Summer Oculofacial Plastic Surgery Trends
By Christine Montanti
Summer is right around the corner, and for many men and women who want to look and feel their best, this means obtaining the top cosmetic beauty procedures. The trend this summer seems to be moving away from non-invasive facial procedures such as Botox and fillers that are temporary, to more permanent facial surgical procedures such as blepharoplasties and eyebrow lifts. These particular techniques are excellent for individuals who have fat or puffiness under the eyelids or a sagging brow and heavy forehead lines.
A unique facial procedure called the Triplanar Blepharoplasty was created by Dr. Robert Schwarcz, the nation’s leading cosmetic oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon. As a dual board-certified facial cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Schwarcz has had the most focused training on this topic and is known for his truly personalized procedures and for achieving natural looking results. To achieve this customized approach, he requests that his patients bring in old photographs of themselves to help him study the natural state of the eyelids and contours, with the firm belief that cosmetic surgery should help a patient look rejuvenated and not “pulled” or “done.”
What are the top requested cosmetic facial procedures in 2023?
I do a surgical technique called the Triplanar Lower Eyelid Blepharoplasty. Essentially, when someone comes in with lower eyelid bags that need rejuvenating, I not only take the bag out, I most often do fat grafting with it because I like to blend the fat from the cheeks to the eyelid making a smoother eyelid cheek junction. Then, I usually use a laser on top of the skin to shrink wrap it. I do this Triplanar technique taking the fat out from the lower eyelid by making an incision on the inside of the eyelid, and then I liposuction some fat from the patient’s belly. After, I inject it into the lower eyelid and feather it into their cheek area. This procedure is my go-to technique that I call the Triplanar because I am in three different planes of skin. I do this procedure very often as it is one of the most common techniques that I use to rejuvenate the lower eyelid.
There are different ways you can handle the lower eyelid. You can do it with fat transposition which is taking the fat and moving it down, but many people do not have a lot of fat to transpose, so augmenting it from belly fat is a lot better. You can also cut the skin below the eyelashes and tighten it, but I try not to do that too much because there are a significant number of complications with that technique.
What are some questions and concerns that patients are asking before having this procedure?
The most common inquiry I get from patients is what happens if they have had teardrop or lower eyelid filler in the last year or two. I always dissolve the filler for them before the surgery because it creates swelling after surgery and sometimes can create less predictable results.
Who is a candidate for this type of procedure?
Anybody with an eyelid bag. The patients’ ages range for this procedure and are anywhere from 30 to 70 years of age.
What is the downtime for the Triplanar Lower Eyelid Blepharoplasty?
Dr. Schwarcz: Usually about a week of bruising and swelling. I do follow-up visits with my patients one-week post-surgery, then one month, three months and six months later. I keep tabs on them.
What other facial procedures are on trend for 2023?
The other procedure I often do is a Temporal Lift, and I do it endoscopically with a camera. If there is drooping of the upper outer eyelid, oftentimes it is not enough to just do an upper eyelid blepharoplasty. I often do a Temporal Lift where I lift just the temple part of the brow. I do it through the temple incision of the hairline. It lifts the upper outer part of the brow which is the tail of the brow that often droops. It is a natural way of lifting the brow.
Dr. Schwarcz practices at two boutique locations; one is in New York City, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan off Park Avenue, and his second practice is in Scarsdale, New York, in Westchester County. He employs the latest advancements in cosmetic surgery which allow his patients to avoid prolonged recovery times and unnatural outcomes.
To schedule a consultation and appointment with Dr. Robert Schwarcz please call 212.396.4400.
naturalfacedr.com
135 East 71 Street #1A, New York
Instagram: @drrobertschwarcz
