Plastic Surgery in Northern California

Forehead/Brow Lift Information provided by La Jolla Plastic Surgeon Dr. Kincaid M.D.

Years of gravity and use can cause the eyebrows to droop or sag and frown lines to form on the forehead. These problems can be treated using forehead/brow lift surgery. This procedure is often coupled with a face lift and/or eyelid surgery to achieve a more youthful appearance.

Procedure
Forehead/brow lift surgery is conducted on an outpatient basis using local anesthesia with sedation. An endoscopic technique has gained popularity for forehead/brow lifts because it is less invasive than traditional surgery and causes less scarring. Small incisions are made behind the hairline and a small instrument with a camera is inserted. Using this device, the surgeon removes any excess skin and tightens and lift the muscle and tissue. Small sutures are used to close the incision. The surgery generally takes 1 to 2 hours.

Any one or combination of the following conditions may indicate that you are a good candidate for a forehead lift:

• sagging or low position of the eyebrows, creating a tired or sad appearance
• deep horizontal creases across the forehead
• frown lines, or furrows, between the eyebrows and sometimes across the top of the nose

A forehead lift can improve all of these problems. It may often be performed at the same time as a facelift which removes excess skin and tightens muscles in the mid and lower face. If there is significant skin overhang in the upper eyelids, or puffy bags beneath your eyes, eyelid surgery may be recommended in addition to a forehead lift. Your plastic surgeon will provide further information if you have an interest in these procedures.

Face Lift Information provided by La Jolla Plastic Surgeon Dr. Kincaid M.D.

A facelift (technically known as rhytidectomy) can’t stop the aging process. What it can do is improve the most visible signs of aging by removing excess fat, tightening underlying muscles, and redraping the skin of your face and neck. Over time, during normal aging or even with weight loss, the face will change resulting in excess skin laxity, joweling, wrinkling and even elongation of the facial skeleton itself compelling patients to seek correction. A face lift helps to restore the more youthful look to your face and neck – smoothing the contours and wrinkles that aging causes. A facelift can be done alone, or in conjunction with other procedures such as a forehead lift, eyelid surgery, or nose reshaping. A facelift usually takes several hours-or somewhat longer if you’re having more than one procedure done. Incisions usually begin above the hairline at the temples, extend in a natural line in front of the ear (or just inside the cartilage at the front of the ear), and continue behind the earlobe to the lower scalp. In general, the surgeon separates the skin from the fat and muscle below. Fat may be trimmed or suctioned from around the neck and chin to improve the contour. The surgeon then tightens the underlying muscle and membrane, pulls the skin back, and removes the excess. Stitches secure the layers of tissue and close the incisions.

How long does a facelift last?
The traditional answer is about 10 years, however, this depends upon various factors such as technique, facial type, quality of skin, sun exposure and, yes, smoking. Despite the fact that the process of aging cannot be stopped, one can expect that they will tend to always look better after a face lift – at any age – than if they never had the procedure at all.

Rhinoplasty Information provided by San Diego Plastic Surgeon Dr. Kincaid M.D.

Some of us are unhappy with our nose, either because of its size or shape or because of breathing problems. Rhinoplasty reshapes the skin as well as the bone and cartilage inside to alter the size and shape of the nose. Work on the cartilage that separates the two nasal air passages can help with breathing problems. This so-called “septoplasty” is often done as part of rhinoplasty or as the sole procedure. Sometimes this same cartilage is also used as a graft to help in the nose reshaping. Rhinoplasty, or nose surgery, is one of the most common of all plastic surgery procedures. Rhinoplasty can reduce or increase the size of your nose, change the shape of the tip or the bridge, narrow the span of the nostrils, or change the angle between your nose and your upper lip. Rhinoplasty usually takes an hour or two, though complicated procedures may take longer. During surgery the skin of the nose is separated from its supporting framework of bone and cartilage, which is then sculpted to the desired shape. Finally, the skin is redraped over the new framework. Many plastic surgeons perform rhinoplasty from within the nose, making their incision inside the nostrils. Others prefer an “open” procedure, especially in more complicated cases; they make a small incision across the columella, the vertical strip of tissue separating the nostrils. When the surgery is complete, a splint will be applied to help your nose maintain its new shape. Nasal packs or soft plastic splints also may be placed in your nostrils to stabilize the septum, the dividing wall between the air passages