Tag Archives: surgery

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.

Tech Neck?


Myth or Medical Miracle: Is there a “tech neck?”

Is this the newest effect of the “selfie?” Whether “tech neck” — lines and wrinkles in the neck due to constant use of a smartphone/electronic device — is real depends on who you ask. According to some, people have been “looking down” for centuries (ie, on assembly lines), so it is nothing new. However, at the very least, it seems people are more aware of their necks — which is probably due to the selfie!

As many as one in three plastic surgeons say that there has been an increase in cosmetic procedures due to collective self-awareness. Neck wrinkles and sagging skin are more obvious in high-definition, and constantly looking at a phone does not help to hide these signs of aging.

What do you think? Is “tech neck” real? Or, are we just now noticing it?

Can you correct my thin lips?

Dr. Michelle Yagoda - New York City Facial Plastic SurgeonASK DOCTOR YAGODA

Question: Can you correct my thin lips? I don’t want to have surgery and am leaning more towards an injectable filler and am trying to find the longest lasting filler?

Answer: All FDA approved fillers last about 3-5 months in the lips. I don’t recommend permanent fillers in the lips as they tend to migrate over time and cause lumps and bumps.  Lips can be naturally augmented with Restylane, Perlane, LaViv, and Juvederm.

Do you have breathing problems at night?

Sleep apnea causes a person’s throat to close periodically 2throughout the night, depriving his or her body of oxygen. Researchers have now discovered that the more severe a person’s breathing problems at night, the greater the likelihood of dying from cancer. This is a monumental finding!

Read more online and be sure to ask Dr. Yagoda about treatments for sleep apnea/snoring.

For daily tips and updates Like” Dr. Yagoda’s Facebook page.

Facebook’s Facial/ Financial Formula

You’d have to be living under a rock not to have heard about Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram for $1 billion. For fun, since we weren’t lucky enough to be founders, we decided to look at the 3 founders’ faces and see if there’s a secret for early prosperity hidden in their faces (can you guess what they are?). And, even though they obviously don’t need any help to get ahead in business, since none are married, maybe they could use a little help from Dr. Yagoda to get ahead in the personal appearance department!

Here are Dr. Yagoda’s recommendations for Mr. Krieger (far left, 26): “Mike has an upper lip that shows too much of his gums when he smiles. Botox is a simple solution to reduce his gummy smile. Also, he could benefit from submental liposuction to define his chin and jawline, and to decrease the double chin. He won’t look as dapper as Brad Pitt or George Clooney, but it will be a noticeable improvement!”

As for Mr. Systrom (center, 28), Dr. Yagoda notes, “Kevin is clearly the most handsome of the three, but his nose is crooked. A rhinoplasty could correct this, and he might also want to consider some filler (such as Restylane) to make his thin upper lip more kissable.”

Mark Zuckerberg (far right), founder of Facebook, will be turning 28 today (May 14). Dr. Yagoda says, “It’s a good thing that the Facebook/Instagram deal closed, because sleepless nights working on the deal seem to have exacerbated Mark’s lower lid bags. If championing one of the biggest deals in the world isn’t enough of a birthday present, perhaps Mark can consider a lower lid blepharoplasty to make him look more his age, combined with a rhinoplasty to lessen the bump on his nose and raise the drooping nasal tip.”

These three lucky guys are really quite typical after all. They could all benefit from at least one of the 3 most common male aesthetic procedures that were performed in 2011:* Botox (that Mike could use to reduce his gummy smile), hyaluronic acid injections (that Kevin could use to plump up his upper lip), and rhinoplasty (that Mark could consider to revise the bump on his nose and improve his drooping nasal tip). Also popular among male patients were blepharoplasties (which could help Mark get rid of his undereye bags), hair transplants, microdermabrasion, and fat injections. In fact, the number of male patients receiving cosmetic procedures doubled between 2010 and 2011!*

Have you guessed the 3 facial features these founders all have in common?
Answers:

  1. thin upper lip
  2. at least one left cheek dimple
  3. under eye bags, with early age crows’ feet.

Adele got a Rhinoplasty

Adele recently had rhinoplasty to soften her rounded nose. The BRIT Awards 2012 - ArrivalsRhinoplasty or nose job surgery is one of the most common procedures performed by plastic surgeons today.

This plastic surgery procedure helps to define your face, giving you a stronger or more elegant appearance.

Call today for more information, or to schedule an appointment at my New York City office. Or message me here. I’d be happy to answer any of your questions.

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Treat Sleep Apnea without a Mask

Are you one of the estimated 28 million Americans suffering from 7sleep apnea?

Have you tried using a C.P.A.P. machine, but found it unwieldy, uncomfortable, or simply unhelpful? Well, there’s a new treatment in sight!

Search online for information about the “Provent” system for treating sleep apnea, then ask Dr. Yagoda if it’s right for you.

Learn about the latest in medical news from Dr. Yagoda’s Facebook page.

NY Mets Pitcher Jon Niese Gets a New Nose

NY Mets Pitcher Jon Niese Gets a New NoseWorking out and breathing has become easier for NY Mets pitcher Jon Niese after his recent nose surgery. Functional rhinoplasties are very common and they offer a world of difference.

Difficulty breathing can also cause snoring and sleep apnea and interrupt a good night’s sleep.

Read more about Sleep Apnea and Snoring.

Daily updates can be found on Dr. Yagoda’s Facebook Page.