Paul S. Howard, MD

Great doctor with a caring, positive, and very knowledgeable presence. He and his staff are always available and open to answer any questions. He does a wonderful job and enjoys his work! I was very satisfied with his work!

I went to Dr. Howard who is a fat grafting specialist for fat injections after I had a liplift 6 yrs ago that left my lips a perfect shape but with a scar at the nasal base. In 6 yrs the scar never bothered me enough to get a scar revision. Instead I decided to go with non-invasive fat injections to enhance my nasolabial angle and to get the stem cell effect on the dermal and subdermal tissues. I told the doc I didn't want to be cut but he was very nice and told me that it would be a very small incision so then I figured great it will be smaller then my pinky nail and its only for injections so it prob won't even require a suture. But the doctor opened up the whole liplift incision. He also made an incision inside my septum not sure what that was for but I am sure he had a good reason. Going into this, It was my understanding that fat grafting docs now do micro fat injections to enhance scarring and that it has been very successful because of the stem cells that are in the adipose tissue. The benefit is that the scar is not cut open and you can greatly improve the scars with the injections alone and without creating any additional scar tissue by cutting. Maybe only the Coleman technique does it that way but I thought that was the whole premise behind getting the fat injections for scar tissue - that you won't have to cut the scar open. I was surprised when I went in for fat injections and came out with a lot of sutures. The doctor said it takes 6 months to recover though so - I guess that is to be expected. After the procedure the doctor told me that he made one nostril smaller while he was in there because it was too big. Even though that wasn't part of the plan it was really nice and it was like a bonus. A few months later I noticed that the nostril became very small and it was hard to breathe but the doctor said I am still healing and it takes time. The doc also did a skin flap on part of the scar because he said the scar was worse there. that made my lip pull up on one side. Everyone just thinks I went to the dentist though so no big deal. It has only been 5 months I am sure my lip will go back to normal. It was a very painful recovery which I did not expect. When planning for localized injections I believed a week of downtime tops but there is a price to pay for beauty! I missed a lot during the holidays because it took 2 months for the incision to close but I will make up for it. I know the doctor tried very hard to give me a good result and that is the most important thing. Have not yet gotten the full result since it has only been 5 months but I will update. Thanks for reading everyone!

I had what I considered advanced loss of volume in my lip area (upper mainly) & hated my permanently pursed look. I tried fillers a few times and while it worked, it did not last longer than 6 months & I was bruised for weeks. I heard about a more permanent solution: fat grafts from my own tummy fat into my lips so I set off researching who could perform this procedure near me. No professional in my area of Florida could do it or knew who to refer me to. A friend knew someone in Chicago as did others say NY and Miami. All were too far for me. On-line research lead me to Dr. Paul S. Howard, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Birmingham, AL who had all the qualifications. He's an expert in lip repair (cleft pallet) and has performed this fat grafting/transfer procedure for 10 years. I travelled 4 hours each way for a consult and he confirmed that I would be a good candidate. I scheduled the procedure & just had it done about 2 1/2 weeks ago. It was quite involved with the fat removal (lipo) and all (preparing fat for transfer and the fat injections themselves), but Dr. Howard and his staff may sure I was not in discomfort. The first week I was very swollen & bruised and I iced constantly, which helped tremendously. By the second week the swelling & bruising came down and I could see what I hoped I would look like. I'm mid way into week 3 and I have a natural look right now - especially my upper lip area. Except for some asymmetry in my new fuller bottom lip that I was told to massage to distribute the fat during this window of time, I am very pleased with the results. I sure hope it lasts permanently as Dr. Howard says! I would be a shame to go through all this just to have it reabsorb. Everyone tells me it is permanent (I think this may be too good to be true, but my fingers are crossed)! Dr. Howard makes you feel like you are in very capable hands and his staff is very nice and knowledgeable. I have told everyone I know (and even some strangers) of my experience and told them to go see Dr. Howard for whatever they need and they will receive excellent care!

Updated on 11 Aug 2013:
Here are the before & after pics

Updated on 14 Aug 2013:
Picture 3-weeks after

Updated on 14 Aug 2013:
Here's a picture taken after 3 weeks

A wonderful life lifting choice for me. I needed my lobes rebuilt so I could enjoy wearing my good earrings. I took Dr. Howard's advice to get a few other procedures at the same time and so glad I did.
I was committed to being a good patient to get the best results from my investment and with the care and patience needed after such improvement I got the great results. They were good to explain it all to me and answer all my questions. I really liked being able to talk to others who had the same surgery.
If you get Dr. Howard to do your surgery, do yourself a real favor alnd follow the rules for the very best results. So glad I did!

Excellent background, working with children's deformities as well as with adult patients' goals and improving overall confidence. Exudes honesty with years of experience with kind and helpful staff. I have had several procedures and referred friends whom have had a positive result as well. Would highly recommend at minimum a consult to discuss your goals and meet everyone .

I have been considering liposuction for several years. I finally decided it was time and consulted with a few surgeons. I am now two weeks post op and feel wonderful. I'm even back to running. I experienced only minor pain (really just more discomfort than pain), and although I am still swollen I can tell a difference. I had very little fat removed overall (abdomen and flanks were done) but he was skilled in the removal without me seeing any unnatural looking contours afterwards. I am looking forward to seeing my final results!

Dr. Howard performed a tummy tuck and breast augmentation on me about 5 weeks before my wedding. I was nervous with such little time to heal, but I really wanted the surgery so I could feel better and look better at my wedding. I had both surgeries on a Wednesday and returned to work the following Monday. There was the usual pain and discomfort as with any surgery, but it was not unbearable. My husband is amazed and thinks I look wonderful. 

Had my eyelids fixed by Dr. Howard. I wanted to get the tired look off my face and he did it. My recovery wasn't as bad as expected. I have very fair skin so I did bruise some. I was okay to get out of the house after a few days with sunglasses. Very glad I did it. It took years off my face and I look happier.