Full Facial Rejuvenation
By admin | January 26, 2012
Ms. K is a 62 year old women who underwent a full facial rejuvenation that included an endoscopic browlift, upper and lower blepharoplasty, necklift, facelift, cheek implants and chin implant. This was a very rewarding surgery for me because this was a classic case of a women who completely lost her self confidence because of her age and her tired appearance. Following the above mentioned surgery Ms. K was a new person. Her self esteem was significantly boosted and her quality of life improved dramatically. It is always amazing to me that I am able to help someone in such a significant way and it is something that I am very proud of.
Topics: Blepharoplasty, Browlift, Chin Implants, Facelift, Full Facial Rejuvenation, Lower eyes, necklift, Upper eyes | No Comments »
Happy Thanksgiving
By admin | November 21, 2011
As we approach this Thanksgiving holiday we all get a chance to reflect on what we are thankful for. For me it is the health,happiness and love for my family as well as the joy I receive from helping my patients. I am humbled to be able to provide care for people from all over the United States as well as all over the world. Having patients from every different background, culture and religion has only made my experience as a Facial Plastic Surgeon richer and more fulfilling and I will continue to give all of my patients my absolute very best every time I enter the operating room.
Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »
Rib Grafting for Revision Rhinoplasty in Beverly Hills
By admin | November 17, 2011
Rib Grafting for Function and Cosmetic Correction of Noses with Septal Perforation
Last week I performed perhaps the most difficult Revision Rhinoplasty of my career. This nice man had a history of nasal collapse secondary to a huge perforation of his septum from previous history of medications and chronic trauma to his nose. Septal perforations can be fixed if they are very small but the larger they are, the harder they are to fix. Septal perforations are irreparable if they become too large. To put this in perspective, a perforation the size of q-tip head is fairly easy to fix. A perforation the size of a dime has a very high rate of failure when correction is attempted and a perforation the size of a quarter is uncorrectable. This man had a perforation the size of a silver dollar. The reason that this is important is that the septum provides the support for the nose the same way the studs and beams inside the wall support the wall support the wall. Any trauma or insult to the septum puts the nose at risk of collapse which is why you see professional boxers with saddle nose deformities (because their septums become destroyed from repeated trauma). It is taught that someone has a septal perforation is not a candidate for rhinoplasty because the lining of the nose and perforation will weaken the support as I described above. I always have subscribed to that teaching until this particular person entered my office. This man has changed his life around and no longer does things that are detrimental to his nose or body. The appearance of his nose has severely affected his self esteem and is a daily reminder of the life and person he once was that he is trying to forget. He had been rejected for years by surgeons who he consulted with to fix his nose. I felt compelled to step outside the box if possible to help him move on with his life. He fully understood the risks associated with rhinoplasty and he desperately decided to proceed. I told him that I may be able to achieve a 5% improvement in his appearance and he thought that even that small amount would make him happy.
I performed a rhinoplasty using his own rib cartilage to rebuild his nose. During surgery, I proceeded very carefully step by step making sure not to violate the tiny amount of support that he had to his nose. At any step I was prepared to abort the mission if things looked too tenuous. As I proceeded I could not believe how much improvement I was able to get. I expected 5% improvement and I was looking at more like 95% improvement. Furthermore, I was able to increase his support by using rib cartilage so his nose is actually stronger following the rhinoplasty. He is now 1 week out from his revision rhinoplasty and I am astounded at the results! Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be able to achieve this result. This is one of the most rewarding procedures that I have ever done and needless to say he is absolutely thrilled and amazed with his results.
Topics: Home, Rhinoplasty | No Comments »
Middle Eastern Arab/Ethnic Rhinoplasty
By admin | November 9, 2011
I recently returned home from Dubai where I saw mostly Arab patients who wanted to have rhinoplasty and revision rhinoplasty. I saw many patients who had very distorted noses from previous rhinoplasty procedures in the Middle East. I did a lot of revision rhinoplasty on this trip and they were very difficult procedures but I am very pleased and proud of the results that I was able to achieve. The common theme among the patients who had bad rhinoplasty was the loss of support to the tip and the destruction of the structure of the bridge. The typical Middle Eastern or Arab nose has fairly strong tip support and good structure to the bridge and I needed to reconstruct these support mechanisms to recreate attractive appearing noses. Furthermore, the primary rhinoplasty that I did also had similar characteristics in that I reshaped the tips and the bridge without violating the support mechanisms. This will ensure that not only will the patients have outstanding and natural results but they will be permanent without the risk of collapse or distortion in the future. I am very fortunate to have had the experience that I have had and now I have an excellent understanding of the Arab or Middle Eastern anatomy and cultural dynamics that need to be understood to ensure that patients are more than happy with their results.
Topics: Dubai Plastic Surgery, Home, Rhinoplasty | No Comments »
Facelift & Necklift for Patient with Cushing’s Disease from Chronic Steroid Use.
By admin | October 31, 2011
I had the opportunity to meet a patient with the initials S.T. who is 55 years old and has chronic renal disease and therefore has been on chronic steroid therapy as well as other immune suppressing medication such as Myfortic and Remicade. One of the dreaded side effects of these medications is that the person’s face will became overly puffy and swollen in a very aggressive way such that there is significant distortion to the face.�
This is called “Cushing’s syndrome” or “Cushingoid Face”. S.T. has suffered that problem and it has been devastating to her as it is for most people who suffer from it. It is common teaching that a person who is on steroids cannot have elective surgery because steroids can also inhibit the body’s ability to heal well, thereby increasing the risk of healing problems following surgery. This also pertains to the use of any immune suppressing medications like those mentioned above. I have had a lot patient’s who are on these medications for arthritis or lupus or any other number of over active immune system related disorders. With help from their rheumatologists I have safely operated on at least 10 people like this over the last several years. Prior to 3 years ago, I would simply decline to operate on these patients because I was taught that it wasn’t safe to do surgery on them). However, all of these patients were able to be off of all medications at the time of surgery and stay off their medications for 1 week after the surgery. I have never operated on anyone who was on their steroids during the surgery and the early post operative period. S.T. was not able to be off of her prednisone even for one day because of her kidney disease but she desperately wanted to look normal and therefore wanted the surgery. I spent a lot of time discussing this with her nephrologist who is very close with her as they have had a doctor patient relationship for many years. The nephrologist wanted S.T. to have the surgery to improve her quality of life. Based on S.T.’s desires and her motivation do this surgery and be very compliant with post operative care I decided to do her surgery for her. I did a facelift and I used a very safe technique called the Deep Plane Facelift. This facelift technique puts minimal tension on the superficial skin layer and most of the tension is on the deeper layers. This makes this the safest facelift technique for any patient who may have an issue with healing like S.T. Her nephrologist was involved in managing her kidney medications on a daily basis which included prednisone on the surgery day and every day afterwards. S.T.’s post operative healing course was perfectly normal without any problems at all. The results outstanding and she is so happy that she was able to have this surgery. S.T. and her husband feel that we were able to give her the appearance that she used to have before she suffered Cushing’s syndrome. I am very proud of S.T.’s courage and motivation to go through with this surgery and I will be more willing to take on patients with these types of problems in the future.
Topics: Facelift, Home, necklift | No Comments »
Laser Hair Removal
By admin | October 27, 2011
Soprano Laser Hair Removal represents the gold standard amongst processes aimed at permanent hair removal and reduction. The In Motion technique of the Soprano reduces discomfort, irritation, and the need for a topical anesthetic. The Soprano is designed to remove hair faster and more comfortably for all skin tones and types. The Soprano can be used on any part of the face or body, and with a series of at least five treatments, the reduction of unwanted facial and body hair is optimally achieved. For more information regarding the Soprano and other treatments please give us a call.
Topics: Home, Laser Enhancement, Laser Hair Removal | No Comments »
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
By admin | October 4, 2011
As a Facial Plastic Surgeon in Beverly Hills my practice is 100% focused towards enhancing the face for both women and men with procedures such as facelifts, rhinoplasties, facial implants, eyelid surgery, etc. But as we enter into the month of October I feel compelled to address how important education and awareness must be in a woman’s life regarding breast cancer. Early detection of this disease can make all the difference for most people and this information needs to be known and available to people from all different backgrounds and socioeconomic groups. I also feel strongly that for any cancer one should be evaluated by a legitimate oncologist who is a medical doctor. I have heard too many stories and actually have a close friend who decided that she wanted to try alternative methods of treatment like going to Mexico for antioxidant therapy and herbal treatments. Needless to say these therapies did not work and the cancer only progressed rapidly. Cancer treatments can be difficult to undergo but I am of the opinion that there is no reasonable alternative therapy at this time.
Topics: Home, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Holiday Facial Enhancement Treatment
By admin | September 20, 2011
The holiday season is just around the corner and this is an excellent time to start thinking about facial fillers, non invasive lasers and minor facial procedures for facial enhancement. Year in and year out I see people come in the weeks prior to their holiday parties asking to have some treatments done so that they will look their best for their events.�
The liquid facelift is a procedure that includes Botox to treat the wrinkles on the forehead, between the brows and the crow’s feet. This procedure also includes Radiesse to augment the malar or cheek bone which will create better definition to the cheek as well as lift the cheek and midface region. The liquid facelift will also include fillers to the laugh lines and lips (if indicated to rejuvenate those regions). The liquid facelift can take years off of a person’s appearance in a very natural and beautiful way. The non invasive lasers such as the Pixel, Accent, or IPL (fotofacial) can rejuvenate a person’s appearance significantly by improving the skin’s texture and tone and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.�
The above mentioned procedures can take as little as 1 day to heal. The holiday season is overwhelming for many people and these procedures often give people the little boost they need to look and feel their best at this time of year.
Topics: Laser Enhancement, Nonsurgical Enhancement | No Comments »
Facial Before and After
By admin | August 18, 2011
Being a Plastic Surgery expert of the face in Beverly Hills, I am often asked to show my before and after photos. Patients can really gain a lot of valuable information based on studying before and after photos of facelift, rhinoplasty and plastic surgery of the face. The most important thing that my patients gain from viewing my before and after photos is the natural appearance of all my patients after surgery. My patients never look “done”, they always look fresh, natural and more youthful. It is always important to look at photos of patients that have similar anatomy and facial features as you do. For example, if you are considering a facelift and have a short, thick neck it is not applicable for you to look at photos of patients with long thin necks. Furthermore, if you are considering a rhinoplasty and have a nose with thick skin you should look at photos of patients with thick skin rather than those with thin skin. Your postoperative results are more likely to be consistent with patients who have thick skin.�
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Looking at before and after photos allows you to take note of the incision placement and scar quality in many instances. There are a few factors to note when reviewing before and after photos. It is important to make sure that both the before and after photo show the same angles and lighting. It is easy for a doctor to make the after photos look more flattering or artificially enhanced when angles and lighting are slightly manipulated. There are other subtle tricks that may be hard to detect which can artificially enhance the after photo so don’t forget to go to a doctor that you trust. Above all else, when deciding which doctor to choose you should pick a doctor who has a great reputation, and one who’s work you have seen. Let the before and after photos be an important guide but don’t let them be the only factor.
Topics: Facelift, Rhinoplasty | No Comments »
Laser Treatment to Remove Fine Wrinkles
By admin | July 14, 2011
Laser Facial Enhancement
Often patients come to my Beverly Hills practice who want to remove fine wrinkles from their faces. There are many conservative options to improve wrinkles including noninvasive in office treatments such as fillers, Botox and nonablative lasers. These treatments can offer some improvements but they are usually very limited. There are essentially 3 treatments that are highly successful in removing fine lines and these include Phenol chemical peel, co2 laser, and surgical dermabrasion. Unlike the in office procedures, these 3 treatments all require general anesthesia and are assosciated with significant healing time. I always spend a great deal of time discussing all options with my patients to determine which is best for a given person. In summary, for those people who really want to eliminate the wrinkles as much as possible, the more aggressive resurfacing procedures are the best options by far as long as that person can tolerate the healing period.
Topics: Home, Laser Enhancement, Nonsurgical Enhancement | No Comments »
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