Chris Himmelheber, MD

The photo is a bit grainy, but it does show the upper eyelid asymmetries. Unfortunately, it doesn't show why. The possible reasons run from a quirky asymmetry in the amount of fat in the upper lids or asymmetrical upper lid infolding to the worst possible cause, which would be a tumor in the right upper eyelid/brow. A good exam and possible CT scans would be prudent.

Performing an upper eyelid lift (blepharoplasty) should make those upper eyelids more symmetrical, though perfect symmetry is difficult to attain. There does appear to be a slight asymmetry in your eyebrows, but this is very common and is almost never noticed by anyone but you. Especially at your age, I doubt that you would find a brow lift to be worth the trouble, expense, and risk.

Your lower lids are definitely lower than is considered "normal." Generally, the lower lid edge should come up to or over the bottom of the iris (colored part of the eye.) The fact that yours are low at this early age, and both sides are pretty symmetrical points to it being something genetic - maybe it is a common trait in other members of your family? As long as your eyes close fully and are not dry or tearing frequently, they are probably functioning normally. On the other hand, if you don't like this look, it is something that can be corrected surgically.

As always, I would advise that you see an experienced surgeon, and get a thorough exam and consultation.

I hope that you find your answers!

Chris Himmelheber, M.D.
Dallas, Texas

While being able to feel lumps and bumps in the areas of surgery is very common one month after surgery, it is uncommon to be able to see them. But still, it happens. It may be a hematoma (which is a collection of blood) and this will generally convert from a clot to a liquid form after a few weeks. At that point it can be sucked out with a needle.

Other possibilities are 1) a seroma, which is a collection of serum (like clear liquid), and will generally clear up over a month or two, 2) a granuloma, which is a precursor of scar tissue, and will usually respond to injections of a steroid like Kenalog, 3) an irregularity of the tissues under the skin caused by one of the sutures, which usually smooth out over a period of months, and 4) a lump of scar tissue. Scar tissue is expected and desireable, as this is what holds everything in place, and scar tissue shrinks over a period of about 4 to 6 months.

So the good news is that all of the likely scenarios will probably result in the lump shrinking or disappearing. However, it is always a good idea to let an experienced surgeon examine and keep an eye on it until it goes away. They can also provide treatment to speed this along.

I hope this clears up quickly, and you remain ecstatic with your results!

Chris Himmelheber, M.D.
Dallas, Texas

There is a great deal of confusion about Lifestyle Lift, it’s origins, and what they do. I have been a surgeon with Lifestyle Lift for over five years, and hope that I can clear up some of the confusion.First, the surgeons at Lifestyle Lift are all employees of the company. They are not independent contractors or owners, and they don’t pay a bounty to the company. The only surgeon who is an owner is Dr. David Kent, the founder. Some of the surgeons are part-time employees, and have their own practices separate from Lifestyle Lift, but every surgeon signs an employment contract as an employee.Secondly, all Lifestyle Lift surgeons are Board Certified. There are several specialties that are certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties as being qualified to perform facial plastic surgery, and these are the only specialists that are accepted to work at Lifestyle Lift. Therefore, they have no Dermatologists, General Surgeons, etc.What, exactly, is a “Lifestyle Lift?” There is no patented, special procedure. It is simply a facelift performed at a Lifestyle Lift center. The name, Lifestyle Lift®, was trademarked simply to differentiate who Lifestyle Lift is and what they do for advertising purposes. There is no such thing as a distinctive “Lifestyle Lift facelift.”A number of misinformed plastic surgeons have speculated online that a “Lifestyle Lift facelift” may consist of just tightening the skin, or just using a loop of suture, or just performing a plication of the SMAS,  or using dissolvable sutures, or using permanent sutures, or performing a S-lift, etc., etc. In fact, every surgeon at Lifestyle Lift performs a facelift in their own unique way, the same as every plastic surgeon in the world has their own individual techniques.The surgeons at Lifestyle Lift are already trained and experienced in the vast number of techniques and nuances of facial plastic surgery. Over the years, each surgeon’s techniques continue to evolve as he finds better, more reliable ways of doing things. This is no different from any surgeon anywhere. Each surgeon’s techniques constantly advance as we discover more nuances and subtleties. This is called “experience,” and is why you want a facial plastic surgeon with as much experience as possible.This brings up one of the key differences between a plastic surgeon who works for Lifestyle Lift and one who does not. The Lifestyle Lift plastic surgeon performs about FIVE TIMES AS MANY facelifts and other facial plastic surgeries than the average plastic surgeons performs in their own practice. Partly, that is because facial plastic surgery is all that we do. We do not perform breast implants, tummy tucks, etc. By concentrating on just the face and neck, we develop an enormous amount of expertise in the course of our careers.Also, to my knowledge, Lifestyle Lift is the largest plastic surgery group in the world. As an integrated group practice, we can freely discuss our successes and insights with each other since we are not competing with each other. We are not limited to an annual conference where speakers give 45 minute speeches about their pet techniques. We communicate daily by email with each other offering advice, and often surgeons will spend a few days at other Lifestyle Lift centers exchanging experiences and insights with each other. We are colleagues in the best sense of the word.A key difference between a Lifestyle Lift procedure and a non-Lifestyle Lift one is the anesthesia. The typical non-Lifestyle Lift facelift is done under general anesthesia, while no procedures performed at Lifestyle Lift are done under general anesthesia. (General anesthesia is usually performed in a surgery center or hospital with an anesthesiologist in attendance. This is the kind of anesthesia typically used for open heart surgery, brain surgery, etc., where the patient is placed in a coma, and a breathing machine is needed to keep them alive.)

At Lifestyle Lift, the patient is made comfortable and relaxed with pills, never I.V. drugs, and their face is made completely numb with local anesthesia. This is done with constant monitoring of blood pressure, heart tracing, and oxygenation. Almost all of our patients doze throughout the procedure, and wake up afterward with just a pat on the hand.While it takes a while to get good at this technique, it is also much safer for patients with significant medical problems. And it is much better tolerated by elderly patients. AND it is much less expensive when you cut out the anesthesiologist and the surgery center or hospital. This is why Lifestyle Lift’s procedures are so much less expensive than a non-Lifestyle Lift surgeon’s.Another question that arises is what procedures can be done at Lifestyle Lift. We offer the full spectrum of face and neck rejuvenation procedures: facelifts, brow lifts, upper and lower blepharoplasties (eyelid lifts), lip lifts, lip implants, chin implants, fat transfer to the face, filler injections, Botox injections, CO2 laser skin treatments, split earlobe repairs, scar revisions, etc. Many of us also perform Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) infusions, Smart-Lipo laser procedures, westernization of Asian eyelids, upper eyelid ptosis correction, etc. There are almost no problems in the face and neck that we cannot address.In summary, Lifestyle Lift is the largest plastic surgery group in the world, employing some of the best plastic surgeons in the world. Their plastic surgeons perform almost any face and neck rejuvenation procedures using the same surgical techniques as plastic surgeons anywhere in the world, but in general they have much more experience in these surgeries than your average plastic surgeon. By performing their surgeries under oral sedation with local anesthesia, they can perform surgery more safely, and much less expensively.I hope this clears up some of the confusion about Lifestyle Lift.Chris Himmelheber,  M.D.

I am a  Himmelheber,  M.D.surgeon at Lifestyle Lift, and can give you some straight information. The cost of a lift is currently about $7,000 to $8,000. It depends on where you have it done. You can call your nearest center, and they should be able to give you a more precise answer. There are also several financing options that are quite reasonable.

As the largest plastic surgery group in the country, we have come to expect a certain amount trash talk from smaller competitors. Rather than get into an unprofessional war of words, I would simply recommend that you go to your nearest Lifestyle Lift center, talk to the surgeon, see examples of their work, and form your own opinions.

I wish you well in your journey to a new, youthful you!

Chris

There is a great deal of confusion about Lifestyle Lift, it’s origins, and what they do. I have been a surgeon with Lifestyle Lift for over five years, and hope that I can clear up some of the confusion.

First, the surgeons at Lifestyle Lift are all employees. They are not independent contractors or owners. The only surgeon who is an owner is Dr. David Kent, the founder. Some of the surgeons are part-time employees, and have their own practices separate from Lifestyle Lift, but every surgeon signs an employment contract as an employee.

Secondly, all Lifestyle Lift surgeons are Board Certified. There are several specialties that are certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties as being qualified to perform facial plastic surgery, and these are the only specialists that are accepted to work at Lifestyle Lift. Therefore, they have no Dermatologists, General Surgeons, etc.

What, exactly, is a “Lifestyle Lift?” There is no patented, special procedure. It is simply a facelift performed at a Lifestyle Lift center. The name, Lifestyle Lift®, was trademarked simply to differentiate who Lifestyle Lift (the corporation) is and what they do for advertising purposes. There is no such thing as a distinctive “Lifestyle Lift facelift.”

A number of misinformed plastic surgeons have speculated online that a “Lifestyle Lift facelift” may consist of just tightening the skin, or just using a loop of suture, or just performing a plication of the SMAS, or using dissolvable sutures, or using permanent sutures, or performing a S-lift, etc., etc. In fact, every surgeon at Lifestyle Lift performs a facelift in their own unique way, the same as every plastic surgeon in the world has their own individual techniques.

The surgeons who are hired by Lifestyle Lift are already trained and experienced in the vast number of techniques and nuances of facial plastic surgery. Over the years, each surgeon’s techniques continue to evolve as he finds better, more reliable ways of doing things. This is no different from any surgeon anywhere. Each surgeon’s techniques constantly advance as we discover more nuances and subtleties. This is called “experience,” and is why you want a facial plastic surgeon with as much experience as possible.
This brings up one of the key differences between a plastic surgeon who works for Lifestyle Lift and one who does not. The Lifestyle Lift plastic surgeon performs about FIVE TIMES AS MANY facelifts and other facial plastic surgeries than the average plastic surgeons performs in their own practice. Partly, that is because facial plastic surgery is all that we do. We do not perform breast implants, tummy tucks, etc. By concentrating on just the face and neck, we develop an enormous amount of expertise in the course of our careers.

Also, to my knowledge, Lifestyle Lift is the largest plastic surgery group in the world. As an integrated group practice, we can freely discuss our successes and insights with each other since we are not competing with each other. We are not limited to an annual conference where speakers give 45 minute speeches about their pet techniques. We communicate daily by email with each other offering advice, and often surgeons will spend a few days at other Lifestyle Lift centers exchanging experiences and insights with each other. We are colleagues in the best sense of the word.

A key difference between a Lifestyle Lift procedure and a non-Lifestyle Lift one is the anesthesia. The typical non-Lifestyle Lift facelift is done under general anesthesia, while no procedures performed at Lifestyle Lift are done under general anesthesia. (General anesthesia is usually performed in a surgery center or hospital with an anesthesiologist in attendance. This is the kind of anesthesia typically used for open heart surgery, brain surgery, etc., where the patient is placed in a coma, and a breathing machine is needed to keep them alive.) At Lifestyle Lift, the patient is made comfortable and relaxed with pills, never I.V. drugs, and their face is made completely numb with local anesthesia. This is done with constant monitoring of blood pressure, pulse, and oxygenation. Almost all of our patients doze throughout the procedure, and wake up afterward with just a pat on the hand.
While it takes a while to get good at this technique, it is also much safer for patients with significant medical problems. And it is much better tolerated by elderly patients. AND it is much less expensive when you cut out the anesthesiologist and the surgery center or hospital. This is why Lifestyle Lift’s procedures are so much less expensive than a non-Lifestyle Lift surgeon’s.

Another question that arises is what procedures can be done at Lifestyle Lift. We offer the full spectrum of face and neck rejuvenation procedures: facelifts, brow lifts, upper and lower blepharoplasties (eyelid lifts), lip lifts, lip implants, chin implants, fat transfers to the face, filler injections, Botox injections, CO2 laser skin treatments, split earlobe repairs, scar revisions, etc. Many of us also perform Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) infusions, Smart-Lipo laser procedures, westernization of Asian eyelids, upper eyelid ptosis correction, etc. There are almost no problems in the face and neck that we cannot address.

In summary, Lifestyle Lift is the largest plastic surgery group in the world, employing some of the best plastic surgeons in the world. Their plastic surgeons perform almost any face and neck rejuvenation procedures using the same surgical techniques as plastic surgeons anywhere in the world, but in general they have much more experience in these surgeries than your average plastic surgeon. By performing their surgeries under oral sedation with local anesthesia, they can perform surgery more safely, and much less expensively.

I hope this clears up some of the confusion about Lifestyle Lift.