As mentioned in earlier posts, men are having plastic surgery procedures in record numbers in part due to the need to remain competitive with younger workers. While liposuction can help refresh and renew the body, an aging face can unfairly give recruiters, potential employers and co-workers a reason to overlook your qualifications by assuming you're simply too old to do the job effectively.

The first area of the face to show age is usually around the eyes. Dark circles, and bags under the eyes, as well as heavily hooded upper eyelids, are often genetic "gifts" from our parents. These gifts can add years to the face, making patients look tired, and unfortunately, old. Blepharoplasty is the surgical procedure used to address the creases, bags under the eyes, and heavily hooded upper lids. Occasionally the upper lids can become so heavily hooded that they interfere with vision. The good news about that is that in some of these cases insurance will cover correcting that vision impairment. Working together closely with an experienced Opthamologist, the surgical procedures we do together will correct the cosmetic problems as well as improve the restricted vision.

Every time we animate our face by laughing or smiling we cause creases and furrows to develop. As long as we have reasons to smile, we'll have causes to form wrinkles. That's just the price of a life well lived. Many people are content with that and if they are, so am I. However, if a patient is bothered by those creases for whatever reason, Botox is a very safe, effective treatment to stop the muscles from animating which in turn reduces the visible creases, and temporarily stops the development of new lines. There is no one right answer for every single patient, and you have to determine what bothers you and what doesn't. That's the only answer that matters.

One of the most important things you'll do in connection with any cosmetic treatment is to find an experienced, board certified Plastic Surgeon who will listen and then address the things that are important to you. It doesn't stop there. It's also critically important that you have a rapport and trust in the entire staff. In my Dallas practice, all of our injectable procedures, Botox, Sculptra, Restylane, etc., are done by my nurse of 20+ years, Lisa. She and I work together in developing a comprehensive program that will strive to achieve whatever your goals are. If you start with Botox and Sculptra injections, and find over time, that they're not achieving the results you want, then it's time re-evaluate to determine if you are ready to move to the next step - a surgical procedure.

The Endoscopic Brow Midface lift (EBMF) is often the foundation procedure at this point. It can be combined with the Blepharoplasty and/or a Mini Lower Facelift, but every patient is different, so it's advisable to keep an open mind. The endoscopic approach requires only a few small incisions behind the hairline, which are used to insert the endoscope and the instruments necessary to rebuild or refresh the facial foundation. Using the endoscopic approach means that there's less risk of infection, less sutures required, a shorter recovery, and there's less trauma to the facial tissue. Because there is no ear-to-ear incision over the top of the head as there is in "traditional" facelifts, there's also less chance of hair loss, which for many men is a very key issue. The EBMF will last for about 10 -15 years in most cases and the result is a more rested, elegant appearance.

There are many options available to men, and fortunately we're able to choose as much or as little as we want. Whatever anyone of us decides to do, whatever answer we find for ourselves is the right answer and that is progress.

Dr. Steve Byrd will be presenting a live surgery demonstration at Mercy Hospital in Miami Florida in February, 2010. Head of Plastic Surgery at Children's Hospital in Dallas and Professor at UTSW Medical School, he also has a Pediatric Plastic Surgery office in Dallas, Texas focusing mainly on cleft lip/cleft palate, and craniofacial deformities in infants and children. His adult Cosmetic Surgery office is the location where he utilizes the Endoscopic Brow Midface lift that he developed and will be presenting at the Baker Gordon Educational Symposium next month.

The Endoscopic Brow Midface Lift, or "EBMF" is a much less invasive way to treat aging face patients. As a relatively new surgeon he became determined to find a way to improve on the traditional facelift procedure which employed a dramatic ear-to-ear incision that is the trademark of most standard facelift surgeries. The EBMF approach requires a few very small incisions behind the hairline into which an endoscope can be inserted to reach and repair the facial foundation in the brow and midface region. The advantages are several:

less chance of infection
less trauma to the tissue and the patient
easier/faster healing
less scarring
less pain

"Improving the technique is important, but it wouldn't have mattered if the results of the procedure weren't appropriate. The Endoscopic Brow Midface procedure results in an elegant, well-rested outcome for patients. Patients love the results." according to Dr. Byrd.

The Baker Gordon Symposium will kick off with a lecture by Dr. Byrd on the "Endoscopic Brow and Midface Lifting - Consistent Control of the Lateral Canthus and Lid-Cheek Junction", followed by a panel discussion of the role of the EBMF in facial rejuvenation. The two and a half hour surgery follows with Dr. Byrd demonstrating the innovative technique to many of the leading plastic surgeons from across the United States.

The 44th Annual Baker Gordon Educational Symposium is sponsored by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the University of Miami School of Medicine in cooperation with Mercy Hospital in Miami.