Facial Plastic Surgery

Surgery to Redefine or Rejuvenate Facial Features

Facial plastic surgery can address a variety of concerns related to your appearance, including malformations caused by aging, disease, birth defects and injury.

Anti-aging procedures can rejuvenate your appearance by treating defects like wrinkles, folds and sagging skin. Other procedures work to redefine a specific facial feature such as the chin, nose, jaw, or ears.

The Orange County plastic surgeons of UC Irvine are skilled in a variety of facial plastic surgery procedures. View the menu to learn more about facial surgery.

Reconstructive vs. Cosmetic Facial Surgery

Sometimes the distinction between reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery is unclear, although both can restore a normal facial appearance.

Facial reconstructive procedures address abnormal problems that negatively affect your quality of life. Candidates for reconstructive surgery are frequently affected by injuries, birth defects, and burns.

Facial cosmetic procedures enhance your appearance by redefining specific features or addressing the effects of normal, age-related processes. Wrinkles, loose skin, rough skin texture, and loss of facial volume fall into this category. These procedures are always considered elective.

Reasons for Facial Plastic Surgery

Some of the common reasons to undergo a facial procedure include:

• Wrinkles
• Facial folds
• Loose facial skin
• Sagging brow
• Sunken cheeks
• Double chin
• Small Chin
• Nose out of proportion

Common Facial Procedures

Nose surgery, or rhinoplastyis one of the oldest and most popular cosmetic procedures. The procedure reshapes the nasal cartilage and bone to enhance proportion of the nose. Recovery time is approximately one week and the results are permanent.

Eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty, addresses fat, loose skin, bags, pouches and wrinkles in the eye area. Recovery time is approximately one week. The procedure can be performed on both the lower and upper eyelids.

Facelift surgery, or rhytidectomy, removes loose facial skin and tightens the underlying tissues for a more youthful appearance. Typical recovery time is two weeks. After a facelift, it is common for a patient to look 10-12 years younger.

Brow lift surgery can minimize forehead lines and wrinkles, and elevate drooping brows. By utilizing an endoscope, the surgeon can perform a brow lift using a minimally invasive technique. Typical recovery time is about 10 days.

Neck contouring can be achieved through several techniques, including liposuction and tightening of the neck tissues. These procedures can eliminate a "double chin" or "turkey neck," giving the patient enhanced definition in the jaw, chin and lower face.

Chin surgery, or genioplasty can address a small or receding chin. The most common way to achieve this is with an implant which augments the chin bone. Recovery time is about one week and the results are permanent.

Ear surgery, or otoplasty is commonly called "ear pinning" because it reshapes the cartilage to create a more streamlined fold in the ears. This procedure is commonly performed for children. Recovery time is about one week and the results are permanent.