Navid Pourtaheri

Hi! Fat transfer to the lower eyelids is a good option if volume loss is the issue. For loose skin or wrinkles sometimes a laser treatment or peel can help. A lower blepharoplasty can address both of these issues. Filler injection is an option that can last up to 12-18 months and an option for some patients and cost less than surgery. My office would be happy to arrange a consultation for you to see me to discuss further if you wish. Either way, I hope this helps answer your questions.

Hi! Every surgeon has different protocols. It is important to discuss this question with the surgeon who performed your procedure. I typically ask patients to wear a supportive bra for 6 weeks after breast augmentation. This does not have to be the surgical bra provided on the day of surgery - it can be a sports bra or other supporting bra you pick ourselves. Depending on the position of the incision, you may want to avoid a bra with an under-wire. You do not want anything to dig into your incisions while they are healing. The support of a bra helps keep the implant in place while the pocket is healing, which roughly takes 6 weeks. The day after surgery, you can take breaks from wearing your bra to shower and dry yourself. I hope this helps!

The vast majority of my breast augmentation patients do not experience pain or bruising after surgery. Many returns to work the day following surgery and are able to avoid narcotic pain medications. I use long-acting numbing medications and am careful to not dissect into the pectoralis muscles. This helps reduce the incidence of postoperative pain and bruising in my patients. I most often place breast implants under the muscle and use careful dissection to lift the muscle without injuring it. I usually make the incision under the breast and not in the armpit or around the nipple which allows me to fully see and protect the muscle during surgery.
If you are experiencing pain after a breast augmentation, the intensity and quality of that pain are important to point out to your doctor. If a nerve was accidentally incorporated into a suture, or the muscle itself was injured then you may need alternative medications like gabapentin or Flexeril to help with your discomfort. Please discuss this problem with your surgeon.

It is common to have swelling 4 weeks after a rhinoplasty. If the goal of surgery was to make your nose smaller, then it should get smaller once the swelling comes down, That can take roughly 3 months to appreciate.

Yes. You should be able to sleep on your side after rhinoplasty. For the first 48 to 72 hours it is best to sleep with your head elevated on a few pillows to help with the egress of swelling. But of course, everyone needs sleep, so if you cannot sleep with your head elevated it is important to discuss this with your doctor.

I let my patients get their noses wet after rhinoplasty when the splints are removed. If you had a minor rhinoplasty procedure and no splints were required, I allow my patients to get their noses wet the day following surgery. Swimming is a different story and should probably be avoided - for at least 2 weeks.

Yes. We can remove the old scars by excising them and reclosing the area. Sometimes patients only need laser treatments to improve. It is a good question to ask during your consultation.

Congratulations. 3 weeks after rhinoplasty you can expect o have a significant amount of swelling and some minor discomfort. If you underwent an open rhinoplasty having a numb nose at this time is also very common. Depending on the type of techniques used, your swelling can last anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months and in some cases up to a year. It is important to ask your doctor about the technique they plan to use, and what to expect in terms of recovery after rhinoplasty. If you are a patient seeking a second opinion on rhinoplasty, feel free to reach out to our office to schedule a visit.

Hi there. Stretch marks can be annoying in their appearance or the way they feel. They are quite common after pregnancy, weight gain, or growth spurts. It is good to know how much they bother a patient when pursuing options. there are certain creams that can improve the appearance of stretch marks. There are also treatment options like microneedling that can more dramatically improve the texture of stretch marks after a few rounds. Surgically excising the stretched skin during a tummy tuck is also a common option. All of these would make permanent changes to the stretch marks. Cutting them out with a tummy tuck can be the most direct route. If you would like to know if you are a candidate for certain procedures or options to treat stretch marks, please feel free to reach out to our office to schedule a consultation with me.

Great question. It depends on the source of your pain. The nasal bones roughly take 6 weeks to heal and they can be painful if they have not completely healed yet. As far as the internal structures of the nose, they can produce discomfort if you are breathing in dry air or and they become irritated. Sinus infections can cause referred nasal pain. Lastly, an infection of the nose itself can cause pain. This would manifest itself typically with some redness in addition to the pain. If any of these are happening you can reach out to your rhinoplasty surgeon for a visit to have an examination. Usually rhinoplasty patients feel numb over there nose for a while after rhinoplasty. Having pain of the nose two years after surgery is unusual and you should probably be seen by a doctor. I hope this helps.

Excellent question! A nose job, or rhinoplasty, should last for the rest of your life if done well. The overlying skin can change with the rest of your face skin, but overall the nose should maintain roughly the same shape and position. The nose can shift after rhinoplasty surgery if there is inadequate support left behind. One of the most common reasons is from leaving behind inadequate tip support, or over-resecting the septum. This can lead to a tip drooping, the nose becoming deviated (crooked), or in some cases the nose can collapse. It is important to ask your surgeon about the technique they plan to use. Open rhinoplasty procedures allows some surgeons to reliably make more powerful changes to the nose. However, open rhinoplasty may also disrupt the structure of the nose more than closed rhinoplasty techniques if appropriate sutures and grafts are not placed. Using a columella strut, tip grafts, or spreader grafts can help keep portions of your nose straight and supported after open rhinoplasty. If you are a patient seeking a second opinion on rhinoplasty or need a revision, please feel free to reach out to our office to schedule a consultation with me. We are happy to make travel arrangements if you are coming from out of state.
Navid Pourtaheri, MD, PhD
Bay Area Esthetics Plastic Surgery
San Francisco and Sonoma County
www.baeplasticsurgery.com
Instagram: baeplasticsurgery
(415)-523-5235

Hi,If breasts are asymmetric before augmentation then it is not uncommon for slight asymmetry to exist after augmentation. Certain forms of asymmetry are correctable at the time of augmentation, for example, if one breast is larger than the other, different sized implants can be placed to help make them more similar. Or if the nipples are not at the same level one can be raised slightly at the time of augmentation. Other types of asymmetry can happen after augmentation such as the implant moving from its intended position or capsular contracture which is uncommon but can happen later. If you have asymmetry and are concerned and would like to know your options, we would be happy to provide you with a complimentary examination/consultation.