Dr. Mendoza in the Media

For Immediate Release

WINDOWS TO THE SOUL

They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. When you engage someone in a conversation, you make eye contact. When you look into a mirror, you stare into your own eyes. It would be fair to say that one of the most noticeable features on an individual is their eyes.

Signs of Aging

One of the early signs of aging is around the eyes and brow area. This is in part due to the thinner tissues of the eyelids and their constant motion compared to other areas of the face. Most people show their first signs of facial aging around the mid 30's when the eyebrows begin to droop. You can see for yourself if your eyebrows are drooped by elevating the outer half of the eyebrows while looking in the mirror. Do you see the small fold of excess skin of your upper eyelid become less prominent?

One of the most effective procedures you can do to combat aging is a browlift, also referred to as a forehead lift. Many patients are often confused about what they need to enhance their facial features. Either from speaking with acquaintances or incorrect advice from other doctors, they are often led to believe that they need a facelift or eyelid surgery.

When, in fact, the issue is their brow. If you a man, your eyebrow should at the level of the orbital rim (the top of your eye socket). If you are a woman, your brow should arch slightly above the orbital rim. As your brow begins to droop, your eyebrow will fall below that orbital rim.

As aging progresses, skin wrinkling and loss of tone can occur on the forehead area as it does in the eyelids and lower parts of the face. This may cause sagging of the eyebrows, resulting in a tired or sad look. This also aggravates the problem of excess skin of the upper eyelids. This is why most patients believe that they need surgery to get rid of the excess skin on their upper eyelids. In reality, what they need is either a browlift alone or a browlift in conjunction with upper eyelid surgery.

Another problem that develops with aging is the development of wrinkles in the forehead and vertical wrinkles between the eyebrows. The browlift is designed to correct and improve not only sagging of the eyebrows but can also help correct some of the deep vertical wrinkles between the eyebrows.

The Different Options Available

There are two methods of performing a brow lift: the traditional open method or the newer endoscopic technique. The traditional open method is usually performed by making an incision across the top of the scalp and lifting the tissues of the brow and forehead. The overactive muscles can be removed and the elevation of the forehead and brow helps eliminate the horizontal forehead wrinkles after a brow lift. Often crows feet are softened or eliminated. There is less upper eyelid skin to remove after elevation of the brow and in some patients a brow lift is all that is required to correct aging around the eyes.

In the endoscopic version of the forehead lift, several small incisions within the hairline using a special instrument, an endoscope, which allows the surgeon to see inside the body via small incisions. The endoscope is a tubular probe fitted with a small camera and tiny light that transmits video images of the body's internal structures to a television monitor in the operating room.

Due to its minute entrance point, usually less that one inch in length, endoscopic surgery often means small, barely noticeable incisions and scars. Shorter incisions may also mean less risk of nerve damage, minimal bleeding and swelling and potentially quicker recovery time.

Know Your Doctor

Because endoscopy is a relatively new technique in plastic surgery, it's extremely important that you select a board-certified plastic surgeon that has adequate training and experience in the use of this instrument.

When you interview your surgeon, ask them about their education or training. The Internet is a plethora of information on plastic surgery and information on procedures. If you visit the AMA's web site at www.ama-assn.org, you are able to search any doctor in the country and find their background. To verify that your surgeon is board certified in the field for which they trained, visit the web site www.abms.org. The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is the umbrella organization for the 24 approved medical specialty boards in the United States.

Dr. Mendoza is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon with offices in Naperville, Chicago (Michigan Avenue) and Oak Lawn. Specializing in cosmetic surgery of the face and of the body, he also offers a wide range of cosmetic surgery options. He can be reached at Chicagoland Plastic Surgery at 630.305.0331 or www.plastic-handsurgery.com

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