Face
Iowa Plastic Surgery
Dr. Van Raalte is able to enhance or refine areas of the face and neck for both women and men using surgical procedures and chemical treatments. Congenital deformities (birth defects) and abnormalities resulting from accidents or disease can be corrected as well.
As we age, our face changes. Skin loses its elasticity and sags. The volume of the face changes, changing a youthful oval shape into an inverted triangular cone. Skillful surgeons understand these changes and can help restore the look of your youth by selectively canceling out those features which signify age. The cheeks are elevated, folds are flattened, jowls tightened, the neck is re-draped, and excess skin is removed. Your appearance is not replaced, but a younger appearance is restored.
Dr. Van Raalte specializes in the following facial cosmetic surgical procedures:
Fat Transfer / Fat Grafting Rejuvenation
Dr. Van Raalte has been grafting or transferring your own fat for the rejuvenation of the face and hands for many years. Patients have been very pleased with the appearance, and the cost and recovery are usually much less than with other surgical procedures. Fat transfer is also used to enhance the lips and is a more natural way to add volume to cheeks or buttocks without the complications or unnatural look of implants.
Many of our patients for fat grafting have previously undergone treatment with fillers, and the fat transfer is a very economical way to add multiple syringes of a natural "filler" that lasts longer in most cases. Fat is good for a volume effect to restore the lost volume with aging. It is helpful for those that are not ready for, or do not quite need, a facelift, or for additional rejuvenation after a previous facelift. It restores the natural appearance and helps avoid the operated look.
The procedure involves liposuction of fat, then centrifuge of the fat, and then micro-syringe transfer of small droplets of the fat into the tissue. It can easily be done under sedation. Most patients are doing well the next day, but do have some swelling and bruising for about a week. An average of 80% of the fat grafted survives in 80% of the patients.
Blepharoplasty (Eyelid rejuvenation)
Rejuvenation of the eyes can remove the tired appearance. Depending on the patient, it may be excess skin, fat pockets, or muscle. The incisions are usually kept in the crease of the eyelid. When combined with a brow lift, blepharoplasty can open up the eyes and make them look less angry, and for women, more feminine.
The upper eyelids or lower eyelids can be done alone, together, or with a brow lift or facelift. Discomfort is usually minimal, and recovery is usually in one to two weeks. Some patients will wear sunglasses and be out and about in a few days. Additional adjunctive procedures include reduction of the frown lines in between the eyebrows (the "11"s, or corrugators muscle transaction), changing of the eyelid crease (Asian eye or westernization), eyebrow sutures, tightening up the lower lid angle (canthoplasty), and reduction of the dark circle tear trough by fat transposition. We discuss the options, benefits, and risks in detail at your personal consultation. Modifications are made depending on your desires and your appearance.
Eyelid surgery has been modified over the last few years to include less removal and a more natural improvement. The upper lid incision can be much smaller with a mini brow lift. The lower lid muscle is preserved and fat commonly removed from a sub-conjunctival incision (inside the lid), a pinch of skin is removed safely, and the muscle re-suspended.
For crow’s feet, BOTOX® Cosmetic is commonly used. Our aesthetician can help with dark circles.
Eyelid surgery is most commonly performed from the 30’s on up. Men and women equally enjoy the benefits of this procedure.
Brow Lifts (Mini or Lateral)
A brow lift elevates the forehead which has drooped with time. It is commonly performed at the same time as blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) for upper face rejuvenation. It also can be combined with a facelift. When performed with blepharoplasty, the results are a less tired, less angry, less "heavy" look of the brow. In women, it feminizes the brow and takes away the masculine look. In men, it is modified, so incisions are well hidden, even with hair thinning or loss.
We have been performing a mini or lateral brow lift for the majority of our patients. This mini brow lift can be done under local or sedation anesthesia, and has smaller incisions than the coronal brow lift and is less costly. It avoids the surprised look of the endoscopic brow lift. It creates just a natural lifting of the lateral, tail, or side of the eyebrow. Patients look like they did 10 years before. When combined with eyelid surgery, the eyelid incisions can be kept smaller, and hidden yet rejuvenated. Recovery may be as little as a few days to a little more than a week for many patients.
A variation of the browlift can be done through only the upper eyelid incision, avoiding any incision on the brow.
