Facial Surgery procedures

There are variety of facial procedures to opt for .It is important for you to choose the proper one after weighing the pros and cons of each. The article aims at making your job easy by giving you a bird's eye view of various facial procedures available and the duration of various surgeries etc Read more from the article to understand the option that will best suit you.This article covers

Some major procedures to follow with facial reconstruction surgery
Resurfacing Procedures for Facial Surgery
The durations of various procedures

For patients considering facial cosmetic surgery the variety of options is great, from a full-blown rhyridectomy or face lift to blepharoplasty (an eyelid lift). Patients may opt for cosmetic chin surgery or a relatively simple facial resurfacing. An awareness of choices is nowhere near as important, however, as a realistic expectation of achievable effects, an understanding of the given procedure, and a sense of the recovery period.

Major Procedures

There are some major procedures to follow with facial reconstruction surgery as follows

RHYRIDECTOMY

The rhyridectomy or “face lift” is a major surgical procedure requiring several hours. A long incision is made from ear to ear following the hairline and the skin is removed to tighten the muscle beneath and to allow for the removal of pockets of fat. The procedure addresses sagging and wrinkled skin on the face, neck, and jowls. It causes significant swelling and bruising with a recovery period as long as two weeks or more. There is a risk of nerve damage manifested in partial paralysis (usually temporary), excessive bleeding, scarring, and infection. In the absence of ill-effects, however, the surgery produces dramatic results lasting five to ten years.

FOREHEAD LIFTS

In a forehead lift, an incision is made at or above the hairline to pull up the skin of the brow to remove creases and furrows and to prevent a “hooded” look about the eyes. If necessary, portions of the muscles involved are removed. Normally this is a procedure done on people between the ages of forty and sixty-five and while not as radical as a rhyridectomy still causes bruising, swelling and tenderness. Also expect a headache for several days. Normally scars are hidden in the hairline. No strenuous activity should be undertaken for several weeks and the effects should last for five to ten years.

Key Feature Procedures

A number of less comprehensive procedures exist to correct issues with the eyes, chin, and ears. All are less radical than the above procedures but can provide marked changes to the patient’s appearance.

BLEPHAROPLASTY

One of the most effective of these procedures designed to correct specific features is blepharoplasty. Often called an eyelid lift, it corrects sagging lids or puffy “bags” under the eyes. Excess skin, fat, and muscle are removed from the upper and lower eyelids. This procedure does not address crow’s feet or other wrinkles nor does it eliminate dark circles under the eye.

The procedure normally requires one to three hours. Incisions are made to follow natural creases in the skin to give the surgeon access to the underlying fatty tissue and muscle. Extremely fine sutures are used to close the small incisions and in part it is the delicacy of the procedure that dictates the length of the surgery. The patient can expect some temporary discomfort, including swelling, bruising and a degree of light sensitivity with a danger of infection, bleeding, dry eyes, and double vision.

For the first two to three days the patient will not be able to see well enough to read and should not expect to return to work for seven to ten days. The effects of blepharoplasty will last for years with most patients reporting that after surgery they perceive their features to be more “alert” and “fresh.”

RHINOPLASTY

Just as a “freshening” effect to the eyes can change the overall visage, rhinoplasty, or “nose jobs,” can yield equally significant results. Through a fairly simple procedure with manageable post-operative discomfort, the nose is reshaped by thinning or by altering the tip. Essentially the skin is separated from the cartilage and bone which is then shaped to form a new framework for the skin when it is redraped.

Rhinoplasty requires approximately one to two hours and while there is the usual swelling, bruising, and danger of infection, the recovery time is normally less than two weeks. The patient will need to wear a splint during recovery to help the nose maintain its new shape. Any packing material placed in the nostrils will be removed after a few days. Be prepared to have two black eyes before the healing process is complete. The change in appearance resulting from rhinoplasty is permanent.

FILLER INJECTIONS

A less radical approach to altering the appearance of the nose has grown increasingly popular particularly in light of the fact that patients are often disappointed or dissatisfied with a nose job. In this method, filler injections (usually of collagen) are used to make subtle alterations in the shape of the nose. If carefully conceived, these changes can have a decided effect on appearance. Also, filler injections do not carry the risk of impaired breathing that can be caused by multiple nose surgeries.

This same injection procedure can also be used to address lines on the face or to add fullness to the lips and cheeks. The results of the injections are not permanent, however, and in some patients last only a few weeks. There is great debate as to why some individuals enjoy longer results with injections than other patients but you do need to be aware that the effect of such a procedure may be very short-lived

RHINOPLASTY

Aesthetic chin surgery or mentoplasty is often done at the same time as rhinoplasty in order to preserve facial symmetry. There are many methods of chin alteration including implants, bone relocation or reduction, and liposuction to remove fat from the adjacent facial areas to make the chin and jaw line more prominent. Every effort is made to hide the resulting scars in natural folds of the skin.

After any of these methods of mentoplasty the patient will have difficulty chewing for a number of days and will also experience the usual bruising and swelling that is part of any cosmetic surgery. Difficulty chewing normally abates in ten days and within six weeks the patient will heal completely. It should be noted that if implants have been used it is important to insure that the face not be struck or bumped until the implants have firmly settled into position. The effect of the alteration to the chin with bone reduction or relocation and with the use of implants is permanent. If liposuction is used, the effects should last several years.

OTOPLASTY

In addition to eye, nose, and chin work, men often elect to undergo otoplasty, a procedure to “pin back” or lessen the appearance of large and prominent ears. Normally an incision is made at the back of the ear so that the surgeon may gain access to the cartilage which will be sculpted and reshaped. Permanent stitches may also be used to maintain the new shape and position of the ear. Portions of the cartilage may be removed or folded back on to itself. Scarring is faint and minimal.

The procedure normally takes from one to three hours. Otoplasty is one of the few cosmetic surgery procedures routinely performed on children since the pain of being teased about large ears by their peers often outweighs any discomfort experienced as a result of the procedure. The recovery period is one to two weeks although final results may take several months to be visible. Once the ears have completely healed, the change is permanent.

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