What is Cosmetic Facial
Plastic Surgery?

Cosmetic Facial Plastic Surgery is a broad term covering a wide range of procedures. Cosmetic facial plastic surgery includes surgical and nonsurgical procedures that reshape normal structures of the face in order to improve appearance and self-esteem. Healthy individuals with a positive outlook and realistic expectations are appropriate candidates for cosmetic procedures.

Plastic surgery is a personal choice and should be done for yourself, not to fulfill someone else's desires or to try to fit an ideal image. Specifically, facial procedures using diverse non-invasive to invasive techniques, are gaining in popularity as many of the procedures used today have become increasingly mainstream. These surgeries enhance the look or function of certain areas of the face.

Different Types of Cosmetic Surgery That are Performed on the Face:

Skin

The skin is the area of the face with the most possible options for cosmetic procedures. There are a wide variety of cosmetic surgeries that can be performed by NJ facial plastic surgeon on face skin, some of which are combined for patients who want various outcomes.

Cosmetic surgeries that are performed on facial skin include:

  • Facelift: The skin of the face loses elasticity over time, causing it to look looser and less firm. Skin can be made to be tighter and more toned-looking through a facelift.
  • Forehead lift: This same skin tightening procedure can be performed on the forehead. The effects include the reduction of baggy upper eyelids.
  • Thermage: Thermage is a cosmetic procedure that helps to tighten up skin that has become saggy or loose. Unlike a face or forehead lift, it doesn’t leave scars and involves no downtime.
  • Chemical peel: This cosmetic procedure is a chemical exfoliation treatment that is applied to facial skin. The skin’s top layers are removed in the process to reveal softer and healthier-looking skin underneath.
  • Dermabrasion: As with a chemical peel, the purpose of dermabrasion is to remove skin irregularities and to reveal softer, smoother skin. Dermabrasion involves the use of a diamond rotary instrument to accomplish this.
  • Laser resurfacing: This process involves the use of a carbon dioxide laser. The laser is applied to the skin in order to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and lines on the face.
  • Facial fillers: There are a variety of facial filler products – Restylane, Hylaform, collagen, etc. – that can be injected into the skin to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and folds. These products may also give the skin more volume and a firmer tone in strategic areas of the face.
  • Botox: Like fillers, Botox is injected into specific areas of the face with wrinkles or lines. Unlike fillers, however, Botox doesn’t fill in space – instead, it weakens the muscles that cause things like frown lines and wrinkles around the eyes and forehead to occur.

Ears

Though less common than other cosmetic procedures, some people desire a change in the appearance of their ears. This can be done simply for aesthetic reasons or because the ears have been deformed or disfigured in some way by accident or as a birth defect.

Cosmetic surgeries that are performed on the ears include:

  • Ear reshaping: Also called otoplasty, ear reshaping is a cosmetic procedure that alters the appearance of the ears. There are a few different uses for ear reshaping. One is to reduce the appearance of prominent ears by pinning them back to a more normal position. Disfigured ears can also be treated by altering their shape and their position.

Eyes

The eyes are another area of the face where patients may elect to have cosmetic surgery. Many of these surgeries occur as individuals age and their eyes take on a more wrinkled or saggy appearance.

Cosmetic surgeries that are performed in the eye area include:

  • Eyelid lift: Also known as a blepharoplasty, an eyelid lift removes excess fat and skin from the eyelids. The procedure can be performed on the upper eyelid, lower eyelid or both.
  • Eyelash transplantation: Some people who want to have longer, fuller eyelashes elect to have eyelash transplantation. This procedure uses a highly specialized technique to add or replace living and growing eyelashes into the eyelids.

Nose

Whether it is to change the natural shape of the nose or to correct a change in nose shape resulting from an accident, cosmetic surgeries that are performed on the nose include:

  • Rhinoplasty: This cosmetic surgery alters the shape and/or size of the nose to the patient’s specifications. The bone and cartilage have to be carefully sculpted to achieve these results.
  • Wide Nostril Reduction: A rhinoplasty surgery procedure that narrows the size of the nostrils that appear wide and flared. The reduction can help our patients to create more balanced shape of the nose.

Mouth

The mouth is also the site of many cosmetic procedures, whether they are done to change the size and/or the shape of the mouth itself. Cosmetic surgeries that are performed on the mouth at our plastic surgery center include:

  • Lip fillers: Products like collagen can be injected into the lips to make them look larger and plumper.
  • Lip enhancement: This cosmetic procedure creates the appearance of fuller, larger lips through the insertion of an implant. This is an alternative to injectable fillers.
  • Malar augmentation: This cosmetic surgery allows a patient to alter the overall shape of their face through the placement of facial implants under the skin. Though it does not dramatically change the appearance of the mouth in many cases, malar augmentation is performed within the mouth and leaves no visible scars.

Chin

Although less common, some people seek out a change in their chin’s appearance through the following cosmetic surgery:

  • Genioplasty: This cosmetic surgery involves the use of an implant to improve the shape and appearance of the chin. This is normally performed for those who have a lack of chin projection in their face.

Cosmetic surgery can be a safe and effective way to improve your appearance. However, there are several risks involved (as with any surgery). It’s important to discuss with your best plastic surgeon in New Jersey the possible side effects or risks of cosmetic surgery in detail before pursuing this option.

If you have questions about cosmetic facial plastic surgery procedures that we offer at the Center for Sinus, Sleep, and Facial Plastic Surgery in NY or NJ, please contact our office for a consultation.