Facial Plastic Surgery Procedures San Antonio
When it comes to enhancing the natural beauty and features of the face, experience and surgical training are essential. As a triple board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Jose Barrera has earned recognition as one of San Antonio’s elite facial plastic surgeons. Using an individualized approach, Dr. Barrera works with each patient closely to develop a treatment plan that achieves the desired outcome.
Please click on the links below or continue reading to learn more about the facial surgical procedures offered by Dr. Barrera.
Brow Lift
Brow lift is designed to rejuvenate the skin and tissue on the brow and forehead, which are often the first facial areas to reveal age. Through carefully planned and placed incisions, Dr. Barrera removes loose, stretched out skin, elevates and tightens sagging tissue, and smooths out wrinkles and creases on the forehead and between the eyebrows. The procedure is a great solution for patients who are bothered by the appearance of a “furrowed brow,” or whose brow hangs so low that it creates a “hooded” upper eyelid appearance. After brow lift, the forehead and brow appear smoother and the eyes look younger and more energetic.
An endoscopic brow lift may be an option to elevate and stabilize a low brow position. Alternatively, a brow lift reduction can reduce a high hairline resulting in a more natural forehead.
In addition, certain patients may benefit from a lateral brow lift which can elevate hooding caused by the eyebrow while maintaining a natural forehead appearance.
Facial Implants
Chin implants are used to create a strong and well-defined jawline while cheek (malar) implants can restore high cheekbones or fuller and youthful cheeks. Chin and cheek implants come in different shapes and sizes to cater to various needs and goals. Dr. Barrera is meticulous when placing facial implants to achieve the patient’s desired projection and shape in a way that enhances or maintains overall facial harmony. Customized implants can also be fabricated to correct facial asymmetries and for revision facial implant surgery.
A lip implant can also be placed in the upper and lower lips to improve volume and projection of the lips. Lip implants provide permanent volume without need for fillers.
Facelift and Neck Lift
The gold standard in facial rejuvenation, a facelift addresses various signs of aging on the middle and lower facial regions, including wrinkles, lines and creases on the lower eyelids, cheeks and around the nose and mouth. Facelift surgery also corrects displaced fat, which often creates a sunken or hollow cheek appearance, and jowls that obscure the jawline. Dr. Barrera specializes in deep plane facelift and neck lift. A deep plane facelift can restore facial volume loss and when combined with a neck lift can treat cobra deformity and a heavy neck. Our younger patients also benefit from a “hairline facelift” whereby the incisions are hidden behind the ear. There is an option whereby no incisions are placed in front of the tragus or anterior hair tuft, allowing the patient to wear their hair in a ponytail fashion. The minimally invasive facelift can hide the incision behind the ear where a ponytail hairstyle can disguise any scars.
Neck lift is often performed in conjunction with facelift to rejuvenate the neck. During neck lift surgery, loose, hanging neck bands are excised while the underlying tissues are re-sculpted and tightened to create a better sculpted and elegant neck profile. Liposuction may be performed to remove submental fat (also known as “double chin”) for a slimmer neck contour. Modifying the neck makes the overall face appear more framed and attractive.
Facial Fat Grafting
Facial fat grafting is the practice of removing unwanted fat from one body area, harvesting it and injecting it into the face to improve fullness and shape. Dr. Barrera commonly uses fat harvested from the anterior abdominal wall, hip region or thigh to add volume to the cheeks, and add definition to the jawline and chin.
Facial fat grafting offers long-lasting results, but not as long as facial implants. However, many patients prefer fat grafting because it is less invasive than implants.
Rhinoplasty
Rhinoplasty is a surgical procedure that modifies the nose to improve shape, size and symmetry. Doing so improves not only the nose’s appearance but also the balance and proportion between all the facial features. Depending on the specific patient, rhinoplasty may involve resizing the nose by removing or adding cartilage, or re-sculpting the nasal structures to address crookedness, a bump on the nasal bridge, asymmetrical or large nostrils or a droopy or bulbous nasal tip.
In addition to addressing cosmetic concerns, rhinoplasty can correct structural problems, including those that affect breathing. Dr. Barrera plans each rhinoplasty procedure with extreme precision to ensure the most satisfying cosmetic and functional results.
Rhinoplasty and Lip Lift
Dr. Barrera has met with many individuals who wish to simultaneously refine their nose while lifting and enhancing their lips. For these individuals, Dr. Barrera can perform a rhinoplasty and lip lift procedure. This combination procedure usually involves refining the nasal tip and slightly raising the upper lip to create a more harmonious and youthful facial appearance. Other lip augmentation procedures that Dr. Barrera performs are lip implants and lip fillers. These procedures add volume to the upper and lower lip thus improving the aesthetic of the nose and lips.
Rhinoplasty Options: Surgical vs. Non-Surgical
Understanding one’s rhinoplasty options plays a key role in achieving the desired results. Dr. Barrera goes over each option in detail during the consultation phase to ensure the patient’s needs and goals are met.
In addition to surgical rhinoplasty, Dr. Barrera offers non-surgical rhinoplasty with dermal fillers to improve certain cosmetic imperfections of the nose. The surgeon can inject small amounts of dermal filler to strategic points on and around the nose to correct minor cosmetic issues, such as a bump on the nasal bridge, or a droopy or upturned nasal tip. Non-surgical rhinoplasty can be an effective option for individuals who wish to make temporary and minor adjustments to the nose without incisions, anesthesia and downtime. The procedure cannot correct structural problems, such as a deviated septum, or extensive cosmetic issues. Although traditional rhinoplasty does require surgery and more extensive recovery, it can provide remarkable and long-lasting results for the right patient.
Revision Rhinoplasty
Dr. Barrera is a highly sought out rhinoplasty specialist and receives referrals from other plastic surgeons for revision rhinoplasty. Also known as secondary rhinoplasty, revision rhinoplasty corrects functional complications and/or unsatisfactory cosmetic results from an initial rhinoplasty procedure. The procedure may include refining a twisted or crooked nasal tip, asymmetry, or correcting a collapsed “middle vault,” which occurs when a bump on the bridge was removed but not enough support was provided for the central part of the nose structure.
Some revision rhinoplasty procedures require a cartilage graft (typically a costal or rib cartilage graft) to compensate for the removal of bone and cartilage during the initial rhinoplasty. Individuals who experience breathing obstruction after initial rhinoplasty may require septoplasty and the harvesting of rib cartilage to correct a deviated septum.
Dr. Barrera recommends that most patients wait a minimum of one year after their initial procedure before undergoing revision rhinoplasty.
Ethnic Rhinoplasty
Dr. Barrera has treated hundreds of rhinoplasty patients of diverse ethnic backgrounds. He specializes in Latino, Asian and African American rhinoplasties, tailoring his surgical technique with patients’ ethnic nasal characteristics in mind. Latino rhinoplasty typically focuses on nasal tip refinement to correct a bulbous tip, removal of cartilage and bone to correct over-projection of the nose, and removal of a dorsal bump. Asian rhinoplasty tends to focus on augmenting the nasal bridge, nasal tip refinement and enhancing the projection of the nose. Many African American rhinoplasty patients request augmenting a thin nasal bridge, narrowing large nostrils and reshaping a wide or bulbous nasal tip.
Contact Dr. Jose Barrera
Take the first step towards a younger and more confident you by scheduling a personal consultation with Dr. Barrera. Contact his San Antonio plastic surgery practice by calling us today.