of scar tissue. My chin hangs down now off of the bone. I know that the scar tissue can be cut out from the labiomental sulcus and chin, but how do you reposition the muscle back onto the bone? No one seems to explain that part of the procedure. How that is done is very important for me to know before I consider having the procedure.
A: In the treatment of soft tissue sag after chin implant removal, the muscle must be reattached back to the bone and in a higher position…if one is doing the surgery from an intraoral or inside the mouth approach. When the chin sagging is not that severe or one wants to avoid a submental scar, then the intraoral approach is used. Putting the muscle and soft tissues back is done using small suture anchors. These are small resorbable bone anchors into which are attached sutures. They are first placed into the bone in the desired position (below the teeth roots) and then the sutures are passed into the muscle and tied down. This is a classic orthopedic surgery approach that is commonly used when they reattach tendon and muscles to the bone around joints.
When the chin sag is more severe, it may be best to consider a submental approach and remove and tighten tissues from underneath the chin.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Cosmetic plastic surgery has long been gender-biased with the vast majority of patients being women. While one could argue that this speaks significantly towards our societal standards and to women in general, men are increasingly having plastic surgery as well. While men still make up less than 20% of surgery and office-based cosmetic procedures, those numbers continue to increase each year.
What separates men from women in plastic surgery is two-fold. First and perhaps surprising to many, most men require extreme discretion and privacy. Men are much more sensitive to how they might be perceived by others for having plastic surgery. Secondly and not surprisingly, the type of procedures that men undergo in plastic surgery are different from women. The top male cosmetic procedures in my Indianapolis plastic surgery practice are nose reshaping (rhinoplasty), eyelid tucks (blepharoplasty), facelifts, gynecomastia reduction and liposuction.
Liposuction still remains the most requested procedure for men. Unlike women, however, male liposuction is done in the abdomen, love handle, and neck areas. Even in relatively lean individuals, fat collections at the side of the waist and flanks are common as one ages. Even in men that work out regularly, those love handles can be impossible to work off. Today’s liposuction techniques have been refined to produce better results with less risk of skin irregularities and etching procedures are now available for the leaner male who want an easy way to the ’six-pack’ abdominal look.
In younger males and teenagers, nose reshaping (rhinoplasty) remains a popular operation. Putting the nose into better balance with the rest of the face can make a significant aesthetic change. It is not commonly done in men over forty who have come to accept the shape of their nose. Changing the nose in mid-life may make one feel ‘not like themselves’. Rhinoplasty may frequently be performed with chin augmentation for an overall better facial profile. Computer imaging is used before surgery to determine what changes to make on the nose and whether chin augmentation would be beneficial.
Gynecomastia reduction is the one male plastic surgery procedure that is really on the rise. Whether it be a small protrusion of the nipple in a teenager, to a more traditional larger gynecomastia in adolescents, to the sagging and deflated appearance in the middle-aged and older male, improvement in the male chest is sought out like never before. Liposuction, nipple lifting and reduction, and pectoral implants are potential methods for male chest enhancement. Refined liposuction techniques, known as etching, provides better definition to the pectoral muscle outlines which can be combined with any of the other chest contouring procedures.
Eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) in the male is the best way to get rid of that tired and saggy eye look. Unlike women, most men wait until they have a lot more loose eyelid skin and wrinkles before considering surgery. Browlifting is rarely done in men lest they end up having the ‘Kenny Rogers’ result. Removal of eyelid skin and fat should be conservative in men to appear less tired and more rested, not create a new look. In the more senior male, the upper eyelids can become heavy with skin hanging down onto the eyelashes resulting in obstruction of one’s vision. Upper eyelid surgery in this situation can help one see better than they have for years.
Facelifts are the most misunderstood cosmetic procedure for men. As a tuck-up for the neck and jowls, a facelift only improves the jaw line and neck angle. Like eyelid tucks, men often wait until they have a very noticeable neck wattle that may interfere with shirt closure and may move unflatteringly when the head turns. Facelifting in men is best done in moderation, producing a neck change that is improved but not too dramatic. In very large neck wattles, a direct neck lift is a simpler and easier solution with the trade-off of a thin neck scar.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: I am 50 years old and my average weight hovers around 108 lbs. I have had four pregnancies. I have already had a mini tummy tuck but now have belly fat above my belly button and at the rib cage. There is also fat around the hip area as well. I have a surgery scheduled for liposuction but was told I would have to later have a “full body lift” to get the loose skin off. There is maybe two inches at the sides. I am in good shape. I use to go to the gym. Is it possible to do the liposuction with the other procedure or will it “kill the skin” as I am told and would not a tummy tuck be preferred to a “full body lift”?
A: At your age, regardless of how good your skin quality may be, liposuction will not tighten up the skin to any significant degree. While I can’t see what you look like, your statement that you have extra skin now is a certainty that you will have more extra skin after liposuction.
It makes sense, therefore, to consider some type of skin removal when you are doing the liposuction procedure. It would be unusual for someone like you to need a full body lift. Body lifts are exclusively done on patients who have lost a lot of weight, whether by bariatric surgery or on their own. You more likely need an extension of your previous tummy tuck out to the hip areas or maybe a little beyond to get the excess skin. The 360 degree or circumferential scar that results from a body lift is not likely needed in your case.
Liposuction can be safely done at the same time as the skin excision. While devascularizing the undermined skin is possible (‘killing the skin’ as you have indicated), an experienced plastic surgeon will know how to blend those two together to minimize that risk.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Hi, I just would like to know if BOTOX and DYSPORT would lift a droopy upper eyelid? Thank you.
A: Both Botox and Dysport are equivalent injectable drugs that induce muscle paralysis where injected and weakness in the surrounding region. They are superb at stopping that undesireable frowning between your eyebrows or those crow’s feet wrinkles at the side of your eyes. By weakening the overactive forehead muscles, many people may experience a bit of a browlift. This occurs because the paralyzed forehead muscles no longer pull down on the eyebrow, allowing it to raise a little higher.
It is logical to assume that a similar effect would occur in a droopy eyelid. But that assumption would be wrong. A droopy eyelid, known as eyelid ptosis, is the result of a weak levator muscle. The levator muscle is the primary muscle that moves the upper eyelid. When it is weak for whatever reason or is partially detached from the tarsus of the upper eyelid, the lid margin will hang down lower. It becomes noticeable when the lid margin comes down lower on the iris and it only takes a few millimeters lower to be evident.
Since Botox and Dysport paralyze muscle, it would actually make a droopy lid worse. In fact, one of the most dreaded esthetic complications of Botox and Dysport is a droopy eyelid when it inadvertently diffuses into the upper eyelid from above if it is injected too close.
Eyelid ptosis can only be improved by surgery. The amount of lid droop and its cause determines what type of ptosis repair technique is needed.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: I am looking into bone recontouring for my forehead. I am 22 and I have a condition called Plagiocephaly that I have become aware of within the last few years. I have been to three different doctors who have all told me that they believe the condition is “minor” and doesn’t need any treatment. Not only does one side of the back of my head protrude outward more than the other side, but my forehead also does the same thing on the same side that my head protrudes. My brow ridge seems to be fine, but the bony part of the orbital socket (the part the eyebrow itself covers) seems to protrude more than the other orbital socket. It makes my forehead look very uneven. There also seems to be a flat spot on the side of my head right around my forehead region. I would like to know if this is fixable whether it be just fixing the forehead or fixing both the forehead and the back part of my head, but I also want it to look as natural as possible. Basically, I want it to look as close to what it should’ve been without Plagiocephaly. On a side note, I was also wondering why this condition has become noticable to not only me, but others as well, recently. Up until I was around 19 or 20, I had never heard anyone say anything about this to me, but it has become very apparent now. I understand that it has been like this since I was a baby, but I am wondering why it has become so apparent recently. Is it because the forehead hadn’t fully developed yet and thus became more distorted to the point of noticeability by the time I turned into my late teens to early twenties?
A: Plagiocephaly, known as a twisted skull, is a deformational skull shape that occurs in infants, evident either at birth or developing thereafter. Most commonly, it is the result of preferentially laying one side of the back of the head. Since the skull is very thin in infants, it can easily be inadvertently molded into an abnormal shape. That shape pattern is classic and you have described it perfectly.The side of the back of the head which is flat will cause the forehead on the same side to protrude. If significant enough, the shape of the eye (orbit) can also be affected.
What to do with this skull shape in an adult is a difficult problem. The bone is very thick and reshaping it is a major undertaking with long scalp scars. I would leave the back of the head flattening alone as the effort is not worth the result in most cases. The more visible front, the forehead, however, may be worthy of cranial reconstruction surgery (forehead reshaping) if severe enough. I would need to see photos to determine how severe it is and whether any surgery and its benefits is worth the risks. The biggest issue in forehead reshaping is whether a scalp scar is worth the trade-off.
The shape of your skull and forehead was determined long before you were fully developed. I do not think that it is more apparent now because it developed in your teens. I think it is more likely it has become apparent and now is a focus, making it seem it wasn’t there before.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Can liposuction of the ‘love handles’ be combined with the hip and inner thigh areas? I have lost several pounds through the years. I was told laser treatment to melt the bit of fat would be the way to go but not sure what would happen with the bit of excess skin?
A: It is extremely common for multiple body areas to be treated during any liposuction surgery procedure. As a general rule in my Indianapolis plastic surgery practice, I treat as many body areas that can be done in two hours or less of operative time…with no more than five or six liters of aspirate removed. This is known as ‘normovolemic’ liposuction. Studies have shown that the medical risks of liposuction increase significantly with high volume liposuction surgery. (greater than five liters) There was a time when I performed high volume liposuction but now feel that such volumes are best done in two separate procedures.
Loose or excess skin is always an issue when the underlying fat is removed by liposuction. While some minor amount of loose skin will shrink and tighten after surgical fat removal, significant amounts of excess skin will not go away and are at risk to hang more afterwards. This is of most significant concern in the abdominal area but is also an issue in the inner thighs.
Laser liposuction (aka Smartlipo) will cause more skin to tighten than traditional liposuction because of the heat it generates during the procedure. But it is not a miracle skin tightening device and one’s expectations should be tempered if more than a little loose skin exists.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Catchy and clever names are an integral part of branding in the essential game of marketing for most products. A great working product without a memorable name may never catch any attention with the public, while a mediocre product could grab a market share with just the right name. While this use of ‘naming’ is part of everyday marketing in retail sales, it is fairly uncommon in health care.
Hospitals certainly do advertise, as evidenced by the many billboards around the city but they rarely play the name game. While promoting new facilities, equipment and services, five star ratings and open houses are common marketing approaches in health care, ear grabbing phrases and slick-sounding names are not needed. When you are providing a service with proven benefit – such as a new hospital wing or MRI center, it is more about creating awareness, trustworthiness, and availability. In plastic surgery, however, marketing often veers from the path of traditional medicine. In the world of cosmetic surgery, thanks to the reach of the internet, we are seeing the emergence and widespread use of clever names (and sometimes deliberately confusing ones) to entice patients to have procedures and surgery.
The most well-known example is that of the ‘Lifestyle Lift’. Through their national magazine and television ads, this is a franchise approach to getting a facelift…or some version of it. Promising to turn the clock back at least ten years and look recovered in just a few days, its snazzy name seeks to assure patients that it will fit into their ‘lifestyle’. Interestingly, nowhere in their advertising does the company suggest it is actual surgery. I have seen numerous patients who have visited their facilities and were surprised to learn that it was actually an operation. These same people are certainly surprised to learn that the ‘Lifestyle Lift’ is an operation that is over twenty years old and is practiced by most plastic surgeons. This ‘mini-facelift’ operation has now cloned many spinoffs including Swiftlift and Weekend Lift to name just a few. Often touted as being innovative and original by the advertising surgeon, the names suggest that getting a fresh, younger look is really easy.
The fear of what transpires during a ‘Tummy Tuck’ keeps many women from actually having one. While there are different versions of tummy tucks, they all involve some degree of invasion of your mid-section, and some period of recovery. The ‘Smooth Tuck’ procedure puts a different twist on it. Promising less than a week of recovery and six-pack abs, who would not want to have one? After all it is smooooth. The reality is the closest most tummy tuck patients can get to a six-pack is at their local convenience store. Flat, fairly taught tummies can be realistically achieved, and that is more than enough for most patients. But getting back to work in less than a week looks better in an advertisement than it will feel in real life.
My current favorite is the Vampire Lift. Yes, that is an actual name that I hate to admit even exists in the industry. Using modern platelet and stem cell biology, the concept of extracting and purifying your blood for its healing components is used in many surgical specialities. While it can be a useful adjunct to certain surgeries, the fact that it is natural does not give it ‘pixie dust’ properties. The Vampire Lift takes that concept and uses it as a substitute for injectable fillers to plump up your face. Promising to grow your own tissues to make lips bigger, and injecting blood to make facial parentheses less noticeable certainly seems better than any synthetic product off-of-shelf. While this is an organic way to dispose of your money, it is a far fantasy from actual medical science.
What’s in a name? In cosmetic surgery, clever names often disguise an established procedure and might be just another way to catch the attention of a prospective patient.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr Eppley, How long does it take for a bull horn lip lift scar to fade? I read that a lot of people experience bumps and track marks from the sutures. Also, looking at some pics, it looks like a crack or line between the nostrils that the make-up is not hiding very well. Can you advise? (I’m interested in the procedure) Thanks.
A: Like all facial scars, it takes 3 to 6 months for it to either fade completely or be headed that way significantly. I would equate the lip lift scar to that of facelift incisions in terms of how they mature over time. The thickness and pigmentation of one’s skin and one’s age will also influence the time to scar fading. Thicker skin will take longer than thinner skin, older skin fades quicker than younger skin.
I have not seen the bumps or track marks that you refer to in lip lift scars. The bumps are typical reactions to buried sutures as they dissolve and may appear many weeks after the surgery. I use very small internal buried sutures, such as 5-0 and 6-0 monocryl, and probably explains why I haven’t seen them. Track marks along any suture line is the result of using skin sutures that are too large or left in too long. I use either a buried subcuticular running 6-0 monocryl or interrupted 7-0 prolenes, neither of which will result in any visible track marks. For out of town patients, I use a running 6-0 plain for the skin suture which also will not leave any track marks.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: I am interested in a full body lift. How much does that cost?
A: The term ‘full body lift’ is a rather vague term from a plastic surgery standpoint. Even though it is a widely used term for a plastic surgery procedure, I have learned that what it means to a patient can be very different from what it means to a plastic surgeon.
A body lift is a specific procedure that is almost exclusively used in the extreme weight loss patient, usually after bariatric surgery. It is essentially a 360 degree or a circumferential tummy tuck. It is best perceived as a combined tummy tuck (front) and buttock lift (back) done together through a single incision that rums around the waistline. It is done to deal with the extreme skin excess that develops after a lot of weight loss with an abdominal overhang, sagging thigh skin, and a deflated and droopy buttocks. By removing a large amount of circumferential skin, the lower half of the body is lifted, like pulling up your pants so to speak.
From a patient’s perspective, however, a body lift can often imply that things are lifted from the arms done to the thighs in a single procedure. Much like the confusion from a facelift, where people almost always believe it lifts the face from the forehead down to the neck when it does not (only lifts the neck and jowls), a body lift is a waistline procedure. While it has a dramatic and often life-changing effect, it does not lift the ‘entire body’.
When patients ask about price for the body lift procedure, it is important to know exactly what they are really talking about and what a body lift means to them. To get a meaningful price for such a procedure, one really needs to come into the office and be seen and evaluated. It is a little like calling the auto shop and just asking how much it is to overhaul your car…one has to know exactly what it needs before an accurate quote can be given.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: I am interested in having lip reduction surgery some time in the near future. However, there is not much detailed information or before and after pictures regarding the procedure. Is it possible to enhance or alter the look of the cupid’s bow while simultaneously reducing the size of the upper and lower lips?
A: Lip reduction is far less common than its cousin lip augmentation. I would estimate that for every 1,000 lip augmentations done by any method, one lip reduction is done. Much like breast augmentation, lip enhancement is more glamorous than going the opposite direction. As a result, much less is written about it and very few pictoral results are available to be viewed. This does not mean that it is not done very successfully, just that the requests for it are very few.
Lip reductions are exclusively done from incisions further inside the lip. While it could be done by an incision at the junction of the lip skin (vermilion) and the facial skin, this would leave a visible scar. In addition, rolling the lip tissues outward towards the incision, even while removing lip tissue, works against the objective of trying to show less lip. By removing excess lip tissue by an incision at the junction of the wet-dry line (vermilion-mucosal junction) just inside the visible lip rolls the lip inward helping to reduce its show.
By the way lip reductions are done, the cupid’s bow on the upper lip is not changed. While it could be changed through direct excision and flattening of the bow, this would again leave a small but visible scar at the central portion of the upper lip.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: I have loose wrinkled skin on the inside of my arm where my elbow bends. Is there a procedure that would improve this area? It is not due to weight loss. It is due to aging. I am 50 years old and this just appeared recently.
A: Loose skin often appears across joints like the knees and elbows as a result of aging. The near constant flexion and extension of these major extremity joints over time can result in some eventual sag from the wear and tear on the skin. While not seen in flexion, this skin becomes more evident in extension of these joints.
There are plastic surgery procedures to remove this excess skin. Known as elbow and knee lifts, they are almost exclusively done in extreme weight loss patients. With a lot of weight loss, the sagging skin extends from the body outward towards the hands and feet. Rolls of skin can frequently be seen past the elbows and knees. In bariatric plastic surgery patients, removal of this excess skin is commonly considered and done. While this results in scars, it is usually considered a more favorable trade-off.
In the comparatively mild amount of loose skin that can develop from aging around knees and elbows, replacing it with scars is a more dubious trade-off. Many cosmetic procedures involve scars as a substitute for the original problem. As a result one has to be crystal clear that this trade-off is clearly better. In the weight loss patient, there is usually no doubt. In the non-weight loss patient, the amount of loose skin and how bothersome it is must be carefully considered.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: I am 58 yrs old and in good health. I have never smoked, drank alcohol or done any drugs. While I am an upbeat person, I have had a difficult past and been exposed to a lot of physical and mental abuse. I just want to have a natural smile. My mouth has always had a natural turn down which makes me appear angry and unhappy. (which I should be because of my past but am not) I can pull my cheeks up at my ears and have a great turned up smile and the jowls disappear. I read about the thread procedure and thought this might be possible for me. Anxious to hear from you.
A: In reading your e-mail, by your own description, you have the classic signs of face and jowl laxity. By pulling the skin up by your ears or cheeks, you are creating the classic results of what a facelift can achieve.
Your inquiry regarding a Threadlift suggests that you believe that this may produce a result similar to a facelift or maybe approximately so. Unfortunately, this is not true. While the Threadlift concept has a lot of appeal in the mid-2000s, it is a procedure which has largely disappeared from clinical use. The original ‘threads’ are no longer even manufactured. When an initially popular and marketed plastic surgery procedure ‘disappears’ within five years from when it comes out, that is because it has basically failed to work. Such is the fate of the Threadlift.
Even of the Threadlift procedure was still available, it was never intended for severe facial skin laxity. In other words, it does not sound like it would have worked in you anyway. Some form of a facelift is what you need. Even a limited facelift, or jowl lift, would be better than any form of a Threadlift.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: I had a baby about 16 months ago and still have a little pooch I cannot get to go away. I am interested in finding out about whether lipodissolve, smart lipo, and liposuction and seeing which one may be best for me.
A: Pregnancy does one thing that works against the effectiveness of any fat reduction method alone…it changes the abdominal skin. By stretching out the skin and losing some of its elasticity for most women, the abdominal pooch problem is often a combination of extra skin and fat.
It may be possible that liposuction (Smartlipo or traditional) alone will provide a satisfactory result for that abdominal pooch. But in most cases it has to be combined with some form of skin removal, maybe just a mini-tummy tuck will suffice.
One observation about Smartlipo that has become apparent to me over the past year is its apparent confusion as being different than traditional liposuction. Smartlipo is still liposuction and is invasive. It is simply a different and improved method of initially melting and loosing the fat before it is suctioned out. For whatever reason, patients often mistakenly think that Smartlipo is not surgery and is not liposuction.
The use of fat-dissolving injections for body fat removal has largely been relegated to a non-role in body contouring today. Despite its popularity from several years ago, it has failed to live up to the results we had hoped. While it can have some effectiveness, the fat areas must be quite small. Even in small areas, the use of Smartlipo under local anesthesia produces better results in a single stage procedure.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q : I have heard that regular use of Botox and injectable fillers over years can reduce the need to do them so often. Is that true or just wishful thinking?
A: Recent research presented at plastic surgery meetings have indicated that such a ‘rumor’ may have some truth to it. A study out of Oregon looked at women between the ages of 30 and 50 who received Botox every four months for two years. After that time, the frequency of their injections could be adjusted down to every six months and still have sustained satisfying results.
The same observation has been seen with injectable fillers. If the treatments are done long enough, they seem to be needed less often. One possible explanation may be the filler’s ability to stimulate new collagen.
Is less Botox and fillers really needed if they are done long enough? One of the problems is assessing long-term effectiveness is that it is very subjective and not able to be quantified objectively. Can facial muscles be re-trained by long-term Botox? Can injectable fillers create new collagen? Or are these apparent effects more of a function of the patient being able to tolerate a few wrinkles longer or less full lips or deeper nasolabial folds between injection sessions? The economics of regular injection treatments can certainly make patients space out their injection treatment intervals and still be satisfied.
It is tempting to want to believe that Botox and filler’s effects have some long-term benefits after they wear off…but it is far from a proven fact.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: I suffer from a condition called Geniospasm, which affects the mentalis muscle.
I have read that it might be possible to treat this condition with Botox injections.
Have you had any experiences with this condition? What are your thoughts?
A: Geniospasm is a rare movement or tremor disorder of the mentalis muscle of the chin. Because the muscle has its origins from the bottom of the chin bone and inserts into the soft tissue of the chin and lower lip, involuntary up and down movements of the chin and lip will result. They are uncontrollable and episodic which makes it a socially embarrassing problem. Interestingly, it has been shown to have a genetic basis being linked to chromosome 9q13-q21 and is reported to have a strong autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. The movements are usually continuous albeit at a low level. (i.e. a tremor) But stress and other triggersd may make it go into more obvious spasm.
While I have never seen in my Indianapolis plastic surgery practice a patient with geniospasm, I am certain that Botox would be an excellent treatment. Since Botox is a muscle paralyzing/weakening agent, it would work quite well.
While I have not treated a patient with this specific mentalis disorder, I have done numerous mentalis muscle injections for dimpling and unaesthetic contractions of the muscle causing chin soft tissue deformities. I have found Botox (or Dysport) to be very effective for this muscle problem. While the injections are not permanent, you should expect about four months of relief before additional injections would be needed. Most patients will need about 20 units as a startign dose whichi will have to be individually tailored based on response. (more or less units) After injection, results will be seen in about seven to ten days.
Another treatment option could be selective resection of portions of the muscle done from inside the mouth. This may help break the muscle spasm in the resected areas.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: The procedure that interests me is the one that will reduce the size of my buttocks. I am in good shape and target workouts to the area, but my buttocks hangs down over the gluteal crease and no matter how much I strengthen those muscles, I am not getting the results I want. I would like to somehow reduce the area. I have already had liposuction on pther areas but my my doctor did not want to treat my buttocks as she feared there was a risk that the buttocks would droop more after liposuction. I will continue to workout my glutes to raise them by strengthening the muscles, but I think that I will still want to reduce it by removing excess tissue because it is still too large in proportion to the rest of my body. What are my options for this surgery?
A: Your description describes perfectly a lower buttocks lift. Used for correction of buttocks ptosis, it removes the part of the buttock (skin and fat) that overhangs the gluteal crease. Your plastic surgeon was wise to avoid liposuction of the lower buttocks as that would accentuate the problem, creating what is known as the ‘banana peel’ buttock deformity. This is a very effective procedure but you are correct in assuming that it leaves a residual scar.
The biggest issues with a lower buttocks lift is the scar location and what one was must refrain from after surgery for up to a month. The scar will be at your existing lower buttocks crease, maybe ending up just a smidge higher. To prevent wound healing problems, such as incisional separation, one needs to avoid 75 to 90 degree bends particularly during exercise. I have never seen problematic scars or patients unhappy with the scar results. But I certainly have seen wound separation issues.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: I was looking at having breast augmentation done. One of my breasts is larger than the other. But I was woundering if you could use instead of saline implants fat from somewhere else on my body, like my stomach area?? That would solve two problems at once!
A: The appeal of using fat instead of a synthetic material certainly is of interest to some patients. If fat worked just as well as implants, and was no more costly to perform, then it truly would be a better option. However, as of today, fat remains a breast technique in evolution and development. The harvesting and injection of the fat are standard plastic surgery methods. However, fat after injection is not yet completely predictable and is prone to resorption, uneveness and lumps. It is also highly likely that multiple sessions of fat injections would be needed to get close to what most women would want. With multiple treatments, the cost would exceed what breast implant surgery would cost.
Scarring and lumps in the breast are also a concern for long-term breast cancer surveillance. It is not yet known if fat grafts into a non-reconstructed breast who has not had a mastectomy interferes with the detection of breast cancer.
Until the science of fat transplantation is better understood, fat injections into the breast should only be considered for those patients who are willing to accept the risks that come with being an early adopter of a surgical technique. For now, the use of a breast implant is more predictable and economical.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q:Hi Dr Eppley i just read your”The Advantages of a Chin Osteotomy Vs a Chin Implant ” paper. I have a medium to small chin deficiency and am a male that is 41 years old. Is bone resorption something to worry about in the long time results with silicone chin implant? Thanks a lot!
A: The phenomenon of chin implant bone resorption, or the implant ‘settling into the bone’, is well known but is rarely of any clinical significance. This is a natural phenomenon when large chin implants are used. The pressure put on the underlying bone from the stretched overlying soft tissue is transmitted through the implant. Since the implant is composed of a non-resorbable synthetic material, it can not change from the overlying pressure. To accomodate the pressure, the underlying bone may resorb a little bit. This will allow the implant to settle into the bone which can be seen quite clearly in a profile x-ray.
This implant settling causes no problems other than perhaps the loss of a millimeter or two of chin projection. Since this resorptive process is so gradual, one would never know it. In most chin implants, however, this does not occur as smaller implants do not push on the chin soft tissue as much.
This potential bone change should have no bearing whatsoever on whether one chooses a chin implant or a chin osteotomy. The degree of chin shortness and the age of the patient are the most important factors in the choice one can make for chin augmentation.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: I am very interested in breast augmentation. I have been pregnant four times and between weight gain and loss my breasts are in need of some repair. Do you think I will need a breast lift also?
A: The anatomic determination of whether any breast needs lifting is based on where the nipple is sitting relative to where the lower breast crease or fold is. If the nipple is at or above the lower fold, one will not need a lift in combination with breast implants. If the nipple sits below the fold, whether it be a little or down so far the nipple points to the floor, then a combination implant and lift will be needed to get a well shaped breast that has the nipple centrally positioned on the mound and pointing forward.
When a women has had more than two pregnancies, it is almost a certainty that a breast lift will be needed. I do not recall ever seeing in my Indianapolis plastic surgery practice a patient with three or four pregnancies who has not needed one. When you combine the number of pregnancies with up and down body weight, there has undoubtably been a lot of stress and strain on the breast skin. This translates into breast skin that is loose, deflated and has a low nipple position. This will happen to most breasts whether one has breastfed or not.
A breast implant will add volume to the mound but will not significantly lift a downturned or low nipple position. That is exactly what a breast lift does…get the nipple back up to where it once was or close to it.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: I have had an overaggressive weir excision to my nostrils, causing my nose to look unbalanced. I also have difficulties breathing as my nostrils are always flaring. I have read your website and other studies with regards to fixing the problem with concha cartilage. In your opinions, is that a feasible option aesthetically or will it result in unnaturalness? I am wondering if I should just live with it and flare my nostrils all the time or get it fixed. It is impacting me very much emotionally as well. But I don’t want to end up like Michael Jackson with no nose.
A: The removal of skin from the inside of the nostril where it comes down and joins to the upper lip is known as weir wedges. Removing skin in this area is a rhinoplasty technique that is designed to narrow the nostrils for those whose nostrils are flared, too wide, and are not in balance with the rest of the shape of the nose.
Overresection of the nasal base, or narrowing the nostrils too far, not only can give a pinched look but can cause difficulty in breathing through the nose. Collapsing the wing of the nostril (lower alar cartilage and nostril rim) can cause narrowing of the important internal nasal valve, an important area inside the nose which plays a major role in breathing.
Correcting nostril stenosis requires replacing what has been removed in the area where it has been removed. This can be done with a composite cartilage and skin graft from the ear. While this will work, one has to be aware that the graft may be slightly visible as the skin color between it and the nasal skin will not be perfectly matched.
Whether one should consider correction of nostril stenosis from a prior rhinoplasty or injury depends on how severe the nasal breathing problem is and how unbalanced the nose looks. If both are significant, then I think it is reasonable to undergo it.
Indianapolis, Indiana
