Your Questions
Your Questions
Q: Dr. Eppley, I would like to have the adam’s apple reduction procedure. I am a natural man and I don’t like the size of my adam’s apple. It is very big but I have doubts whether I should do or not do the surgery. I have researched photos of men who have this surgery but I found a few pictures and a few angles but some of the results didn’t seem good. What has been your experience with adam’s apple reduction surgery and how good are the results?
A: I have performed many adam’s apple reductions and about half of them are for men who just have a very prominent thyroid cartilage that is more than just a neck bump. The amount of visible reduction, however, can be variable based on the anatomy of the thyroid cartilage, the thickness of the tissues overlying it and the aggressiveness and experience of the surgeon doing it. I suspect for most men who just want less of a neck bump size, rather than a completely flat neck profile, that the results are very satisfactory. It certainly can be difficult in some patients to get complete elimination of it but that it is not usually the goal of men looking to make a big adam’s apple prominence smaller. I would suggest that you send me some pictures of your neck, particularly from the side, for my assessment to see if this procedure would be worthwhile for you in terms of the amount of reduction that could be achieved.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, Hi. I read article you wrote online. I had a “lifestyle lift” six weeks ago. I had a mild turkey neck. After surgery I had a significant swelling in my mid neck bilaterally. Now much of the swelling is reduced but my previously unseen thyroid cartilage is now revealed. (I am a woman.) In your experience does this ever go away or will I need revision? Thanks so much for any help you can offer.
A: Unmasking of the thyroid cartilage would suggest that you had a very good midline pull and recontouring from the Lifestyle Lift procedure. I don’t know whether you had platysmal muscle plication or not (you would know if there is an incision under the chin), but the lateral pull of the skin and the defatting of a platysmal separation and its reapproximation can create a very improved cervicomental angle. These standard facelift maneuvers can occasionally make the outlines of the thyroid cartilage evident, particularly in the thin patient with little subcutaneous fat.
There is no way to undo the lift to camouflage the thyroid cartilage again. Continued aging will eventually cover up the thyroid cartilage again bit that is obviously going to take time and there is no guarantee that it will do so. An alternative suggestion is to do a simple thyroid cartilage reduction (tracheal shave). This is a common procedure to reduce the jutting and prominent thyroid cartilage.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana