Sunday, March 23, 2008

Get Alert About Your Blepharoplasty Procedure:

According to a board certified ophthalmologist who specializes in facial cosmetic surgery, “it is important to find out about a doctor’s specialty and experience”. After having performed more than 15,000 eyelid surgery and facial cosmetic surgery procedures, he should know about this.

One of the most popular plastic surgery procedures, eyelid surgery has made it into this list because of the tendency of the eyes to age quicker than the rest of the face. Another reason for its popularity, doctor’s claim, is that it is coverable by health insurance in cases like upper eyelid surgery.

Getting an upper eyelid surgery or upper blepharoplasty done can result in quite pleasant results, especially if the upper eyelid displays unusual sagging. Plastic surgeons at our advanced surgical institute, the Plastic Surgery Institute of California, offer upper blepharoplasty procedures performed by trained and board certified plastic surgeons.

You can have an eyelid surgery procedure either by itself or in conjunction with facial plastic surgery. Asian blepharoplasty, which is a procedure that adds a crease to the upper eyelid, is one of our specialties.

One of our resident cosmetic surgeons, Dr. Luu Q. Doan has been affiliated with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and is a member of the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Of Asian heritage, Dr. Doan has successfully performed numerous cosmetic surgeries including eyelid surgery and reconstructive eyelid surgery.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Reconstructive Upper Eyelid Surgery:

Jan Lee did not mind failing her vision test, because doing so would present her with the means of having better vision. Sounds crazy doesn’t it? But when I read her story I could see why this young lady wished this.

Jan had upper eyelids that drooped heavily and obstructed her vision. The tests were carried out to prove to her insurance company that her eyelid surgery was not for cosmetic purposes.

It felt good to know that her insurance request was accepted and that she was signaled to go ahead with the eyelid surgery procedure. Droopy eyelids or Ptosis is a condition that is usually inherited and can vary from mild to a severe case.

The condition is the result of the weakening of the levator muscle which occurs in the upper eyelid and performs the function of anchoring the upper eyelid in place.

Reconstructive eyelid surgery cases have been successfully carried out at the Plastic Surgery Institute of California, an advanced surgical institute. The surgery center at Huntington Beach has been at the fore-front of plastic surgery practice and is manned by board certified doctors like Dr. Mazin Al Hakeem, Dr. Luu Q. Doan and Dr. Brian Robert West.

Drop by for a detailed examination of your condition and more help on eyelid surgery procedures.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Relieving Dry Eyes:

Dry eyes refer to a lack of adequate lubrication and moisture in the eyes. The condition can be the result of combined or isolated factors like menopause, the climate or as a side-effect of certain drugs and medications.

Long term use of contact lenses and systemic diseases like rosacea and rheumatoid arthritis too can result in the dry eye syndrome. There have been cases where this condition has been observed in individuals whose eyelids do not close completely as well.

Certain cosmetic eyelid surgery procedures like
canthoplasty and canthopexy can be performed to correct this condition. But a type of plastic surgery procedure called lower eyelid blepharoplasty includes dry eyes as a possible complication that may occur in some patients.

A revision of the eyelid surgery procedure is required in order to treat this condition. Doctors insert devices called punctual plugs which may be either temporary or permanent in the eyelid of the patient. These plugs function as a dam for tears and conserve them in the eyes so that they stay moisturized.

Operating in an area of the face like the eyes is always a delicate undertaking, and getting your eyes examined for a blepharoplasty procedure by an oculoplastic surgeon is always recommended.

Visit the Plastic Surgery Institute of California for eyelid surgery consultation and procedures.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery:

The region in and surrounding the eye is very delicate and performing an operation of any kind in this area has to be done with utmost care. If you are considering a cosmetic eyelid surgery or any kind of ocular operation, it is best that you entrust the procedure in the hands of an expert.

The plastic surgeon you select has to be a board certified plastic surgeon like the surgeons we have at the Plastic Surgery Institute of California. An added expertise in ophthalmic surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and chemosurgery is an advantage.

Oculoplastic surgeons are especially proficient in eyelid surgery and upper facial reconstructive procedures besides cosmetic surgery. They also have a working knowledge of the problems associated with tear ducts, the underlying bone structure in the eye and the surrounding facial regions.

Visit the Plastic Surgery Institute of California for treatment and operation of the eyelid and facial regions. Board certified doctors that hold an impressive record in reconstructive plastic surgery are part of our medical faculty.

Blepharoplasty and its various variations and eyelid surgery to correct problems like dry eyes, ptosis, ectropian and entropian are some of the plastic surgery procedures that are administered at our clinics.

Plastic Surgery And Down Syndrome:

A headline making the rounds of countless newspapers and online discussion forums lately has been the news piece about the parents who had corrective plastic surgery for their daughter who has Down syndrome.

A similar case was highlighted in another story where a plastic surgeon whose daughter was diagnosed with the condition expressed his wish to take a similar step for his child when she grows up.

Down syndrome is held to occur in one out of every 733 live births in the U.S. and is considered to be one of the most frequently occurring chromosomal abnormalities by medical experts. There are doctors who face cases where parents request them to correct the look of their child.

Reconstructive eyelid surgery, facial surgery and an otoplasty or ear surgery are some of the procedures medical boards and plastic surgeons admit to performing on their patients who have Down syndrome. They also admit to there existing very less information and research material available concerning such cases.

Parents and guardians of wards who have Down syndrome have to remember that external alteration cannot change the mental state of the individual. Plastic surgery no doubt can improve the way people look, but the risks and implications attached to surgeries performed on individuals with Down syndrome usually are difficult dealing with and understanding.

We, at the Plastic Surgery Institute of California, recommend that parents and guardians think hard about such matters and consult a plastic surgeon or physician who is sympathetic to and experienced in such cases.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Hemifacial Spasms:

In the eyelid surgery department at the Plastic Surgery Institute of California we get to see a lot of different conditions of the eye. Patients come to our offices with complaints of dry eyes, eyes that protrude from the eyelids, spasms in the eyes, treatments for eyelid rejuvenation, etc.

A type of facial spasm that we observe in certain patients is hemifacial spasm, a condition that usually succeeds Bell’s palsy. Hemifacial spasms usually occur during sleep. The spasms start with twitches in the eyelids and gradually spread to involve the muscles of an entire side of the face.

Hemifacial spasms are mildly irritating in the beginning, but they have been known to lead to interference in vision as the lids are known to forcefully close at times. At least one case is known to form as a result of a tumor and it is vital to inform a surgeon as soon as the symptoms seem to surface.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is usually the common way to deduce the extent of this condition. Plastic surgeons at the Plastic Surgery Institute of California are fully equipped to carry out reconstructive eyelid surgery treatments for checking hemifacial spasms.

Top plastic surgeons administer botolinum toxin injections into the facial muscles in the eyelid and brow area to check the contractions. The treatments have to be repeated though, usually within three to four months.

To know more about eyelid surgery, visit the Plastic Surgery Institute of California.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Thread Lifts For The Eyes:

And here’s another breakthrough to add to the growing list of plastic surgery procedures that do not require an operation. The thread lift is a minimally invasive cosmetic technique that is increasingly being seen as an alternative to eyelid surgery.

In a thread lift treatment, special sutures or threads made of a synthetic substance called polypropylene are introduced under the skin surface. These sutures, with their knot-like barbs, peg and bind the underlying tissue and lift the eye, eliminating the droopy eye look.

The incisions that are involved are miniscule and can be performed under local anesthesia and don’t take more than an hour. A needle is used to insert the sutures under the tissues that need to be worked upon.

Thread lifts are proving to be alternatives to various other facial surgery options as well. Facelifts, brow lifts and neck lifts are the cosmetic surgeries besides eyelid surgery that are being replaced by thread lift treatments.

As of 2006, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported a total of 5,000 thread lifts being performed by its members. Such numbers attest to the attention that this plastic surgery treatment is being given so much attention by surgeons and patients alike.

Get in touch with the Plastic Surgery Institute of California to know if this new alternative to eyelid surgery suits you.