Your Questions

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am wondering if it is possible to reduce the length of the philtrum without increasing the size of the upper lip. I have an 18mm long philtrum combined with already really thick, full lips for a man and I am curious what can be done to shorten the length of it without making my upper lip bigger & longer. could an upper lip reduction be combined with a lip lift to achieve this? Thank you!

A: The simple answer is no if you are referring to the entire thickness of the upper lip. With a subnasal lip lift to shorten the length of the philtrum the same amount of upper lip  tissue thickness is being compressed into a shorter external lip length so it will likely get a bit thicker.

If you are referring to the amount of increased fullness that will occur in the vermilion of the upper lip (lower portion) from a subnasal lip lift then the answer is yes. That can be managed by a lip reduction to prevent the vermilion from becoming bigger/fuller. That is not a rare combination for the very concern that you have.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, Looking to get custom jaw angle implants, I’ve had ~1ml of filler on both of my jaw angles to increase the frontal width/angularity and it looked great. I saw some of your results and i’m liking a lot of them and would like to possibly get surgery done as soon as possible. I currently reside in Canada, and would like to understand the process. I currently do have filler so i’m assuming that also needs to be dissolved before surgery. What’s the estimated wait time between consultation, implant design/shipping, dissolving filler (I had 1ml done 9 months ago but there’s still a bit of filler left).

A:I assume you have an HA filler which responds well to hyaluronidase injections. I would do that a month before the surgery.

For custom jaw angle implants that is a three month process from receiving your 3D CT scan and the surgery date.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley,  My chin has been growing with time I feel like it might be due to weight gain as well it shrink and grows sometimes slightly with my weight and sleep I have no idea but it’s squishy and I’m always so insecure of it and I was wondering if you have answers for it or what I can do to get rid of it.

A:With a deep labiomental fold and a bulbous soft tissue chin I can see that there is a likely mismatch between the size of the chin bone and the overlying soft tissue chin pad. That can only be improved by a submental chin pad reduction. The key to how successful that reduction would be depends on how mobile the soft tissue chin pad is…..which would be evident by grabbing it and seeing how much it moves as well as does it pull down when smiling.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, I would like to augment forehead to achieve a more full symmetrical look, and eliminate the indented like forehead. And also augment my brow bone area for a more subtle masculine look. Also considering an earlobe reduction.

A:You are referring to the need for a custom forehead-brow bone implant which can effective address the total forehead augmentation needs. (see attached imaging) An earlobe reduction can be combined with that procedure during the same surgery.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, Hi, I’m interested in learning more about procedures to achieve a more youthful and feminine look, particularly in line with Asian beauty standards. I’m currently exploring my options and would love your professional opinion. Some of my concerns include narrow temples and cheekbones, lack of volume in the lower cheeks and hollows, a small upper lip and long philtrum, a wide mouth, a tired appearance, a sharp protruding nose, and my face appearing too bony. I feel there may be excess fat or bone around my chin and perioral area, creating a square look.

A: To do a proper analysis for your facial reshaping desires I wold need some facial pictures from which I could image what may be possible in changing the shape of your face.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, I had brow bone reduction a couple years ago via a coronal incision. The surgeon did not reduce the orbital rim on my right side the same as the left (The right side is more prominent). I do not want to go through another coronal approach. Can you fix this through an endoscopic approach or perhaps through a forehead wrinkle? (The difference is difficult to see in pictures but I sent one for you to see what I look like.) Thanks

A: With your deeper horizontal forehead wrinkle lines they would be the incisional approach for your right orbital rim reduction. There is no need for a repeat opening of the coronal scalp incision.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, I need forehead surgery as I want a nice large forehead.

A:  Based on your picture this is clearly a syndromic forehead shape with a very low hairline and a recessed and flat/concave forehead shape. This needs a significant forehead augmentation which ideally iis done in two stages with a first stage forehead skin expansion so a large forehead implant can be placed secondarily.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, i want my midface to be shorter and closer if possible. My current facial measurement are: brow to chin leght is around 12-13cm, nose is around 5.8cm leght to the tip,face width is around 13.5cm.

My desire are to make the face more striking and stronger bones but also shorter. Also I would like a sunken cheek as shown in the pic but not too much just a little. I will like to know how I would get a low striking eye set.

Thank you

A: i don’t see many of these changes as achievable:

You can’t make the midface shorter or closer together

Stronger and shorter for the face is any oxymoron…you can’t shorten/reduce a face into more strong or defined features. Stronger features come from making them bigger not smaller.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, I just had a sliding genioplasty and I have a contracted lip and a step off. How long after the genioplasty do I have to wait until getting the procedure to fix the shortening of the lip?

A: I would wait a full six months to be sure that the initial tightness you feel does not largely resolve.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, Hi, I am a Canadian citizen that is interested in getting rib remouval surgery, which is not possible in my country. Do you accept international clients for your procedures or can you only perform you cosmetic procedures on American citizens? Thank you kindly for your time.

A: My practice has patients from all over the world with many from Canada.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, Hello, I’ve been interested in custom jaw implants for a long time and actually had non custom angle implants put in years back and one of them popped off when I yawned which eventually led to a hematoma in my cheek. We ended up just removing them to avoid that happening again which has scared me from getting them redone. They were not custom ones and he said the smallest ones were still pretty big for my jaw which. I’ve been a bit scared to have them redone (which if I do I’ll be going to you.) have you ever had anyone’s jaw implants pop off? I’m worried if I go there and return home, and it pops off again that you’ll be so far away. It’s the hematoma in my cheek that scared me. We did leave it in there for around 3-4 days after it popped off until he could redo them so maybe that’s why that happened?

A: Having performed over 1,000 jaw angle and jawline implants, standard and custom and for primary placement and revisions and replacements,  I have never seen any implant ‘pop off’ or develop a hematoma after surgery. So what happened exactly to you I do not know. But if popping off of the implant means it moved from its position right after surgery that is completely avoided by using screw fixation. I would go so far as to say that no jaw angle or jawline implant should be placed that is not screwed down.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, hi!! i am a 25 year old female with mild to severe plagiocephaly. my frontal right side of my skull is protruding, along with the occipital right side of my skull being flat. i live in Montana but i am willing to travel to have this part of my skull shaven down (front right) and an implant put in the back right of my scalp. i had a couple of questions regarding the consultation. i see that we can schedule a virtual consultation, but wouldn’t radiographs need to be taken during the consult? i am just worried about traveling to Indiana just to get radiographs, fly back to Montana, then back to Indiana to get the procedure, then back to Montana again. any help would be greatly appreciate as i have been researching this for months and have been wanting this surgery my entire life. thank you so much!!!

A: You are correct n that a 3D Skull CT scan is needed to assess the thickness of the frontal bone to see how much of the forehead protrusion can be reduced as well as it serves as the basis on which the implant is made for correction of the flattened side of the back of the head.

That is a scan you get where you live in which we provide the order for you to get it done at a local imaging center. You only owe here once for the surgery.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, I’m a transsexual female and I am wondering if you are able to reduce skull and face width. I have already had a cheekbone reduction so I am not sure if any more can be taken off.

A: I am not sure whether your cheekbone reduction was by shaving osteotomy which would determine whether any more with reduction can be done in t6he midface. The skull and jawline which you did not mention as being yet treated can have width reduced thtrugh temporal muscle and jaw bone reduction. But I would need a front view picture of your head/face to do some imaging to show you how much further craniofacial width reduction can be achieved.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, When considering skull reduction surgery, is the removing include  outer cortex of skull, the periosteum and the thin muscle above or just the bony part of the skull ? And if only the bony part , is its possible to remove the muscles fiber that are covering the whole skull in seeking to get more reduction?

A: in skull reduction the entire soft tissues of the scalp are lifted off the bone and it is the bone that is reduced. There are no muscle fibers that attached directly to the bone except at the its ends. (brow bones and nuchal ridge of the occipital bone) The periosteum and all the soft tissues above it are left untouched as all that would do by doing any excision would create a soft tissue contour deformity.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley,  I am not overweight/ but no matter how much weight i lose, i can’t seem to gain a prominent collarbone. I’m looking to change that and am open to suggestions.

A: Having done hundreds of aesthetic clavicle reshaping surgeries I have obsreved there is great variability in the thickness of the soft tissues overlying the bone. Those with prominent clavicle show have a thinner soft tissue cover while those with no clavicle show are buried under a thicker soft tissue cover.. Clavicle show or prominence has very little to do wirth the size of the bone.

That being said I would have little confidence in liposuction to reduce the soft tissue thickness to make the bone appear more prominent. I would have more confidence that enlarging the bone by a sleeve implant would be more effective in that regard.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, If I change up the midface implant for just cheek implants that are smaller and more designed like the first design as attached (but still with the brow ridge section), will there be sagging in the cheeks and if yes, where?I’m mainly concerned with the area in between my nose and cheeks.

A: When you reduce the size of an implant, particularly one that ‘hangs off the side of the cliff’ (aka all midface implants) there is always the risk of soft tissue sagging. How likely that is depends on what level of the midface that the implant is reduced. The higher on the midface it is the higher the risk of soft tissue sagging that could occur.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, What will happen when I grow older and my mandible shrinks but the implant will stay the same size. Wouldn’t that be an issue to have custom implant for my whole jawline? Sorry I am ignorant about this. Thanks

A: Your mandible does not shrink with age…unless you lose most or all of your lower teeth.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, If I have a step off and my lower lip is thinner and tight after a recent genioplasty, is this a fault on the doctor’s side? Do I have the right to ask him for a revision or at least a partial refund.

A: These are known risks of the surgery, not signs of negligence or a deviation of the standard of care.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, Hello i have a question about this surgery. I don’t have any injuries in my face but i just want higher cheekbones and i would like to know if this is possible? I know cheek implants might seem like a good option for this but thats not really rhe look i want. I was picturing this as moving or reconstructing the bone so the most peominent part is closer to the eyes and most importantly the cheek below the bone is bigger so the lowest part of the cheekbone is higher. Is this possible?

A:There is no bone moving method (osteotomy) thar can make the cheekbone higher or closer to the eye. Cheekbone osteotomies are lateral inward or outward movements not vertical.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, I had an Intraoral chin reduction in 2023 and am seeking a second opinion. I’m still unhappy with the aesthetic look of my chin after having it burred down 6mm. It totally changed the appearance from the front and side making it more pointy and projected. I’m not sure if I have excess soft tissue that could be removed or if I need another bone reduction. My chin projects further when I smile rather than resting. After my surgery I now experience sagging skin on my chin that I didn’t have before. From the side it gives off a crescent moon profile which I would hope to be corrected. I would like my chin to be shorter in length as well as less projected. What could be done to give me my desired appearance. (Photos) would this be possible and realistic outcome?

A:The problem with intraoral chin reductions, and is why I wouldn’t do them, is that it does not reduce the overlying soft chin pad. Since the chin is a solitary projecting structure any excess is a combination of bone and soft tissue. Reducing only the bone leaves the soft tissue which has very limited to no capability of shrinking down and getting smaller in size. Thus every postoperative symptom you describe is due to the residual soft tissue excess. Only a submental chin pad reduction will be effective now for improvement in both its static and dynamic shape.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, I had silicone jaw implants done by another doctor which were subsequently removed during a jaw revision surgery. I have included the original design for your reference. Certain aspects of it, such as the subtle notch, outward gonians, and the ratio of bigonial width to bizygomatic width being 1:1, appealed to me. These implants are what I would like Eppley’s design to be if not better.

Currently I have Medpor implants that are a bit too wide and not as appealing as the initial silicone jaw implant design.

A:Your current extended jaw angle extended implants are about 8mms wide while the ones you prefer are about 3mms wide at most. These differences are in the jaw angle areas primarily, there is not much difference in the anterior extension in either implant design. Since your existing implants are Medpor there are going to be some challenges in their removal, particularly the thinner part of the implant that heads into the chin to merge into the side of the previous bony genioplasty.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, I would like to proceed with the “Special Design Back of Head Skull Implant” option. However, I do have a follow-up question:

How would this pre-designed implant be adjusted to fit the unique shape of my head, considering that it was not created based on my specific CT data? Additionally, would my preferences regarding the shape—which I illustrated during my consultation with Dr. Eppley using the images I shared—still be realized with this option? Finally, is there any risk that the implant might not fit properly?

I apologize for the slight confusion and for asking so many questions, but it is important for me to have more clarity to ensure I am making the best possible decision. I truly appreciate your patience and understanding.

A: The only reasons a patient choses a Special Design (SD) implant is 1) economics (it costs less) and 2) I think what I have available to use will work reasonably well. What counts in any skull implant is the outer contour change, not an intimate fit underneath.  Any discrepancy between the implant and the bone will get filled in with scar tissue. The implant sits  in place with screws and is stiff enough that it does not flex. What really makes the SD implant possible in your case is the wide open coronal incisional approach where adapting the implant to the shape of the skull can be seen under direct vision. The SD concept does not work as well as when a more traditional ‘blinded’ limited incision approach is used as is done in the vast majority of skull augmentation cases.

That being said the way to obviate any of the SD implant concerns is to just do a true custom design. You choose the SD approach not because it is better but because it lowers the cost of the surgery somewhat.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, I’m looking into getting this fat tissue on the back of my head removed. I’ve uploaded a picture as well. Please let me know if this is possible.

A: This is a classic occipital scalp roll which can only be improved by an elliptical excision and closing it to place the scar line in exactly the same place as the horizontal crease which already exists.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley,  My forehead is overly large. It is excessively convex, especially at the sides. Although my forehead is a littl than I’d like to be, I do not think it warrants a hairline lowering procedure with the cost of a coronal scar and more invasive procedure. My question is, can the reduction of the bony protrusions of my forehead be reduced endoscopically or via some means that does not include a large coronal scar? My hairline has also somewhat receded, although very little and I have been maintaining with minoxidil and finasteride to prevent further recession. That issue also discourages me from hairline lowering due to the scar being revealed by further thinning/recession.

A:You can’t do forehead reduction via an endoscopic technique, you need more of an open field to do it whether that is a coronal scalp scar or a more limited anterior retro hairline incision. It would take seeing some pictures to determine how much forehead reduction can be done and whether the more anterior retro hairline incision is even an option.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, On Dr Eppley’s website, it states that there has to be an immediate effect with arterial ligation but that the real test is what it is like 3-6 months after the surgery. With previous cases, has the appearance of a visible pulse been completely eradicated or is the appearance of it diminished? I don’t suppose he has any before and after results he could show? I also wondered what ‘presumably, secondary vessel ligation or inflow recruitment does not occur’ means.

A:Most patients have near or complete eradication of the visibility of the artery long term.  A few patients (3 to 4 patients over the years) have had some recurrence years later, not as visible as before, but some partial return. I have no long term results from most patients as they never come back just to show me how good they are doing. This is the bane of an international practice, nobody is seen again physically unless they have issues. But the one thing about having a virtually based practice is I will definitely hear about by email or text if they have concerns.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley,These are my pictures, Hypertelorism they treat detached eyes with box osteotomy. So is there a way to pull the eyes down from above? Is this possible with Lefort 3 surgery?

A:There is no orbital box technique to pull the eyes downward. A LeFort 3 is not an orbital repositioning procedure.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am actually a former patient of yours. I had your 3 prong approach to reducing cheek fat (buccal lipectomy, perioral mound lipo, and buccinator myectomy) back in 2021. The results have been more amazing than I could have hoped and I never thanked you! It is life changing. Anyways, I was recently looking removing a deep glabellar frow line and I saw that you recommend an implant for very deep frow lines. I wanted to know what the cost would be for that? I have included some pictures (which also show the cheek results) of the deep frow line. Thank you

A:Thank you for the long term follow up and good to hear that the results were favorable. In regards to the glabella furrow I don’t see any attached pictures. However I do have pictures of you from 2021 and I can see what you are referring to. I assume that its depth is about the same. I don’t think yours is deep enough to yet justified an implant. I would look more at placing and Alloderm graft right under the furrow to  treat its depth closer to the skin surface. Implants are indicated when it is a deep V shaped indentation that cannot be pushed out by any other soft tissue method.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, Hello, I have had Porex implants (mandibular area of the jaw) by another doctor. I talked to the other doctor two years ago if it were possible to have one of the implants reduced (it is a bit too prominent on one side). He said it would be possible with access through existing scars, but I waited too long with the decision and now the doctor is retired. Would it be possible, in principle, to have the implant revised by Dr Eppley? 

A:The question is not whether a Medpor jaw angle implant can be revised but whether it can be done so in vivo (in place) as your inquiry suggests. To more accurately answer that question I would need to understand dimensionally what type of implant reduction is needed and where the existing scars are located.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, I’m reaching out to you again regarding the reduction of the temporal muscle and I have a question about it.The superior and inferior temporal muscles are both responsible for mastication. If I were to undergo a total removal of the superior temporal muscle, would the inferior temporal muscle, located around the cheek area, along with other muscles like the masseter, compensate for the activity of the superior temporal muscle? Would this result in these muscles gaining volume and becoming stronger over time, leading to a swelling of the cheeks and face? If so, is there another way to reduce the temporal area without removing the temporal muscle, such as altering the bone structure in this region, or by reducing the superior temporal muscle by 1 cm or less without fully removing it?

A: Your temporal muscle reduction questions are very common. While removing normal muscle seems like it would cause functional or compensatory muscle issues it does not. The proper terms are posterior and anterior components of the temporal muscle in which the entire posterior portion of the the muscles removed and a little of the anterior part. But this reduces 30% or less of the total temporal muscle volume which explains why no dysfunctional jaw motion results as well as no enlargement of the remaining muscle.

The temporal bone is fairly thin so its reduction does not make a significant difference in head width reduction plus it requires a visible scar along the side of the head above the ears. It is muscle removal which provides the greatest benefit in width reduction as well as can be done with no visible scar.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon

Q: Dr. Eppley, Hello! I’m from Arkansas and I’m contacting due to my chin length. Ideally I would like to shorten my chin. From frontal view it isn’t too bad but when smiling i feel it throws off my facial proportions. I was just wondering if this possible? Thanks so much!!

A: When a chin changes length by animation (smiling) this suggests a chin pad ptosis rather than a primary bone length issue. It may be what is needed is a combination of both bone and soft tissue reductions and the procedure to treat it varies based on how much of each needs to be removed.

I would need to see a front and side view pictures of your chin, smiling and non-smiling.  

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon