|
In surgery, every incision leaves
a scar. In endoscopic surgery, scars are minimized
and may be completely hidden. Dr. Chartchai need
make only a few very small incisions to perform
the procedure.
Endoscopic surgery, while having
been used for decades in general surgery, is used
in a limited way in cosmetic and reconstructive
surgery. Endoscopy is a surgical technique using
a special viewing instrument called an endoscope.
Patients who tend to be the best
candidates for cosmetic endoscopic procedures are
those who don't have large amounts of loose hanging
skin. Patients with loose facial or abdominal skin
may benefit from a combination of classic and endoscopic
techniques, in facelift
or forehead
lift , or abdominoplasty.
Endoscopic procedures may sometimes
be performed on an outpatient basis under local
anesthesia with sedation. Dr. Chartchai will advise
if this is possible.
Procedures
In cosmetic surgery, the brow
lift or forehead
lift is the procedure most commonly performed
using the endoscope. When an ear-to-ear incision
is not acceptable, typically with men who have a
thinning hairline, several small puncture incisions
are made just within the hairline.
Endoscopic surgery may sometimes
be used for certain patients during an abdominoplasty
if there is a very small amount of loose abdominal
skin.
For a few patients, it may be
possible to perform a cheek
lift or mid-face
lift endoscopically and hide the incisions behind the hairline and within the upper gum.
To tighten loose platysma muscles
of the neck, incisions may be concealed beneath
the chin and behind the ears, as long as there is
minimal loose skin that doesn't need to be excised.
Recovery time
The incisions are shorter so the risk of sensory
loss from temporary nerve damage is lessened. Bleeding,
bruising and swelling may be significantly reduced,
and patients may recover more quickly and return
to work earlier than with a traditional brow
lift.
Special considerations and
risks
While Dr. Chartchai was trained at U.C.L.A. in Los
Angeles in the use of the endoscope for cosmetic
surgery and reconstructive surgery, he emphasizes
that the endoscope has only relatively recently
been applied to plastic surgery procedures.
There are some known risks, which
vary in severity depending on the procedure being
performed. These include infection, fluid accumulation
beneath the skin (which must be drained), blood
vessel damage, nerve damage or loss of feeling,
internal perforation injury, and skin injury.
|
