Is it possible to have upper bleph and sinus surgery at the same time?

Question

First of all, I greatly appreciate the service that you provide by answering people's questions here! Now for my question. I have been wanting to do an upper bleph for over a year now. I also recently found out that I would benefit greatly from an endoscopic sinus surgery (for medical reasons). Would it be possible to do both at the same time -- one by a cosmetic surgeon and the other by a sinus specialist? Thank you so much for your response!

Scott W. Vann, MD, FACS · Answer

These two procedures appear to be surgeries that could be done at one surgery. The trickyest part may be costs, because  the facility where the sinus procedure is done may or may not give you a reasonable cosmetic price for the time for your eyelid surgery. Facilities that do almost no cosmetic surgery tend to charge a lot for noninsurance procedures. Facilities that do a lot do cosmetic procedures will probably be very reasonable. Check into all this before your procedure. Good luck.

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD · Answer

Very good sinus surgeons really focus on just sinus surgery.  So you are correct in thinking that the eyelid surgery would be best performed by a second surgeon.  You sinus surgeon's operative schedule may not permit the second surgery.  The busiest sinus surgeons often run very tight operative schedules.  Letting a second surgeon come in and use an hour of time to perform a cosmetic eyelid surgery may or may not work for their schedule.  There are other reasons not so have both surgeries at the same time.  So discuss this option with your sinus surgeon.

James Bonaparte, MD, MSc, FRCSC · Answer

As a surgeon who works as an Otolaryngologist - Head and Neck surgery as well as completing a American Board Certified fellowship in Facial Plastics and Reconstructive surgery, i would have no problem with this. Here in Ottawa, CanadaI do many Endoscopic sinus surgeries and if need be, i've done cosmetic surgery at the same time. The only extra risk would be the extra length of surgery however if you are healthy and have a good surgical team, the risk is very low. If you can find a American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery trained Head and Neck surgeon who does FESS (endoscopic sinus surgery) its likely easier to do the two at the same time. good luck,Dr JP Bonaparte

David O. Volpi, MD · Answer

Yes, it is possible to have both an upper eyelid
surgery and a septoplasty performed in a single sitting. In fact, this approach
would be the best to maximize your benefits and minimize your recovery. You
will only have to be placed under anesthesia a single time and can take
downtime to recover from both surgeries simultaneously.

Jeffrey Schiller, MD · Answer

When I do upper blepharoplasty, I take special care to make sure that the creases, where the eyelids fold in, are the right height, depth, and symmetry. I do this by having the patient awake and opening his/her eyes as I suture to verify that the creases are just right. Some surgeons are comfortable doing upper bleph under general anesthesia, but I feel I can get the best aesthetic result with local anesthesia with sedation. If you have only skin removal and no muscle removal, then the crease generally does not need as much attention so it might be ok under general anesthesia. But if the creases are already asymmetric or too low or high, then it would be difficult to correct that under general anesthesia.

Stephen Weber MD, FACS · Answer

Yes. I would recommend starting the combined procedure by performing the blepharoplasty first as this is a "clean" procedure followed by the sinus surgery. I hope this information is helpful for you.Stephen Weber MD, FACSDenver Facial Plastic Surgeon

Jeffrey Zwiren, MD · Answer

If you can find two surgeons to work together then it is possible to have both procedures at the same time.  Since a blepharoplasty can be performed under local anesthesia it could be done at a later time.

Suzanne Kim Doud Galli, MD, PhD, FACS · Answer

It is possible to do both surgeries at the same time. However, it is unnecessary to undergo general anesthesia for blepharoplasty.

William Portuese, MD · Answer

Yes, cosmetic eyelid surgery and functional endoscopic sinus surgery can be performed at the same time. The eyelid surgery is considered cosmetic and is billed directly to the patient, while endoscopic sinus surgery is medically necessary surgery  and is billed to the patient's medical insurance. Both procedures can be performed simultaneously under one anesthetic. A  double Board certified ENT/ facial plastic surgeon can perform both procedures at the same time.

Kristina Tansavatdi, MD · Answer

Yes, both can easily be done at the same time. An ear, nose, and throat surgeon with facial plastic surgery training could perform both procedures for you or you can elect for a plastic surgeon and sinus surgeon separately to perform the surgeries together. This should ideally be done at a surgical center to minimize the OR cost and anesthesia fees for the cosmetic portion of the case.

Is it possible to have upper bleph and sinus surgery at the same time?

Answers (10)

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