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To Do a Revision Facelift, Does a Dr. Need Complete Surgery Notes from Previous Dr.??

asked 11 months ago by Lilacs in Kansas City, MO, USA
Latest answer by Sam Naficy, MD
Question viewed 320 times
Tags: medical history, revision

So that a Dr. may feel more comfortable considering a Revision Facelift, does the new Dr. need Complete Surgery Notes from previous surgery? The Dr. who did 2 facelifts (the first one anchored my face DOWNWARD), has refused to give me complete surgery notes that describe his procedures, techniques, sutures, or plication, etc. How important is it to have descriptive surgery notes for a new Dr. to consider a revision facelift, and, if so, what information would be important and helpful?

17 answers to To Do a Revision Facelift, Does a Dr. Need Complete Surgery Notes from Previous Dr.??

Op Notes can be helpful

Op notes are always preferable, though a minority of patients make them available when presenting for a revision or secondary facelift. You mentioned a previous doctor won't release the records. Physicians are legally bound to release the records as you request. Infrequently will the op note change the treatment plan. You always proceed with caution and conservatism in this circumstance. I believe it is important for the patient to have appropriate expectations... more

Richard Castellano, MD
Tampa Facial Plastic Surgeon

Secondary Facelifts (Revision Facelifts)

It is imperitive to have records from previous facelifts to plan a revision facelift. Previous operations and manuevers under the skin can alter position of vital structures of face. It is important to be aware of these alterations to avoid damage to nerves and salivary ducts at revisional surgery. However there can still not be a guarantee that previous records were thorough and truthful in their documentation. For these reasons a surgeon undertaking a revision facelift... more

Vasdev Rai, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Records of previous surgery

I do a great deal of revision surgery and in general have found records of previous surgery to not be very useful. It is your legal right to obtain your medical records

Sam Naficy, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

Face Lift

This decision is up to the Dr. doing the procedure. If they feel the notes are imperative then you will need to get them. If there is a fear of proprietary information in the notes, they can black out those lines.

Vivek Bansal, MD
Danville Plastic Surgeon

Facelift - To Do a Revision Facelift, Does a Dr. Need Complete Surgery Notes from Previous Dr.??

It may not be mandatory but it could be helpful and, depending on whether there were specific problems in a previous procedure, may be extremely helpful. In general, it is useful to have as much information as possible when planning a surgical procedure, and this is certainly the case with a secondary surgery (and even more so with a third). Avoiding unnecessary surprises is in everyone's best interest. That being said, there are many times when previous records are not... more

Alan Engler, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Secondary facelifts

The notes from previous surgeries are always beneficial to future surgical planning, but when not available for any number of reasons secondary revisional surgery is still possible. Consult witha Plastic Surgeon who has a great deal of experience in facial surgery to give you a full evaluation. Predictably good results may still be very possible. Good luck.

Francis (Frank) William Rieger, MD
Tampa Plastic Surgeon

Operative notes before a revision

It's always useful to get operative notes before a revision but not mandatory. This is especially true under two conditions. The first is when there seems to be something out of the ordinary or some type of new or undescribed procedure having been done. The other is when the first surgeon is well respected so it's good not to repeat something that didn't work the first time. You are entitled to your records by law. This is protected under the Health Insurance and Portability and... more

Ronald Schuster, MD
Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

www.drschuster.com

Revision facelift

Not really. A good clinical exam is needed with old pictures. Otherwise it really is a look and see at the time of surgery.

David A. Bray, Sr., MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

Previous Medical Records Helpful in Facelift Revision Surgery

Dear Lilacs- In general, it's very helpful to have as many previous medical records as possible to any 2nd opinion consultation. The old medical records may show what was done, how you personally heal, and other important medical details that a patient may not know. I would strongly urge your original plastic surgeon to release all medical records, including the written notes, before and after photos, and anything else related to your chart. As a... more

Roy Kim, MD
San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

If you have them, if not it is OK

Most of the time, we don't rely on operative reports as there are almost always significant discrepancies. As a result, I would be ok see video

Babak Azizzadeh, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Prior operative report and revision facelift surgery

It is certainly helpful to have prior operative notes when performing any revision surgery. However, these records can often be difficult to obtain. I've done plenty of revision facelift surgeries without access to prior records, so certainly it's not a reason to not have revision surgery at all.

Thomas A Lamperti, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

Prior surgery record nice but not necessary for Revision Face Lift

IMHO, the more experience that a plastic and cosmetic surgeon has peforming Face Lifts...or any procedure, the less they will need to depend upon the prior surgery operative report. The Revision Face Lift will be lifting the tissues where the previous surgeon placed his plicatuion sutures or threads and as such they can and should be addressed by the new surgeon. At least that's my humble opinion after more than 20 years of performing Face Lifts and revision Face Lift... more

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Previous operative notes

Obtaining the operative notes from the previous surgeon is important and helpfu. However, with this said, a revision surgery can still take place without such detailed notes from the previous procedure. It is helpful in surgical exploration of the face and neck, but not necessary.

Richard Ellenbogen, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Obtain prior operative notes

It's always valuable to get prior op notes when considering revision surgery of any form. This gains insight into sutures used, vectors created, and the overall intent of the prior surgeon. While its true that the revision surgeon eventually finds out, it helps everyone to get that infomation prior to the procedure. One aspect is that it helps counselling the patient before the revision even takes place. Two is that it helps predict the time required to correct... more

Kevin Robertson, MD
Madison Facial Plastic Surgeon

Revision Facelifts

This question is particularly applicable to my practice right now. Yesterday I did my third revision Facelift in 2 weeks. All three had their first surgery with other and different surgeons. In all three cases I did not have the previous operative reports and during all three operations, I wish I had had them. The surgeries went well, you figure out what the previous guy did eventually, but it makes it much more tedious and time consuming. In the first case, the... more

John Bitner, MD
Salt Lake City Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.drjohnbitner.com

Facelift Revisions and needing notes from previous doctor

Yes this will help to know how it was done and if there are any pitfalls that you should look out for. Sometimes different techniques can lead the facial nerve susceptible. To know these differences can be really helpful for the next surgeon. see video

Philip Young, MD
Bellevue Facial Plastic Surgeon

Previous facelift records

It is always helpful to have as much information as possible about previous surgeries, but it is not necessary to have all of your records. An experienced surgeon should have an idea of what type of procedures have been done after examining you. Revision surgeries are always more complicated and you should fully consider the risks and benefits with your surgeon before proceeding.