Will My Revisional Plastic Surgery Achieve My Computer Imaging Predictions?

Q:  Dr. Eppley, I am considering some facial surgery to improve my overall aesthetics. I have previously been through a rhinoplasty, chin implant and cheek implants. While these have been helpful, I still want to get better results. I am hesitant in doing any more surgeries, however, unless the results will be a significant improvement in facial aesthetics and symmetry.  To help me visualize what  I want I have used a facial aesthetic program which morphed the “ideal male ” with mine.  The pictures seem to make the chin width smaller and less square and with an even jawline to the posterior angle of jaw. The images seem to downsize the cheek implants and to make the tip of nose more symmetrical and smaller with a raised nasion. I have attached a few of these  pictures.  The first two pictures are that of an ideal female face with mine.  The last three are the ideal male face combined with mine.  Thirty points on my face were used for my facial proportions to generate these pictures.   Is it possible to achieve this morphed look since it seems the resulting face is more aesthetic.Your thoughts and concerns are greatly valued regarding what is achievable.  If you have a software program regarding what the  postop look will be regarding the different procedures I would be interested in seeing those results.

A: Thank you for sending your images and your thoughtful morphing overlays. While I think they are helpful to see what direction you ideally want to go, I do not find them realistic or that those type of results are achievable. Images like this set the standard of how the patient will judge their outcomes afterwards and it always leads to results that fail to hit the mark and are disappointing. Their greatest value lies in helping the patient determine whether surgery is worthwhile, particularly the patient who has been through previous surgeries and is in the ‘revision mode’. Quite frankly, I and probably most plastic surgeons shutter when a patient goes through this exercise because the results will always fall short. Since I do not feel your results would meet these imaging goals, at least in my hands, I would recommend that revisional plastic surgery may not be worth the expense and recovery.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana