2009 May | Rhinoplasty Surgeon Beverly Hills Blog

Beverly Hills Neck Sculpting

Posted on May 28, 2009 by admin

Neck sculpting is an important procedure especially for younger and middle-aged patients. The aim is not to remove neck wrinkles, but rather to define the neck and chin. The process relies on removing excess fat beneath the chin and as needed tightening of the sagging platysma neck muscle. Patients are eligible for this procedure if they don’t have a wrinkled neck. This is because wrinkled neck skin is not likely to be able to contract to accommodate the better sculpted neck and jaw line.

Neck wrinkle removal requires other procedures. Some doctors would use a process involving chemical neck lifts but the opportunities for success are very limited.

Here in Beverly Hills, there have been several of us active in developing aggressive procedures to sculpt the neck. Since 1980, my procedure has involved not only tightening the neck muscle, but taking out some of the excess fat between the neck muscle. The weight of this fat often causes a “hanging neck” which people dislike.

The procedure is done through a fine, horizontal, hidden incision just below the chin. Healing is quick and is aided by platelet-rich plasma which is sprayed into the wound before the wound is closed so that the tissues have minimal bleeding and, therefore, less bruising. It also incurs rapid healing because of growth hormone which is present within the platelet-rich plasma. We also use a very small suction drain tube which through its own force removes the excess fluid that might accumulate causing swelling.

Patients return to work and normal activities within a week to ten days and at that point may resume exercise.

Retraining Makes Great Rhinoplasty Surgeons In Beverly Hills

Posted on May 26, 2009 by admin

Rhinoplasty, cosmetic nasal surgery, is the most intricate and technically demanding of all the procedures in the world of cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery. One reason is that the operation must be done through a very limited opening. Typically the most sophisticated, accomplished, and narrow-focus rhinoplasty surgeons are capable of doing the operation through the nostrils without any external incisions. This is the closed rhinoplasty technique. The open rhinoplasty technique may be appropriate and can be used by experienced surgeons also but typically has been employed by those surgeons who emphasize the addition of additional implanted tissues. What is meant by that is that cartilage or other tissues are taken from the ear, the ribs or bone to correct certain nasal deformities or injuries and these are often easier to insert through a horizontal incision made through the nostrils. This open rhinoplasty technique does leave a scar but generally it is not highly visible.

The most prolific and experienced rhinoplasty surgeon known is Howard Diamond. Howard Diamond, M.D. practiced in New York City for over 30 years and performed rhinoplasty for cosmetic nasal surgery, exclusively during that time. Dr. Diamond was trained at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary and very quickly became a master of the technique employing efficiencies and maneuvers that were unique.

I found Dr. Howard Diamond to be extraordinary in terms of the consistency and appropriateness of his procedures. While a Major in the Medical Corps of the United States Army, and because I was a teacher in the Walter Reed Army Medical Center residency program, I spent as much time as I could with Dr. Diamond in New York studying his techniques so that these could be passed along to my resident-students at the military hospital at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

Even after I established my cosmetic surgery practice in Beverly Hills, I returned to New York to study and collaborate with Dr. Diamond. All this allowed me to improve my efficiencies in surgery and enhance the result that I was delivering to my patients.

Dr. Howard Diamond and I remain in contact. He has been a long-term mentor and continues to be a teacher. Last summer during a trip to New York City, I visited him at his home where we spent four hours discussing rhinoplasty. It was a fascinating afternoon. I recorded our conversation and I am in the process of preparing a paper for a medical journal which will share with today’s younger surgeons, Dr. Howard Diamond’s experience and wisdom which are incomparable.

Beverly Hills Rhinoplasty Costs

Posted on May 26, 2009 by admin

Prices of cosmetic surgery in Beverly Hills may be different than charges in other cities or in other parts of the country. One of the reasons is that cost depends on the practice’s cost of doing business. Overheads including rent and employee salaries tend to be higher in larger cities like Beverly Hills which is part of greater Los Angeles, New York, Miami. On the other hand, most of the accomplished superspecialist cosmetic and plastic surgeons practice in these large cities are sought out for their experience and expertise. Cosmetic surgery costs are related generally to the time spent in the operating room. Remember that the operating room time involves not only that of the surgeon but of a doctor anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist, a registered nurse and a surgical assistant. In addition, of course, there are other staff involved in your service. There are nurses that manage patients in the recovery room and quite a bit of administrative staff. Many of the people work behind the scenes also. This includes the maintenance people and the medical equipment repair staff. So understand that there are many people working for you that enter into the cost of the procedure.

"Intelligent Liposuction", You Get What You Pay For In Beverly Hills

Posted on May 13, 2009 by admin

Recently a 49-year-old lady came in to see me for consultation. She had gone to a clinic that advertises extensively here in Beverly Hills. They performed some type of “intelligent liposuction” for her sagging neck. She wasn’t happy with the results and I don’t blame her. However, the lady made a very poor consumer choice. She was somehow in the belief that removal of the superficial layer of the fat underneath the skin of the neck would somehow transform her neck into a tight and well structured anatomical zone. Not very likely since she was 215 pounds. Frankly, these type of liposuction procedures have very limited indications and are never an answer to a problem of sags and bags and loose skin of the neck and jaw.

Before and After Photo from Robert Kotler, MD

First, the patient should have been told that until she lost weight she wasn’t an acceptable candidate. Secondly, the procedure that she needed was a standard face and neck lift which would have addressed not only the excess fat in the neck, but the sagging skin, the sagging muscle and would have allowed for the maximum benefit.

The procedure was approximately 15% of the cost of a standard face and neck lift.

There are no bargains in life. There are no shortcuts. Indeed, in cosmetic plastic surgery as in other things, you do get what you pay for.

From Cosmetic Surgery in Beverly Hills to Showbiz in New York

Posted on May 12, 2009 by admin

Lindsey Alexander, former staff member and Marketing Director at Ernest Mitchell Publishers, publisher of the category best-seller SECRETS OF A BEVERLY HILLS COSMETIC SURGEON, and currently at Oprah Winfrey’s HARPO Productions, in Chicago, has been appointed Segment Producer for the new Dr.Oz Show. The program, developed by HARPO, will be produced in New York City at Rockefeller Center and distributed by Sony.

Dr. Oz is a prominent New York heart surgeon, frequent guest expert on OPRAH and co-author of the best-sellers You – The Owner’s Manual, You-On A Diet and The Healing Heart.

Beverly Hills Collapsed Nose

Posted on May 7, 2009 by admin

The collapsed nose refers to a nose where the bony upper half and the cartilaginous lower half have been injured such that the entire nose has literally collapsed and been pushed closer to the face. This is seen in accidents. It is seen also as a result of overzealous or improperly performed cosmetic nasal surgery. Typically, the most common cause of the postoperative complication is that too much cartilage was removed from the septum in an attempt to open the airway and likewise, the nasal bones failed to be placed in a satisfactory position and literally “fell into” the nasal passages.

The nose can be improved by grafting tissue from the ears or other parts of the body to raise the profile. Another practical way is to use a plastic implant part.

The collapsed nose typically has a very hideous appearance and is also known as a prize fighter nose. But, there is no reason for anyone, prize fighter or otherwise, to have to sustain the ridicule and razzing which often comes from sporting this strange appearance.

Beverly Hills Latisse Launch Party

Posted on May 1, 2009 by admin

On Thursday, April 23rd, Dr. Stuart Linder and I hosted the Beverly Hills Latisse Launch Party.

Dr. Linder and Dr. Kotler

Dr. Linder is a board-certified plastic surgeon who limits his practice to body sculpting procedures and is the author of The Beverly Hills Shape. I, Dr. Kotler, am a board-certified otolaryngologist. I limit my practice to procedures of the face and neck. I am the author of Secrets of a Beverly Hills Cosmetic Surgeon.

Peter Houtz, Crystal Linder, Dr. Hoffman and Dr. Linder

Many of our past patients attended the event and were happy to learn more about Latisse, the new, by- prescription eyelash enhancer that makes your lashes longer, thicker and darker.

Our attendees were thrilled to participate in our raffle. The prizes given out were a box of Latisse, one syringe of Juvederm, a custom Airbrush Tanning Session with Sunset Tan and a full set of products from Revale Skincare.

Everyone is attendance had a great evening. We have already received calls from people asking “When is the next party?”

Dr. Kotler, Helaine Kotler, Suzanne Sena and Michael Levine