Done most frequently in conjunction with a face lift, the forehead lift can be done as an independent procedure for those who have prominent wrinkles in the forehead or in the area between the brows or who have significant sagging of the brow itself which usually allows thicker heavier skin to migrate into the upper lid area overlapping and occluding the "palpebral fold" which is the skin crease created in the upper lid on opening the eyelids. Being able to visualize this crease gives the eye a larger appearance and the eyelids a more youthful look. It is sometimes done in conjunction with a blepharoplasty. The usual cost for a forehead lift is $3000 total when done in our office OR and is much less when done at the same time as other procedures.
This procedure is customized for the individual patient depending on that individuals' specific needs since every face is different but in general, incisions are made in the temple area and are carried around the ear to the scalp area behind the ear with most of the scar hidden within the hairline. Fortunately, the area in front of the ear usually leaves almost imperceptible scars with time. Some patients will need an additional incision just under the chin if there is a significant amount of fatty tissue or loose skin in this area. Both the skin and the deeper tissues are tightened and lifted to a position from which they migrated from youth to that time. Occasionally a chemical peel or laser resurfacing is done at the same time as a face lift in the area around the mouth if there are significant fine line wrinkles in that area. The cost for a straightforward face lift done in our office OR is $6000 total which includes the surgery, facility fee, anesthesia charges, and 120 days of follow-up care. Additional procedures such as blepharoplasty, forehead lift, rhinoplasty, chemical peel, laser resurfacing, etc. can be performed at the same time and are priced significantly below their individual costs.
The eyelids are usually the first structures of the face to exhibit the effects of aging. Blepharoplasty is an operation to remove excess skin and fat in the upper lid area and sometimes raising the upper eyelid crease to a higher level to give the eye a larger look ( this is commonly done also to "westernize" oriental upper lids). Lesser amounts of skin are removed in the lower lids with emphasis being placed on removal of fatty "bags" and better support of the orbicularis muscle which crosses the lower lid. The price for both upper lids in our office OR is $3000 and the price is the same for the lower lids. All four lids, both upper and lower, is $4000 total.
Each nose is different and each will require different approaches to achieve the desired improvement. Most noses for Rhinoplasty are too large, too "drooping", have a bulbous or otherwise deformed tip, have a "hump" along the dorsum(top), or have deformities or asymmetries from previous fractures or other trauma. Only a consult (which is at no charge) will give us an idea of what procedure or procedures are necessary to give the result that the patient desires. The typical Rhinoplasty requires removal of some bone and cartilage and rearrangement of other areas all done in most cases through hidden incisions inside the nose although some cases will require an "open' approach leaving a small scar beneath the nose. Occasionally, if breathing is altered from the deformity, a "Septoplasty" is also performed. This procedure straightens that portion of the nose that divides the two halves of the nose and allows better flow through the airway. Rhinoplasty is done in our office OR and costs range from a low of $3000 for a Tip Rhinoplasty to $6000 for a complete Rhino-Septoplasty with grafts etc. These fees are total fees which include physician, facility, anesthesia, and 120 days of follow-up fees.
Occasionally individuals will need augmentation of the chin area for receding chins or in the malar (cheek ) area to correct a Sylvester Stallone look. Chin implants are commonly done in conjunction with nasal surgery since there is a "balance" between the nose and chin such that a receding chin gives the optical illusion of a larger than normal nose. Many implant materials have been used over the years such as silicon rubber, teflon, hydroxyapatite ( a bone-like material) and several newer ( but more expensive ) materials just coming out on the market. Of course, the patients' own fat, bone, or cartilage can be used but this requires a separate incision ( as well as more time and more discomfort for the patient ). Costs vary with the site and the material used but a chin implant using silicon rubber is about $2500 total in our in office OR
Although Face Lift, Bleparoplasty, and Forehead Lift can significantly improve looseness and coarse wrinkles, they are not the best treatments for very fine line wrinkles particularly around the mouth and in the eyelid areas. For years, the treatment of choice for these wrinkles has been the chemical peel utilizing phenol and other acid solutions which in essence created a controlled second degree burn which caused the skin to significantly shrink as it healed thereby eradicating the fine line wrinkles. There is still a place for the Phenol peel although its use has decreased in recent years giving way to the trichloracetic acid and the glycolic acid peels many of which can be given in reduced strength in the office with little or no down time or discomfort. Although they must be repeated several times for optimal benefit, they usually give results which approach a significant percentage of the deeper peels at much less cost and discomfort.
Laser Resurfacing of the skin is a relatively new procedure resulting from the explosion in new technological advances that we have seen recently. The CO2 laser has been used for years as a sophisticated "cutting tool" but with new microchips and microtechnology, the power has been increased and the duration of application has been shortened to mere microseconds which allows the laser to actually vaporize the first few thousandths of an inch of skin while leaving the underlying dermis relatively unharmed. In fact, the only heat damage done to the skin is usually between 50 and 100 microns which is less than a cell layer thick. What this results in is a very controllable depth of skin removal with less trauma, no toxicity of acids, and subsequent faster healing with less swelling. Although there is virtually no heat damage, the laser does heat the underlying dermis to about 58 to 62 degrees centigrade momentarily. This is a temperature at which human collagen in the dermis will actually coil and rebond to itself creating a significant shrinkage of the treated skin. Most Laser Resurfacing patients will require a skin care pretreatment for several weeks and a post operative skin care program as well for optimum results. Costs of peels vary from $75 for a Lactic acid peel up to $250 for a Jessner Peel with TCA done in our skin care center by our skin care specialist, $ 3000 for a full face Phenol or TCA (trichloracetic acid ) deep peel, to $4000 for a full face Laser Resurfacing done in our office OR. These prices are total costs including physician fee, facility fee, laser equipment costs, and anesthesia fee.
Botox injections are used to temporarily paralyze specific muscles which cause certain wrinkling of the skin, most often in the area between the brow, in the forehead and in the crows feet area, although the results are temporary, lasting from 3 to 6 months. Repeated treatments result in atrophy or wasting of the muscles resulting in a longer lasting reduction in wrinkling.
Collagen injections work by thickening the skin along specific wrinkles an although they rarely last more than 6 to 8 months are relatively easy and cost effective temporally solution for certain areas.
The patients own fat can be injected into various areas to be augmented but also are absorbed over varying amounts of time.
New filler materials are coming on the market constantly and offer hope for better and longer lasting results
Dr. Dawson's plastic surgery training was for three years at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston Texas where he trained under Dr.'s Frank Gerow and Tom Cronin, the co-inventors of the breast implant. Not only has Dr. Dawson had over 31 years of experience having done over a thousand Mammaplasties during that time, he has seen the many cycles that Augmentation Mammaplasty has gone through during that time as well. There has always been a controversy as to whether to place the implant above or below the muscle, to use an inflatable vs. a gel implant, or a smooth wall vs. a textured wall implant. Also, should the scar be placed in the crease under the breast, around the nipple area, in the armpit area, or even in the belly button area. Actually, each of the above techniques has is own set of advantages and disadvantages and if there were one way that was definitely best, every surgeon would do it that way. Dr. Dawson's technique which has evolved over these 31 years is to use a smooth wall inflatable round implant placed in a pocket formed over the muscle and below the breast tissue through either an incision under the breast just above the crease or in some cases around the nipple-areolar area. We get consistently good results with this technique and feel that it results in less patient discomfort and chance for complications than some other techniques. The average additional volume that we routinely add is between 250 and 380 cc's which in most cases will increase the size of the breast by two or three "cup sizes". Dr . Dawson will discuss this procedure in much more detail with you at the time of your complementary consultation. Call 706-291-0200 for an appointment or E-mail us a preferred time on any Monday afternoon or Thursday AM or PM and leave your phone # and we will call or e-mail your confirmation for that time or give you the closest available time that we have. Cost for an Augmentation Mammaplasty performed in our office OR is $4300. This is a total fee which includes physician fee, facility fee, implant cost, anesthesia fee and 120 days of follow-up care.
Every woman's' breast goes through the same evolution during her life. In the "teens" the breast is taut with the nipple at a point well above the crease where the lower breast and chest wall meet. During pregnancy, the breast tissue enlarges resulting in significant stretching of the breast skin which also stretches over the years from the weight of the breasts and a natural thinning of the skin with age. After having one or two children, the breast tissue begins to atrophy or shrink and this process is increased with age and hormonal changes during menopause. With these two processes at work (stretching of the skin and shrinkage of the breast) there is little wonder why the nipple starts out well above the inframammary crease and gradually sags to a point sometimes well below the crease. Any time the nipple is below the horizontal level of the crease, the condition is referred to as ptosis or "sagging" of the breast. Mastopexy is a procedure to correct one of the two problems that cause "ptosis". Mastopexy is actually an operation to decrease the amount of skin in what plastic surgeons refer to as the "skin brassiere". This can tighten the skin against the breast tissue and elevate the nipple to a higher position. If the breast's volume is not adequate, an augmentation mammaplasty can be done at the same time as a mastopexy to correct both of the two problems. Cost of a Mastopexy done in our office OR is $4500 total. Cost of a combined Mastopexy and Augmentation Mammaplasty is $7275 total.
This is a procedure to reduce the size of a large breast down to an average large "B" to small "C" cup size breast. It is frequently done to alleviate symptoms of neck, shoulder, upper back, and breast pain resulting from the weight of the breasts on the bra-strap areas and for this reason, is frequently partially covered by many insurance plans. Dr. Dawson has done over a thousand these operations over the years and counts these patients as some of his most grateful because of the sometimes extreme discomfort that they endured and realized only after their own reduction had been done. Dr. Dawson has been doing all of his Reduction Mammaplasties on an outpatient basis for the last 10 years with significant savings for the patient (or their insurance carrier) and no increase in complications. Cost for a Cosmetic Reduction Mammaplasty done in our office OR is $5500 total. A Reduction Mammaplasty for which medical symptoms are covered by insurance require a $2500 Cosmetic co-pay.
Liposuction or Suction Assisted Lipectomy (SAL) is currently the most popular cosmetic surgical procedure being done in the United States. Basically, a stainless steel cannula (tube) of from 3 millimeters to 8 millimeters in diameter is inserted through a very short incision and abnormal accumulations of fatty tissue are suctioned usually from the thigh, hip, knee, and abdominal areas although arms, lower legs, and the head and neck can also be treated. SAL is not a standard treatment for obesity and patients who seek to loose weight should consider other means. SAL is a contouring method and usually very little actual weight is removed but small amounts of fat removed from critical areas can make a tremendous difference in one's figure. Advances in the last 10 years have included the super-wet and tumescent techniques where large amounts of fluids are injected into the area prior to SAL and ultrasonic liposuction where the cannula is tipped by an ultrasonic sending unit which "melts" its way through the fat. Pressure garments are necessary following the surgery for several months and final results are usually not evident for several months. Cost of SAL can vary from a few hundred dollars for suction of a localized lipoma to about $4500 for the thighs, knees, and hip areas .
This is a procedure which is ideal for a woman who has had several children and who finds that her lower abdomen not only has a great deal of loose, doughy, stretch-marked skin and fat, but she also has a protruding lower abdomen that is resistant to all attempts to "exercise" it away. What has happened is that the two vertically oriented rectus muscles of the mid abdomen which ordinarily join in the midline are now far apart due to stretching of the fascia between the two muscles during pregnancy. This results in essentially an abdominal wall deformity and weakness not too unlike a hernia which can only be corrected surgically. The operation consists of a fairly long incision from hip to hip across the lower abdomen with a flap being formed of the entire abdomen excluding the "belly button" which is left in place. The muscles are then tightened back to their normal position flattening the lower abdomen and the flap is pulled downward with the patient's hips slightly flexed so that usually all tissue including fat and skin from the belly button to the hairline at the pubic area is removed. This results in a flatter, less "flabby" stomach with most of the scar within areas that are usually covered by most conservative bathing suits. The belly button is resutured in its original position to the new surrounding skin. We do most of our "complete" abdominoplasties on an outpatient basis at the Redmond Surgery Center under general anesthesia. Their facility fee as of 2004 was about $4000 which includes anesthesia. Our surgical fee is $5000. Lesser abdominal procedures such as a "mini" abdominoplasty or a "paniculectomy" for removal of excess abdominal tissue due to weight loss can be done in our office facility for total fees of from $3500 to $6000.
Dr. Dawson can discuss these and other options during your complementary consultation for which you can make an appointment by calling 706-291-0200 or -
