ENTtoday
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • Practice Focus
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Departments
    • Issue Archive
    • TRIO Best Practices
      • Allergy
      • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
      • Head and Neck
      • Laryngology
      • Otology/Neurotology
      • Pediatric
      • Rhinology
      • Sleep Medicine
    • Career Development
    • Case of the Month
    • Everyday Ethics
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Medical Education
    • Online Exclusives
    • Practice Management
    • Resident Focus
    • Rx: Wellness
    • Special Reports
    • Tech Talk
    • Viewpoint
    • What’s Your O.R. Playlist?
  • Literature Reviews
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Events
    • Featured Events
    • TRIO Meetings
  • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Triological Society
    • Advertising Staff
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
    • Place an Ad
    • Classifieds
    • Rate Card
  • Search

Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: New Patients, New Reasons, New Techniques

by Gail McBride • November 1, 2006

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version

Another injectable filler agent is the patient’s own fat which sometimes, but not always, yields permanent effects, Dr. Papel said.

You Might Also Like

  • Unintended Consequences: Combat-related injuries lead to advances in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery
  • Trends in Facial Plastic Surgery: New Patient Groups Bring New Challenges
  • Wound Management Following Facial Plastic Surgery
  • Facial Plastic Surgery Gains Popularity with Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Explore This Issue
November 2006

Still, the search continues for new filler agents that will last longer than those currently in use, or even be permanent.

Loss of Facial Volume

Because muscle can atrophy and even bone can change, facial plastic surgeons have recently begun to understand the aging effects of loss of volume in the face, Drs. Papel, Kridel and Sykes all emphasized. This is found most often in older people but also can occur in physically active people such as athletes with very low body fat who can have, according to Dr. Kridel, that “Abe Lincoln haggard look.”

In such a face, hollow cheeks can be corrected by submalar implants and/or by fat grafting. Dr. Kridel prefers to restore the volume to these faces, but he also may perform “suspension techniques where I elevate the skin subperiostally, taking tissue off its bony attachment, lifting it up and suspending it with sutures.”

Fat or other fillers may also be injected or grafted around the eyes of patients whose periorbital region has lost volume and the skin has thinned—a much different philosophy from the past notion in which fat was routinely removed from the eye area.

Where are the fat-harvesting sites? “We get it from the patients’ thighs or belly,” Dr. Papel said, adding: “Most of us have some to donate. And whenever you do it, everyone in the operating room says, ‘Take mine!’”

As for what eventually will be the preferred filling material, the jury is still out.

‘Cable Lifts’ or ‘Contour Threads’

Marketed over the past year and a half under various trade names, all these products are made of permanent suture material with barbs on them to hold and elevate facial skin. After they are placed via a stab incision, the patient’s skin is pulled over them. “The advantage is minimal downtime, some swelling and bruising, and less cost,” Dr. Sykes said. “Still, these lifts are unproven. We don’t know how long their effects last or whether this varies with the person. They’ve been on the market only about a year and a half.”

“When used correctly, these contour threads or cable lifts can accomplish minimal changes in people with minimal problems,” Dr. Papel said. “As with any other product, they should be used correctly with knowledge of their limitations.”

Dr. Kridel, however, feels that suspension alone without skin removed is not a worthwhile endeavor in patients with hanging skin.

Skin Resurfacing Modalities

For people with acne scars, considerable sun damage, or other problems afflicting primarily the facial epidermis, dermabrasion is still carried out and is very effective—when done correctly. “Dermabrasion is the most difficult of the skin resurfacing techniques,” Dr. Papel emphasized. “It requires the most practice, the most skill, and a good ‘feel.’ The number of surgeons who do it well is very small. Healing takes at least ten days.”

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 | Single Page

Filed Under: Departments, Facial Plastic/Reconstructive, Medical Education, Practice Focus Tagged With: brow lift, facial, injectables, plastic, reconstructive, rejuvenation, research, rhinoplasty, surgery, techniquesIssue: November 2006

You Might Also Like:

  • Unintended Consequences: Combat-related injuries lead to advances in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery
  • Trends in Facial Plastic Surgery: New Patient Groups Bring New Challenges
  • Wound Management Following Facial Plastic Surgery
  • Facial Plastic Surgery Gains Popularity with Racial and Ethnic Minorities

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

The Laryngoscope
Ensure you have all the latest research at your fingertips; Subscribe to The Laryngoscope today!

Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
Open access journal in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery is currently accepting submissions.

Classifieds

View the classified ads »

TRIO Best Practices

View the TRIO Best Practices »

Top Articles for Residents

  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Why More MDs, Medical Residents Are Choosing to Pursue Additional Academic Degrees
  • What Physicians Need to Know about Investing Before Hiring a Financial Advisor
  • Tips to Help You Regain Your Sense of Self
  • Should USMLE Step 1 Change from Numeric Score to Pass/Fail?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • Experts Delve into Treatment Options for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • New Developments in the Management of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • New Developments in the Management of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Eustachian Tuboplasty: A Potential New Option for Chronic Tube Dysfunction and Patulous Disease
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Why Virtual Grand Rounds May Be Here to Stay
    • Otolaryngologist Leverages His Love of Pinball into Second Business
    • These New Imaging Advances May Help to Protect Parathyroids
    • Is the Training and Cost of a Fellowship Worth It? Here’s What Otolaryngologists Say
    • Which Otologic Procedures Poses the Greatest Risk of Aerosol Generation?

Polls

Have you used 3D-printed materials in your otolaryngology practice?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Visit: The Triological Society • The Laryngoscope • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology

Wiley
© 2021 The Triological Society. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN 1559-4939

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.