Health Questions and Answers

Archive for February, 2010

What are the advantages of laser techniques in blepharoplasty?

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

Short-pulsed laser cuts through tissue with limited surrounding thermal damage, resulting in less scarring.
It provides excellent hemostasis, which can shorten surgical time and lessen postoperative bruising and swelling. It is also quick and causes less sensory nerve stimulation.
Laser blepharoplasty addresses several of the major signs of periorbital aging that are not improved by blepharoplasty alone, [...]

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What are laser techniques used in blepharoplasty?

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

Various lasers have been designed for use in blepharoplasty, but the carbon dioxide (CO2) laser has gained the most popularity. Laser resurfacing of the periorbital region also can be performed by a variety of lasers.
Reference:
Biesman BS: Lasers play a useful role in periorbital incisional surgery. Derm Surg 26:883-886, 2000.

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What must the surgeon consider in the preoperative evaluation of a blepharoplasty candidate?

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

The surgeon must evaluate the particular aesthetic problem(s) and work with the patient to decide which features are undesirable and how they can be corrected. This evaluation must determine whether a component of true ptosis is present. Other elements that should be evaluated include the skin, eyelid laxity, internal structures, and ocular surface.
Reference:
Tarbet KJ: Ophthalmic [...]

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What is the difference between dermatochalasis and blepharochalasis?

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Dermatochalasis is the redundancy and draping of the eyelid skin in the aged face. It causes pseudoptosis when it progresses to the point that skin drapes over the upper eyelashes and causes visual field defects. Dermatochalasis may occur in younger people who have a familial predisposition for upper eyelid skin redundancy and/or orbital fat hypertrophy.
Blepharochalasis [...]

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Which eyelid abnormalities can be corrected with a blepharoplasty?

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Blepharoplasty corrects three entities that may be isolated abnormalities or occur in combination:

Dermatochalasis
Pseudoherniation of fat
Orbicularis muscle hypertrophy

Reference:
Papita M: The evaluation and management of lower eyelid retraction following cosmetic surgery. Plast Reconstr Surg 106:438-453, 2000.

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Define blepharoplasty

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Blepharoplasty is a facial plastic procedure intended to improve the eyelid appearance and/or function. Cosmetic blepharoplasty attempts to give the eyes a more youthful and attractive appearance. Functional blepharoplasty is performed when eyelid skin becomes so redundant that it drapes over the eyelid margin, obstructing the patient’s superior visual field.
Reference:

Papita M: The evaluation and management [...]

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How does one “analyze” the nose preoperatively?

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Quality of the “fabric” of the nose: such factors as skin quality and thickness, sebaceous prominence, and skin shading.
Comparison with classic perceptions of appropriate facial proportion: the nose should be about one third of facial height and about one fifth of facial width. If it is does not meet these criteria, is the “fit” of [...]

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