Plastic Surgery for the Face in Redlands, California
If you have realistic expectations and good overall health, you may be a good candidate for facial surgery. Resculpting your facial features can have a profound impact on your overall appearance, but it can’t change your life. If you feel that cosmetic surgery is the answer to all of life’s problems, proceed with caution. As dramatic as the external effects of rhinoplasty are, cosmetic surgery is not a cure-all. Rather, rhinoplasty should be a carefully planned step towards improving your appearance and taking care of yourself. If you come into surgery with a positive, healthy attitude, you will most likely be very pleased with your results.
Redlands Facelift
A facelift (technically known as rhytidectomy) can’t stop the aging process. What it can do is “set back the clock,” improving the most visible signs of aging by removing excess fat, tightening underlying muscles, and redraping the skin of your face and neck. A facelift can be done alone, or in conjunction with other procedures such as a forehead lift, eyelid surgery, or nose reshaping.
Facelift surgery helps eliminate wrinkles and sagging skin that results from age, sun exposure and the use of facial gestures. Dr. Rau often couples this procedure with other facial surgeries to improve appearance, such as chin augmentation and/or eyelid surgery. Good candidates for rhytidectomy are in good health, have skin that retains some measure of elasticity, and are not planning to lose any substantial amounts of weight after the surgery.
Procedure
Facelifts are most frequently performed on an outpatient basis using local anesthesia with sedation at the plastic surgery center in Redlands, California. Dr. Rau makes incisions that create an outline of the face: across the hairline, behind both temples, in front of each ear, around the earlobes, behind the ears, and ending at the scalp on both sides of the head. The skin is gently removed from the underlying tissue and excess skin is removed. If needed, fat deposits beneath the neck and chin may be removed using liposuction. Dr. Rau tightens loose muscles and soft tissue around the face and closes the incisions with small sutures. The surgery generally takes about 5 hours.
Recovery
Following the surgery, the head is tightly bandaged to reduce swelling. Stitches are removed in 5 to 6 days and a support dressing is applied for the next 1 to 2 weeks. Swelling, bruising and numbness are normal and will subside over time. It is important to sleep with the head elevated during the recovery period. As healing begins, patients may encounter some temporary discoloration of the skin as well as temporary hair loss around incisions. Sometimes a facial nerve is bruised during the procedure, which may cause the temporary loss of function or sensation. However, this side effect is rarely permanent. Healing is gradual after a facelift. Patients must avoid bending and heavy lifting for the first 2 to 3 weeks after surgery. It takes a full 6 months until all the benefits of the surgery can be seen.
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Inland Empire Rhinoplasty
Rhinoplasty, or surgery to reshape the nose, is one of the most common of all cosmetic surgery procedures. Rhinoplasty can reduce or increase the size of your nose, change the shape of the tip or the bridge, narrow the span of the nostrils, or change the angle between your nose and your upper lip. It may also correct a birth defect or injury, or help relieve some breathing problems.
Initial Consultation
At your initial visit to the Redlands plastic surgery practice, Dr. Rau will likely ask you to describe in detail what you would like improved. Be specific about what you would like done. After examining your nose, Dr. Rau can give you an idea of what improvements can be made on your particular nose. Dr. Rau considers your entire face when planning the operation. Some patients choose to have chin augmentation along with rhinoplasty.
Procedure
Nasal surgery can change your nose by recontouring the underlying cartilage and bone. Dr. Rau can make your nose larger, shorter, smaller, straighter, or thinner. Most of the incisions for reshaping the nose are made internally and scars will not be visible.
How thick or thin your skin is plays a big role in the results of the operation. Thick skin will not “drape out” as well over the new underlying structure as thin skin. But, thick skin will hide small irregularities of the cartilage and bone better than thin skin.
The operation normally lasts about 1-2 hours. The surgery will either be performed under local anesthesia with heavy sedation, or under general anesthesia.
Common changes
* Tip of the nose: corrected by adding or excising cartilage at the tip and stitches the cartilage together. A low tip of the nose can be raised by adding cartilage to support the tip, removing excess cartilage in the septum, or repositioning the cartilage.
* Dorsal bone: the hump of the bridge can be corrected by removing (with a chisel or rasp) excess cartilage and bone, then brings the nasal bones together.
* Wide bony portion of nose: corrected by breaking the bones of the nose and repositioning them inward.
* Wide base of the nose: corrected by removing tissue at the base of the nose and the nostrils moved closer together.
* Nostrils too wide: corrected by removing small wedges of skin from
their base and bringing them closer together.
* Angle between nose and lip: corrected by trimming the septum.
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Redlands Eyelid Surgery
Skin around the eyes is very sensitive to touch. As time progresses, age takes its toll on most people’s eyelids, causing sagging, drooping, fat deposits around the eyes, bags, bulges, dark circles, fine lines and wrinkles, some of which can impede vision. Occasionally, some of these conditions may be caused by medical conditions, such as thyroid disease. Eyelid surgery can restore a more youthful appearance. Dr. Rau can perform this surgery alone or in conjunction with a forehead/brow lift or face lift.
Procedure
Eyelid surgery is conducted on an outpatient basis, usually with a combination of local anesthesia and sedation at Dr. Rau’s practice in Redlands. Both the upper and lower lids are treated in the surgery. Dr. Rau marks the natural lines and creases on each eyelid to make use of these folds to hide any scars. For lower lids, an incision is often made along the lash line to conceal the scar. After making an incision, excess fat, muscle and skin is trimmed and the incision is closed with fine sutures. The surgery generally lasts between 1 and 3 hours.
Recovery
Dr. Rau may or may not apply a dressing to the eyes after surgery. An ointment is often used to prevent eye dryness, which may cause some blurriness of vision. Expect some swelling and bruising on and around the eyes. Cold compresses can help reduce the swelling in addition to any pain medication Dr. Rau may prescribe. It is important to keep your head elevated when lying down during recovery. Dr. Rau will likely instruct you to cleanse your eyes daily with eye drops.
Immediately after the surgery, light sensitivity, excessive tearing and double vision may occur. These symptoms will pass in a matter of days. Puffy eyelids and numbness are more likely to last a few weeks longer. Permanent stitches are removed in 3 to 5 days. Generally, patients return to most normal activity within a week, although heavy lifting, bending at the waist, swimming, extreme neck movements and strenuous activity may be restricted for some additional weeks.
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California Brow Lift
A forehead lift may help refresh your face. Drooping brows can be corrected, and the furrows and lines on your forehead can be treated with a brow lift.
Details
During your forehead lift, Dr. Rau will remove or alter the tissue and muscles responsible for the aged appearance of the forehead. This can smooth the skin, raise the eyebrows, and shrink frown lines. There are two different brow lift procedures Dr. Rau can choose from: the conventional method where the incision is concealed beneath the hairline; or it can performed with small incision, using an endoscope. Whichever technique you choose, your smooth, refreshed forehead will help you look more alive.
Results
Often, the impact of a sagging forehead on the overall appearance of the face can be hard to see. Patients are happily surprised by how much a forehead lift can improve their appearance.
Goals
Before your brow lift, Dr. Rau will meet with you to discuss what you want from this surgery. You can smooth your forehead, raise your eyebrows, and minimize other signs of aging, including frown lines.
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Inland Empire Chin Implant Plastic Surgery
If you’re troubled by how gravity and age are affecting your face, or if you’ve always wanted a more pronounced chin, board certified Redlands cosmetic surgeon Dr. Rau can help you with a chin implant cosmetic surgery. Dr. Rau can help you have more attractive facial contours. He will help you achieve the look you want.
Results
A well-defined chin will benefit your entire face. Your chin will balance the proportions of your face. Weak or sagging chins can be fixed, giving you a new profile.
Your Individual Goals
When discussing your chin enlargement procedures, Dr. Rau will realistically discuss your goals with you. Chin implants are often combined with other facial surgeries. Dr. Rau will help you decide which procedures you need.
Chin Augmentation Plastic Surgery Details
Dr. Rau will perform your chin enlargement surgery under general anesthesia. The chin augmentation surgery is usually completed in less than an hour. Dr. Rau uses an incision in your mouth or under your chin to place the chin implants. The implants are placed directly on your jawbone. There are many different sized and shaped of implants. Dr. Rau will help pick the one that’s right for your face.
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Inland Empire Neck Lift
As you age, the skin on your face and neck loosens and begins to wrinkle. This condition can be exacerbated by sun exposure, stress and pollutants, making you look older than you feel. Redlands plastic surgeon Dr. Rau performs surgeries designed to make you look more youthful. Facial cosmetic surgery, including neck lift, can counteract the effects of aging.
Results
A neck lift creates a visible improvement, refreshing your appearance and making you look younger. It may even add to your self-confidence.
Goals
To achieve visible improvement in the neck, a neck lift surgery is performed. Often the changes in your appearance that come from loose skin, loss of muscle, or fatty deposits beneath the chin and jaw can be unwanted. Sometimes, your neck can make it look like you have a double chin. Dr. Rau seeks to correct these issues during a neck lift plastic surgery.
Details
Dr. Rau places the neck lift incision in front of the ear lobe. From there, it wraps behind the ear and is hidden the lower scalp. The contours of the neck hide the incision lines after healing.
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Inland Empire Cheek Implant Plastic Surgery Procedures
People seek out cheek implant cosmetic surgery with board certified Redlands surgeon Dr. Rau when they wish to reshape their cheek bones. You can have more pronounced cheekbones, or reverse the affects age and gravity have on your face. Age makes your tissue and muscles sag, and saggy cheeks can make you look older than you are. Dr. Rau can also balance your face by enhancing your cheek shape.
Results
Your cheek implant cosmetic surgery will create well-defined cheeks to balance your face. You may notice that you look younger and fresher after Dr. Rau gives you new, plump cheeks.
Your Individual Goals
During your consultation with Dr. Rau, you will realistically discuss your goals. Often, other facial cosmetic surgeries are used with cheek implants. You will agree on the procedures Dr. Rau will perform in order to create the results you want.
About Cheek Augmentation Cosmetic Surgery
Dr. Rau will perform your cheek enlargement surgery under general anesthesia. The cheek augmentation surgery is usually completed in less than an hour. The cheek implants are inserted through an incision place either inside your lower eyelid or your upper lip. If you’re having other facial cosmetic surgeries at the same time, Redlands cosmetic surgeon Dr. Rau will try to use the existing incisions. The implants are placed on your cheekbone. Some implants also go below your cheekbone. The implants used for cheek augmentation cosmetic surgery are all different, so you and Dr. Rau can find the ones that fit your face.
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Redlands Ear Reshaping Plastic Surgery
Otoplasty, sometimes called ear pinning, reshapes the ears. This surgery is often performed on children after their ears are grown.
Results
Ear reshaping surgery can make the ears smaller or bring them closer to the head. This cosmetic surgery is used to bring the ears into proportion with the face.
Goals
Ear reshaping, also known as otoplasty, is a surgical procedure for recontouring the ears. Otoplasty is most commonly performed on children. Older children and adults can also choose to have this procedure. Redlands plastic surgeon Dr. Rau is dedicated to hearing your goals and your concerns and making sure you understand the details of otoplasty.
Details
The incision is made just behind the ear, right where it joins to the head. California plastic surgeon Dr. Rau cuts away the cartilage and skin necessary to bring about the desired result. Sometimes, Dr. Ray shapes the cartilage of the ear and pins it into place using permanent sutures.
In some cases, Dr. Rau does not remove any cartilage. He just uses stitches to hold the cartilage in place. During the healing process, sutures are used to hold the cartilage in the desired shape after Dr. Rau has sculpted it.
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