What Is Facial Plastic Surgery?

The term facial plastic surgery encompasses those procedures designed to improve the appearance of the face and neck. This includes not only those unwanted features resulting from the natural aging process, but also those unwanted features that may either be pre-existing (genetic in nature) or acquired (by injury).

Why Should I Consider Facial Plastic Surgery?

The decision to get facial plastic surgery is purely a personal one. Some patients may feel that they look older than they feel, and want to bring back a certain balance to their lives. Others may have been born with or have acquired certain features that they don’t like, and would like to have these features changed. Finally, some may have been injured or undergone necessary surgery (particularly for skin cancers) that resulted in defects that require reconstructive procedures. Purely aesthetic concerns are obviously cosmetic in nature. Functional deficits, on the other hand, are often covered by insurance. 

What Are the Most Common Facial Plastic Surgery Procedures? 

Here are five of the most common facial plastic surgery procedures that Dr. Lober performs. 

Facelifts

Facelift surgery can address the natural aging process, giving you a more youthful and refreshed appearance. As you get older, the skin in your face changes. Your cheeks may flatten, you may start to have more pronounced jowls, and your skin may become more wrinkled. A well-done facelift creates a natural final result that includes surgically tightening lax tissues while also enhancing the volume of your face where needed to help in the overall rejuvenation of the face. 

Brow Lifts

Also known as a forehead lift, this procedure elevates the forehead tissues into a higher, more youthful position. It removes the heavy look from the upper eyelids by elevating the eyebrows. It can also be used to smooth wrinkles like your frown lines across the forehead and above the nose. 

Dr. Lober performs four different types of brow lifts, including coronal (open) brow lift, endoscopic brow lift, temporal brow lift, and internal brow lift. The specific procedure chosen depends upon the amount of laxity that is present, and must be individualized for each and every patient.

Blepharoplasty (Eyelid Surgery)

If you feel like you have a constant tired, heavy look on your face, you could need eyelid surgery. It can brighten the eyes by removing excess skin as well as bulging fat pads. This procedure can also be combined with a brow lift to further brighten the appearance of the upper face and eyes.  

Once again, the blepharoplasty procedure can also be functional in nature. If the upper lid skin is so excessive that it interferes with vision, the procedure may be deemed medically necessary and covered by insurance.

Rhinoplasty (Nasal Surgery)

Rhinoplasty procedures can be designed to address both aesthetic and functional concerns. Insurance will often cover those parts of the procedure that address functional concerns. It will not cover those aspects of the procedure that are cosmetic in nature.

Cosmetic nasal surgery changes the shape and structure of the nose in order to make it aesthetically more appealing. This can include fixing prominent dorsal humps, correcting beak noses, refining bulbous tips, or straightening out crooked noses. A well-done Rhinoplasty procedure should make improvements (often subtle) to the size and the shape of a patient’s nose.  It should not, however, change their fundamental appearance.

Functional nasal surgery is designed to improve the flow of air through the nasal passages. Although everyone has a deviated septum to some degree, the deviation can be so severe that it obstructs one side of the nasal airway, and this can be corrected surgically. In addition, some patients have enlargement of their inferior turbinates that can obstruct the flow of air. These too can be significantly improved by surgery. Both of these procedures are commonly covered by most insurance providers and plans when they are medically indicated. 

Otoplasty (Ear Surgery)

Otoplasty is designed to impact the contours and appearance of your ears. In most cases, otoplasty is used to make the ears less protruding and to make them look less prominent. 

This surgery is most often done in young children after the ears have matured in size with natural body growth (usually somewhere between the ages of five and seven). However, this procedure can be done at any age. Adults can choose to have ear surgery later in life if they feel that their ears are out of proportion to their face as a whole, and if they did not have the opportunity to have the surgery as a child. 

In addition to these procedures, many of the non-surgical options such as Botox, Restylane and Juvederm, microneedling, and chemical peels all fall under the “Facial Plastic Surgery” umbrella. These procedures are used to address mild to moderate features of aging, particularly when the patient is not quite ready to proceed with the above surgical options.

Why Should I Consider Facial Plastic Surgery?

The decision to get facial plastic surgery is purely a personal one. Some patients may feel that they look older than they feel, and want to bring back a certain balance to their lives. Others may have been born with or have acquired certain features that they don’t like, and would like to have these features changed. Finally, some may have been injured or undergone necessary surgery (particularly for skin cancers) that resulted in defects that require reconstructive procedures. Purely aesthetic concerns are obviously cosmetic in nature. Functional deficits, on the other hand, are often covered by insurance. 

How Much Does Facial Plastic Surgery Cost? 

There is no universal price for facial plastic surgery because the procedures are so diverse. The exact cost can only be provided after a thorough physical examination and assessment. 

If you already know which procedure you want or have a goal to reach and don’t know how to get there, schedule a consultation. You will meet directly with our team, and we will work with you to determine which procedure(s) you need. We will also provide you with an estimate of how much it will cost to complete those procedures.

Rhinoplasty procedures can be designed to address both aesthetic and functional concerns. Insurance will often cover those parts of the procedure that address functional concerns. It will not cover those aspects of the procedure that are cosmetic in nature.

Cosmetic nasal surgery changes the shape and structure of the nose in order to make it aesthetically more appealing. This can include fixing prominent dorsal humps, correcting beak noses, refining bulbous tips, or straightening out crooked noses. A well-done Rhinoplasty procedure should make improvements (often subtle) to the size and the shape of a patient’s nose.  It should not, however, change their fundamental appearance.

Functional nasal surgery is designed to improve the flow of air through the nasal passages. Although everyone has a deviated septum to some degree, the deviation can be so severe that it obstructs one side of the nasal airway, and this can be corrected surgically. In addition, some patients have enlargement of their inferior turbinates that can obstruct the flow of air. These too can be significantly improved by surgery. Both of these procedures are commonly covered by most insurance providers and plans when they are medically indicated.