Will Paranasal Implants Interfere In Any Way With Getting A Facelift Later?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have scheduled for paranasal implant surgery in September. Now I would like to ask you a few more questions about it:

Do you think it will be advisable to stay in Carmel for 1 or 2 weeks after the surgery in case some complications may occur?
Can I eat normally the days following the surgery or are the any restrictions?
Is it possible to have another surgery done (some months) after the paranasal implantation? I am thinking about a facelift in early spring of next year. From your medical point of view, would this be a problem after the paranasal implantation? Will the implants affect the feasibility of a subsequent face lifting in any aspect? Is the planned point of time 4-5 months after the paranasal surgery ok or should I wait longer? Would it be even better to have the face lifting done prior to the paranasal surgery?

A: In answer to your paranasal implant surgery questions:

1) One to two weeks stay after surgery is not necessary. Infectious complications, rare as they may be for the midface, won’t occur until 3 to 6 weeks after the surgery.

2) I would be careful about biting off food for a few weeks with the high vestibular incision. This is easily bypassed by using utensils to replace what the front teeth normally do.

3) You could have any form of facelift surgery within weeks or months after the paranasal augmentation. Such central midface implants have no impact on mid- or lateral facelift surgery, whether done before or after.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana