Facial plastic surgery
Your face is the mirror of your soul. Many people have to bear this cross. The consequence of an accident, the scars from a tumour operation or an abnormal deformity from birth often make life very difficult. Facial plastic surgery can be a great help in these cases.
The term “facial plastic surgery” is frequently equated with “aesthetic” or “cosmetic facial surgery”, but in reality it actually means reconstructive surgery. This includes the reconstruction of the body surfaces after tumour operations or accidents as well as the creation of normal shapes and functions in the case of congenital defects such as cleft-lips and palates or jaw deformities. Facial plastic surgery is therefore an important integral part of tumour surgery, trauma surgery as well as orthodontic surgery.
Our team of surgeons have gained many years experience from carrying out facial plastic surgery procedures. Our principle surgeon in this specialisation is Dr. Lanners , who has gained a national reputation in this field.
The operation can be carried out on an outpatients basis in one of our practises or under anaesthetic in the operating theatre at our outpatients department at the Bremen-Nord day hospital or as an inpatient in the DIAKO , but this depends on the requirements or the patient’s treatment request. At the DIAKO there is also the possibility of short-term post-operative residence, which is in the immediate vicinity of our practice and this endures that optimum care can be provided after the operation for patients who live far away.
The following are representative examples of plastic facial aesthetic surgery operations that we frequently carry out:
Upper eyelid plastic surgery
Drooping upper eyelids, possibly combined with genetically related bulky lid contours and sagging eyebrows, result in the oft-quoted unsophisticated and tired stereotyped look. If eyelid plastic surgery has to be carried out, then it must first be determined whether the skin on the lid has drooped (this often turns out to be empty skin lobes lying on the eyelashes), whether the complete lid is too bulky (often with an elapsed eyelid fold) or whether there is a disruptive bump (frequently inside the upper lid) causing a bulge on an otherwise slender upper eyelid. The same surgical approach is taken for all of these irregularities. However, skin, muscle tissue and fat will all be reduced by different amounts.
Lower eyelid plastic surgery
If the lower eyelid skin sags, so that annoying wrinkles are formed, then some of the skin and muscle tissue, if necessary, will have to be reduced. This is removed from directly underneath the eyelashes on the lower eyelid, so that the resulting scar generally becomes virtually invisible. If the skin is still taut and elastic and it is just the tear sac that is bulging, then the procedure will be carried out on the inside of the lower eyelid, so that there will be no visible external scars afterwards. The tear sac has nothing to do with the tear glands, which are found in the upper eyelid.
We normally carry out lower and upper eyelid plastic surgery on an outpatients basis under a local anaesthetic. Apart from the injection of the local anaesthetic, the surgery is completely painless and usually takes around one to one and a half hours.
Forehead lifting
Forehead lifting smoothes the skin and lifts up the eyebrows. This type of surgery has also become an important innovation during the last few years. Today we use a technique in which we anchor small decomposable barbed hooks to the bone beneath the skin before the sutures are inserted, so that the tension is evenly distributed and there is virtually no stress applied to the sutures afterwards. This clearly improves the wound healing process and this prevents the worst-case scenario of a wide, hairless scar appearing in the scalp. The scar will regain its old tightness about four weeks after the operation. The hooks will be completely decomposed by the body in approximately two years.
It is better not to use the standard type of cut used for a forehead lift on men as they normally start to show more scalp as they get older due to hormonal-related hair loss. In this case we normally reduce the forehead skin directly above the eyebrows into a small wrinkle.
Skin rejuvenation through non-surgical procedures
Rejuvenations can also be realised if skin changes occur due to age-related wrinkles or liver spots without having to resort to surgery. These methods include dermabrasion, chemical peeling as well as the smoothing out of wrinkles using fillers (e.g. collagen). “Dynamic” facial wrinkles, which are formed through the activities of the facial muscles (especially in the forehead area as well as around the eyes and the mouth), can be smoothed out with the help of botox (botulinum toxin).
The non-surgical skin rejuvenation procedures have also become increasingly important in our practice during the last few years. We will be pleased to discuss these procedures with you.
