Top Seven Reasons to Get a Face or Necklift

Man Checking His Throat
Having a neck or facelift done will entirely change the way you feel about yourself! If you are not happy with what you see in the mirror, consider visiting Dr. Michelle Yagoda to discuss your cosmetic concerns. Whether it is for the purpose of youthful rejuvenation or a long-awaited fulfillment of a profile change, neck and facelifts are life-changing surgeries (for the better, of course!).

  1. Correct drooping jowls: The skin that sits below the jaw will often sag and droop with age or excessive weight changes (which sometimes go hand in hand). As the skin ages, it loses collagen and elasticity, causing the droopy skin. Although fillers can sometimes be a temporary fix, only surgery will permanently fix jowls. Either facial liposuction (to remove the fat hanging below the jawline) or a facelift will remove the hanging and fat. You will immediately look younger!
  2. Soften nasolabial folds: Nasolabial folds are the wrinkles that run from the sides of your nose to the corners of your mouth. Deepening with age, there is no way to prevent them. Again, although fillers can lessen their appearance, facelifts can correct them permanently. Often cheaper than using fillers every year, you will love the subtle (but great!) results. Oh, and smiling does not cause them, so smile on!
  3. Restore cheek prominence: If you’ve dreamed of having high and sculpted cheekbones, dream no more! It is possible with surgery. Cheek implants can restore a more angular appearance to the face, but it is important to choose implants carefully. They must be in balance with the rest of you: Too thick implants can make the face appear heavy or overweight.
  4. Relieve effects of Bell’s Palsy: Affecting over 30,000 Americans, Bell’s Palsy is a facial disorder that affects facial nerves, causing a temporary or permanent loss of facial muscle movement (on one side). Symptoms include drooping mouth/eyelids, difficulty closing eye, difficulty eating/drinking, and a face that looks “pulled” to one side. Although sometimes symptoms dissipate over time, for many the effects are permanent. Once Dr. Yagoda deems you a good candidate for reparative facial surgery, she will be able to correct the effects of drooping/unevenness due to Bell’s Palsy.
  5. Provide an angular/sculpted neck profile: Surgical necklifts immediately rejuvenate your facial profile. Not only excellent at correcting hanging or excess skin, they can be used to remove fat around the neck as well. With only very small incisions (which are not visible to the average eye), your neck will become smooth, tight, and sculpted.
  6. Eliminate neck lines: Having horizontal or vertical neck lines is a common problem as the skin ages. You’d be surprised how many people complain of having a “crepey” neck! These fine lines and wrinkles are due to a loss of collagen in the skin, and their severity depends on each individual. Peels can be used in conjunction with necklifts to improve the skin’s texture, creating a smooth appearance.
  7. Eliminate double chins/turkey neck: This one is pretty self-explanatory! If you have excess fat around the chin area (or just do not have a prominent chin), then double chins or “turkey necks” are not uncommon. Fortunately, necklifts and neck liposuction offer solutions. Tiny incisions are made in the treatment area, and the extra fat is extracted by the surgeon. When combined with a facelift or surgical necklift, neck liposuction can do so much as create a chin where there wasn’t one!

10 Reasons to Have a Surgical Rhinoplasty

Considering a rhinoplasty? If you are, you probably have a good reason, whether it is cosmetic or functional. If you are still on the fence about it, read below for Dr. Michelle Yagoda’s expert comments on why her patients choose to have rhinoplasties. There are a lot of them: After twenty years of experience, this list isn’t even totally comprehensive!

  1. Fix a broken nose: After a nasal trauma occurs, the repercussions are not just cosmetic. Oftentimes, functional problems cause nasal airway obstruction and difficulty breathing. Although broken noses and fractures are common, they are not always easy to fix. Nasal bones need to be reset or repositioned, and the septum might need to be straightened. Additionally, the trauma from the broken nose needs to be corrected as well: Blood can become trapped in the soft tissues of the nose, compressing cartilages on the septum or the tip of the nose. Severe compression can cause the cartilage to lose its shape, strength, and even die off!
  2. Raise nose bridge: If you have a low nose bridge, you might just have to blame your genetics! Certain ethnicities and ethnic groups are more prone to low and flat noses, but, luckily, Dr. Yagoda is very proficient in addressing this cosmetic problem. When a patient wants to cosmetically address a low-bridged nose, Dr. Yagoda makes sure their “new nose” will be more balanced with their facial features. Sometimes this can be done with non-surgical rhinoplasty as well! Ever have the problem of your glasses constantly sliding off your face when you look down? This can be fixed!
  3. Lower nose bridge: On the opposite end of the spectrum, those with high-bridged noses want to make sure their nose isn’t the only facial feature they see! Again, due to certain heritages and/or genetics, noses with high bridges cause more than just cosmetic problems. Ever see two high-bridged nosed lovers try to share an intimate moment? It can get awkward!
  4. Narrow the nostrils: Although genetics and ethnicity can cause the nostrils to be wide and flat, nasal trauma can also cause them to flatten and widen. At first glance this may just seem like a cosmetic issue, but, in reality, the nostril size is very important for proper breathing. The triangle shape of the nostril contributes to the nose’s “nasal valve,” which is the “gatekeeper” of the nose. This important gatekeeper either lets enough air in, or, if the valve is compromised or collapsed, limits airflow.
  5. Change your profile: This is pretty self-explanatory! If you are not happy with how you look in the mirror, a rhinoplasty can help. Whether you’d like to change the nose you already have or correct an aging nose (perhaps it is drooping?) always ensure you and your surgeon are on the same page about what you’d like. There is nothing better than looking in the mirror and loving what you see!
  6. Make a nose smaller: Just because a nose is large does not mean it works well! Large noses and nostrils do not necessarily equal large valves, and bigger noses can have the same breathing problems as smaller noses. So, not only will you make your nose more in-line with your other facial features, you will probably breathe better!
  7. Make a nose larger: Those with short or small noses are the result of genetics or, sometimes, medical problems that are not often seen today in the United States. Because nose-lengthening cosmetic surgery entails augmenting tissue and not merely excising it, it’s one of the most challenging procedures in rhinoplasty. As you might imagine, it’s far easier for a facial plastic surgeon to remove an excess of cartilage and bone than it is to add to it. If you’re contemplating this cosmetic procedure, you’ll need the skills of a true rhinoplasty specialist such as Dr. Yagoda!
  8. Fix a breathing problem: Functional rhinoplasties can be done by themselves or in combination with a cosmetic procedure. Almost everyone knows that a deviated septum needs to be corrected, and abnormal turbinate repair is pretty common knowledge, too. However, not many know that the actual position of the nose bones can cause restricted breathing! To fix this, the surgeon needs to move the bones slightly out to allow adequate air passage.
  9. Fix a cleft nose: Cleft noses are genetic defects that occur in-utero. Treatment requires a team approach with multiple staged procedures and a skilled plastic surgeon to correct structural defects and asymmetrical features. Although the process is very long and involved, the positive results are always worth it.
  10. Fix a skin cancer: Skin cancers on the nose get tricky. They are much more complicated than other body cancers because they can be deceiving: What looks like a superficial skin cancer might actually be very deep! These deep skin cancers end up into the planes of fusion of two facial bones, i.e. the nose with cheek, nose with upper lip, or the nose with the eye. As a result, skin growths that appear to be small can cause significant destruction of the cartilage and mucus membrane below it. Although the removal of skin cancer is typically done during a MOHS surgery, oftentimes the repair requires a skilled rhinoplasty surgeon.

Ask the Doctor: Where should vocal cord surgery be done?

Swollen Glands and lymph nodes - vocal cord surgery in NYCAnswer: Vocal cord surgery should be done one place and one place only: in a hospital! There are a few reasons for this, and they are all very important.

When you undergo a procedure on your vocal cords at the hospital, you will be under general anesthesia. This is true for any vocal cord surgery/procedure, including biopsies, laser surgery and the removal of nodules and polyps. All of these conditions cause voice problems of varying degrees, and Dr Yagoda will let you know when surgery is necessary.

During general anesthesia for voice box surgery, a breathing tube will be inserted in your throat. This breathing tube is very, very important: Not only does it help you breathe, but it protects your airway!  Otherwise, when the vocal cords are “touched,” they will spontaneously close. This happens because the body assumes that if something touches the vocal cords, it is likely to be heading downward to your lungs.  Vocal cord closure is the body’s automatic mechanism to protect your lungs.  A breathing tube must be in place to keep the airway open so that oxygen can reach your heart and brain. 

In addition, vocal cord surgery should be done in the hospital for another reason.  Hospitals have the necessary equipment for vocal cord microsurgery.  This includes a surgical microscope that will magnify the vocal cords 400x.  In addition, lasers can assist the surgeon is performing precise and bloodless procedures.  

Now, true or false: Must vocal endoscopies be done in the hospital as well?

False! Vocal endoscopies can be done very safely and routinely in a voice specialist’s office. Endoscopies are simple procedures that do not require any manipulation or instrumentation of the vocal cords. In a matter of minutes — and while you are seated and awake — your vocal cords can be visualized. This allows the doctor to diagnose the vocal disorder.  But, remember, any procedure requiring a biopsy, laser or excision must be done in the operating room under general anesthesia.