eye lift | Tri-Cities | Hermiston | Yakima

Eyelift surgery, when you’re tired of your tired eyes.

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Are you tired of your tired eyes? You might be a candidate for eyelift surgery, also known as a blepharoplasty.

As we age many people develop drooping upper eyelids and puffy bags under their eyes. This can make them look older than they are. It can also make them look tired. Sometimes drooping eyelids can affect their vision.

The Eyelift Procedure

During eyelift surgery, fat is removed along with excess skin and muscle from the upper and lower eyelids. Incisions are made along the natural lines of the eyelid. For upper lids an incision is made in the creases of the upper lids. For a lower eyelift an incision is made just below the lashes. The skin is then separated from the underlying fatty tissue and muscle. The excess fat is removed and the sagging skin and muscle are trimmed. The incisions are then closed with very fine sutures.

After surgery your eyes will be lubricated with ointment and bandages will be applied. Your eyelids may feel tight and sore as the anesthesia wears off. Any pain or discomfort you might have can be managed by pain medication which will be proscribed for you.

After Eyelift Surgery

You will be instructed to keep your head elevated for several days.  You can use cold compresses to control swelling and bruising. While swelling and bruising varies from patient to patient, generally it peaks during the first week and may linger anywhere from two to three weeks. Some bruising may extend into the cheeks. Most patients feel comfortable going out in public or returning to work withing a week or 10 days. Patients should avoid strenuous activities for at least 2 weeks.

The first few weeks after surgery patients may experience increased tearing and light sensitivity.

Healing from an eyelift is a gradual process. Scars may remain slightly pink for at least 6 months post surgery. Eventually the pink scars will fade to a thin nearly invisible white line.

The Best Candidates for Eyelift Surgery

The best candidates for an eyelift have a significant amount of loose skin, and have realistic expectations.

For more information go to the following link:

https://frankflemingmd.com/procedures/cosmetic-facial-procedures/blepharoplasty-tri-cities/

Plastic Surgeon

Plastic Surgery-On becoming a Plastic Surgeon

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It started with my Grandfather

People often ask me when I realized I wanted to become a doctor, specifically a plastic surgeon. Coming from a medical family, and having a father who was a noted plastic surgeon, I was always drawn to the medical field. It started with my grandfather, Dr. Harry Fleming. He was a small town country doctor in Humboldt, Saskatchewan. He worked long hours, made house calls and often got paid with a baskets of vegetables or a cake or a pie. My father Dr. Joseph Fleming, followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming a plastic surgeon and heading up the Texas Institute of Plastic Surgery. My mother worked at his side for many years as his nurse. As you can imagine, plastic surgery was a common topic of conversation in our house as I grew up. It seemed inevitable that my brother and I would also choose to go to medical school and then go on to become surgeons like our father.

It’s funny how things go full circle. My first year working as a plastic surgeon I had an older gentleman as a patient. He told me that as a young boy he had had his tonsils removed by a Dr. Fleming in Humboldt, Saskatchewan. Yes, my grandfather.

 

Dr. Frank Fleming performing surgery with his father and brother.

Performing surgery with my father, Dr. Joseph Fleming and my brother, Dr. James Fleming.

I had another patient my first year in practice who sustained a critical injury but had no insurance or money to pay me for my services.  Of course, I performed his surgery and never billed him. Every year, on the anniversary of his accident, this patient from long ago, brings me a cake or a pie as a gesture of thanks. Somehow it always makes me think of my grandfather all those years ago, working as a country doctor and getting paid with a basket of vegetables, or a cake, or a pie, and the family legacy that he began.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Raymond_Fleming

 

https://www.plasticsurgery.org/

Winter is a great time for Cosmetic Surgery.

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IMG_5822

Winter is a great time for cosmetic surgery. 

 

Winter is here and baby it’s cold outside! This Winter has been uncharacteristically cold and snowy for the Tri-Cities. I’ve been here almost 9 years and I’ve never seen anything like it. But there is good news! Winter is a great time to get cosmetic surgery procedures done!

 

Here’s why:

Winter clothing aka the big cover up.

Some of my patients want to tell everyone they know about their cosmetic surgery procedures. Other patients like to be discreet and keep it quiet. For the first week or two after surgery patients can easily stay covered up and hide swelling, bruising, bandages, stitches, drains and/or compression garments. The loose baggy clothing of winter is ideal for patients who want to keep their lips sealed.

 

Has anybody seen the sun? 

Keeping incision sites out of the sun is important, therefore, less sun is better for wound healing. Just a short amount of time in the sun can cause a pink incision to become darker.

 

No one is going to ask you to throw on a bikini-yet

After surgery it can take several weeks for most of the swelling from surgery to subside. When bikini season finally does roll around, ta-da, you will be ready to peel off the layers and reveal the new you!

 

Botox

Botox – Answers to my patients most common questions.

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Botox

Do you have questions about Botox?

 

Botox. Who would think that a substance that is responsible for food poisoning could also make us look more youthful!

Below I’ve listed some of the more common questions I’m frequently asked by my patients.

 

What is Botox?

Botox is a prescription drug and is made by the drug company Allergan. It works by temporarily blocking muscle activity by preventing the transmission between nerve endings and muscle fibers. In lay terms this means that when Botox is injected into your muscle the muscle will temporarily relax.

 

What areas do you treat? 

Common areas treated are:

  • Forehead wrinkles.
  • Frown lines.
  • Crow’s feet.
  • The muscle bands in the anterior neck.

 

What can I expect from my first Botox procedure? 

The procedure is quick and easy, it usually takes about 10 minutes. The first thing I will do is assess your facial wrinkling to make sure that Botox is indicated. I will then mark your face to pinpoint the injection sites. A small fine gauge needle is used to inject the Botox into the target areas. You will feel small pin pricks in the treatment areas. My patients tell me the pain is a 1-2 on the scale of 10.

 

What kind of results can I expect to see? 

Botox does not work instantly, so don’t expect to see immediate results! Results are generally seen anywhere from 1-7 days after the procedure.

Botox is not permanent, it will gradually wear off.  My patients generally return for repeat injections every 3-4 months.

 

Who administers the Botox at your office? 

I administer all of the Botox injections to our patients at Kadlec Clinic Plastic Surgery and Dermatology. The chance of complications can increase when administered incorrectly by an inexperienced injector. Complications might include problems swallowing, problems breathing, muscle weakness, double vision, blurred vision, blindness and drooping eyelids.

 

At what age do people start getting injections? 

It depends. Some of my younger patients are in their early 30’s and use Botox to prevent wrinkles from forming.

 

Do you do Botox parties? 

No. While they sound like a lot of fun I do not think they are safe. For patient safety I believe in maintaining the highest medical standards. This means administering Botox in a safe clean clinical setting with no alcohol involved.

https://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/botulinum-toxin

 

For more on patient safety, click the following link:

https://www.plasticsurgery.org/patient-safety

 

body procedures

Are you bikini ready?

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ARE YOU BIKINI READY?

The days are getting longer. It’s starting to heat up again in the Tri-Cities. This means bathing suit season is just around the corner. Are you ready? Or do you dread the season of exposed skin. As hot as it gets in the Tri-Cities in the summer, it’s impossible not to show some skin. It’s the season of sleeveless shirts and exposed arms or shorts showing off legs. Does the thought of someone asking you to don a bathing suit and go for a swim fill you with dread? This time of year everyone seems to be hitting the gym and dieting in anticipation of soon wearing  tank tops, sun dresses and bathing suits. But diet and exercise can only go so far, which is why I always have a surge of patients seeking cosmetic surgery procedures at this time of year. The most popular procedures I see requested in the Spring are breast augmentation, tummy tuck and liposuction. The timing is perfect if you want to debut your new look at that 4th of July barbecue.

I love hearing stories from my patients about how their cosmetic surgeries have impacted their lives for the better.  I had one patient who had a long overdue mommy makeover last Spring. Before her surgery, Spring was the most dreaded time of the year for her, because it meant shopping and trying on bathing suits. She told me about being in the fitting room and not wanting to look at herself in the mirror. The more covered up she could get the better. She always went home from those swim suit shopping trips feeling deflated and bad about herself.  But last Spring was different. Last Spring she had had a Mommy Makeover. Last Spring she couldn’t wait to go swim suit shopping. Last Spring when she tried on swim suits she found herself dancing in front of the fitting room mirror. Forget the swim suits that were supposed to minimize the waist that she would have to pull and tug herself into. Forget the skirted suit made to cover up her legs. She had reclaimed her girlish figure, and for the first time in 20 years, she was on the hunt for a bikini.

 

https://frankflemingmd.com/

https://www.plasticsurgery.org/patient-safety

100 years of Plastic Surgery

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The Father of Plastic Surgery

Early Plastic Surgery

Walter Yeo

This May it will have been 100 years since Walter Yeo was wounded during World War 1. Yao was in the Royal Navy and he was injured at the Battle of Jutland in May 1916. Walter sustained horrific facial damage, including losing his upper and lower eyelids.  Due to the horrific facial trauma suffered by so many soldiers in the trenches of the First World War, doctors began trying out new surgery methods to treat these men. Walter Yeo was fortunate to be treated by a surgeon by the name of Harold Gillies. Today Harold Gillies is known as the father of Plastic Surgery.

Gillies was desperate to help the countless men coming out of the trenches with disfiguring injuries. He had been pioneering skin grafting techniques when Walter Yeo was sent to him. He used these new techniques to build Yeo new eyelids. The technique he used is called the tubed pedicle flap.  Over the course of the war, Harold Gillies would go on to perform over 11,000 surgeries on over 5000 soldiers who had their faces disfigured by gun shot and shrapnel wounds. In 1930, Harold Gillies became Sir Harold Gillies when was knighted by the King of England.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Yeo

 https://www.plasticsurgery.org/
Botox

Facial rejuvenation-Fillers, Botox, Juvederm, Chemical Peels and Skin Care

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FACIAL REJUVENATION

 

 

 

Facial rejuventaion

Facial rejuvenation

 

I frequently see patients in my office who tell me they just don’t recognize themselves in the mirror anymore. As they have aged these patients have developed wrinkles, saggy skin, less facial volume and uneven pigmentation. They often tell me everyone keeps telling them they look tired. Everyone ages differently. Contributing factors to aging are genetics, sun exposure, and lifestyle choices. Alcohol consumption, smoking, stress and getting enough sleep all play a factor.

For patients seeking facial rejuvenation, there are several non-surgical way to address the visible signs of aging.

 

MEDICAL GRADE SKIN CARE PRODUCTS:

Good skincare starts with a good medical grade skin care product.  These products can make the skin look its best and help lighten those dreaded pigmentation spots. In my office I carry the SkinMedica skin care line but there are other skin care lines that are comparable. Make sure you are using a skin care line that is ‘medical grade’ meaning it can only be obtained through a physician. https://www.skinmedica.com/?item=%2fpeels.html%2f&user=extranet%5cAnonymous&site=SkinMedica

 

BOTOX 

After you’ve established a good skin care routine you might want to incorporate Botox into your wrinkle zapping regimen. Botox paralyzes the facial muscles that contribute to wrinkles.  Botox is most commonly used to stop crows feet, forehead wrinkles and the ’11’s’; those lines that often appear between the eyebrows as we age. The procedure takes about 10 minutes and lasts generally about 3-4 months. https://www.botoxcosmetic.com/?cid=sem_goo_43700008344047006

 

 

FILLERS:

Fillers are another line of defense against wrinkles. They are often used in conjunction with Botox. While Botox addresses the wrinkles in the upper part of the face and Juvederm addresses the wrinkles in the lower part of the face. Fillers can fill in where facial volume has been lost in the mid face, they can also fill in the other lines that form around the mouth region.

JuvedermXC and Juvederm Ultra XC are two very popular fillers made by Allergan.  A skilled injector can determine which of the 2 Juvederm products would be best suited to the patients needs. During the procedure the Juvederm, which is a jell, is injected into the face to smooth out wrinkles. The procedure takes about 15 minutes and last from 6 months to 2 years. https://www.juvederm.com/

 

CHEMICAL PEELS:

Chemical peels are another popular way to make your skin look it’s best by removing fine lines and fading age spots. A chemical peel is a quick 15 minute procedure. Your skin may be red and peel for up to a week after the peel but this can be disguised with a light foundation. https://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/chemical-peel

 

If the patient further desires to take 10-15 years off of their face they may consider the surgical route and undergo a face lift, eye lift or a brow lift.

You can find more information about these procedures on our webpage:   https://frankflemingmd.com/procedures/non-surgical-services/chemical-peels-richland/