January 19th, 2010 admin
Denver Revision Rhinoplasty Specialist
Rhinoplasty, Denver residents, is a procedure that is reported to carry one of the highest revision rates. In my practice here in the Denver area including Littleton, I see patients requesting revision after they have had their primary Rhinoplasty performed by another surgeon. The reasons for patient dissatisfaction are usually one of the following:
1. Cosmetic: the result is not what the patient expected. This can be due to inadequate communication between the patient and surgeon. With photographic simulation techniques, we can take a patient’s picture and produce a simulation on the computer. By looking at this together with the patient, we can agree on what we are trying to achieve.
2. Anatomic: what the patient is trying to achieve cannot be accomplished. The most common reason is the skin thickness and pliability. When we reshape the nose, we are reshaping the nasal skeleton. The drape of the skin over the skeleton is a critical element in determining the final shape we see. If skin is thick, we cannot achieve the reduction in size, finer angles and refinements that we may desire.
3. Airway: the patient can’t breathe as well: a well performed cosmetic Rhinoplasty often improves the airway, and should never reduce the patient’s ability to breathe through the nose. In nature, form and function are directly intertwined: a beautiful nose will breathe well.
The abilities of the surgeon to make the right diagnosis, assess the factors that will influence the outcome, choose the right techniques and perform the operation properly are critical.
With a Denver Rhinoplasty, the surgeon’s experience is paramount in the development of these abilities. Many years ago, one of my mentors told me, “A surgeon doesn’t really become expert in rhinoplasty until he’s done at least 150!”
At the time he told me that, I thought he couldn’t possibly be right. It wasn’t until I had performed my first two hundred rhinoplasties that I came to appreciate his perspective.
For more information please contact my office Zwiebel Center, Plastic Surgery and Skin Care, 303 470 3400.
Posted in Denver Face, Denver Plastic Surgery, Denver Rhinoplasty, Revision Rhinoplasty Specialist | No Comments »
December 9th, 2009 admin
Denver Blepharoplasty: Eyelids are the essence!
One of the most effective and gratifying plastic surgery procedures is blepharoplasty. With cosmetic eyelid surgery, Denver men and women can achieve a brighter and youthful look in the eyes.
The eyes naturally attract attention, as people make eye contact when interacting with each other. The eyelids frame the eyes and contribute – or detract – from the compelling natural beauty of the eyes.
In seeking facial rejuvenation, many patients will ask, “Dr. Zwiebel, my biggest concern is that people comment to me that I look tired, even when I don’t feel tired!”
Most often the reason for the tired appearance is the extra skin and fat of the upper or lower eyelids. Nothing makes someone look more tired than bags under the eyes. The bags result from fat pockets that protrude in the lower eyelids. Removing these fat pads during blepharoplasty can make a dramatic improvement.
Crepiness of the skin or extra skin can also produce a tired or aged appearance. Heavy upper eyelids give a sleepy look and conceal any makeup that might be applied. Trimming that extra skin (and fat) opens the eye and gives a more open look to the eyes and a brighter appearance to the face, which really is the essence of facial rejuvenation!
Call today for your consultation at the Zwiebel Center for Plastic Surgery to learn if you are a candidate for this marvelous cosmetic procedure.
Posted in Denver Blepharoplasty, Denver Face, Denver Skin Care Treatments, Eyelid Surgery, Home, Plastic Surgery Center | No Comments »
July 9th, 2009 admin
Spring and summer are great times in Colorado: few people enjoy the outdoors more than Coloradans! We live in a beautiful state where the extraordinary landscapes and weather draw us the outdoors.
But few people are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays than Coloradans! Colorado’s altitude, thin air and bright sunny days mean that there is much more ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure during the time we are outside. Spring and summer mean longer days and more time out in the sun and its harmful UV rays.
Some UV exposure is necessary for the body to make Vitamin D, but more than a few minutes of sun exposure in the bright sunlight and altitude of Denver, the Front Range and the mountains of Colorado and the damaging effects of ultraviolet rays on our skin begin.
The sun damage is cumulative over time and result in characteristic wear and tear on the skin with undesireable effects: sun spots, wrinkles, fine lines, course texture, increased pore size, flaking, moles, broken blood vessels (telangiectasia), pigment irregularities, loss of elasticity (skin tone). In addition, cellular damage from the sun’s rays result in cancerous changes.
Here’s some good advice to protect your skin while enjoying the great outdoors:
Ø Use a good sunblock
o At least SPF 45: the higher the better
o Look for sunblocks that have titanium- or zinc oxide
o Reapply sunblock, as needed: at least hourly when perspiring or with water activities
o Apply Sunblock under your clothes or swimwear
o Don’t forget the back!!!
§ The back of your neck, arms and legs
Ø Wear protective clothing
o Broad brimmed hat
o Sunglasses help to prevent cataracts
o Long sleeves and pants can help protect from nasty sunburns
o You can add SPF protection to your clothes with special fabric conditioners
Ø Time your outdoor activities to minimize UV exposure
o UV rays are most intense when the sun is high in the sky, between 10AM and 2PM
Ø Use antioxidants to repair sun damage
o Come in to my office and learn about some great skin care products that can help repair and preserve your skin’s natural beauty!
Get out there and enjoy the beautiful weather, but keep your skin protected! Any questions please notify my Dr. Paul Zwiebel at my office.
Posted in Denver Face, Denver Plastic Surgery, Denver Skin Care Treatments, Home | No Comments »
May 26th, 2009 admin
The shape and size of a nose has a dramatic effect on the face, so it’s no surprise that so many people look to cosmetic surgery of the nose to improve their appearance.
A successful nasal surgery to shape the nose (rhinoplasty) starts with a person’s own perceptions: as your surgeon, first I listen to learn what bothers you.
Next is integrating your concerns with a sense of aesthetics and facial balance: the nose has to fit the face. Proportions of different parts of the nose (the tip, the nostrils, the profile, the bridge, etc.) are as important as the proportion of the nose to the face.
Of course, understanding what is achievable with a Denver rhinoplasty surgery is necessary, and it’s my job to communicate that. Shaping the nose in surgery requires reshaping the bone and cartilage. Equally important is understanding how the skin of the nose will drape over the newly shaped bone and cartilage. Thinner skin will show fine details, while thicker skin will allow lesser refinements.
Computer imaging using your photograph can be a great planning and communication tool. In our consultation, I’ll integrate your goals with my artistic sense and surgical knowledge to provide for your approval a computer image that I think is realistic and achievable. I’ll invite you to comment and we can modify the image, if I think I can achieve those changes in nose reshaping surgery.
If structural changes are needed to improve the airway, we’ll incorporate those into our plan: form and function
Lastly, I will use my abilities to give you the results you seek with the nuances that give you a natural appearance. Choose me as your board-certified Denver plastic surgeon.
Posted in Denver Face, Denver Plastic Surgery, Denver Rhinoplasty, Home | No Comments »
May 11th, 2009 admin
The crooked nose is a common deformity that most often results from trauma, when injury results in a broken nose. The appearance of a crooked nose may not be immediately obvious after injury, so examination by a surgeon with experience in nasal trauma and repair is important. Careful internal examination can detect if there is a septal deviation which can contribute to the crooked nose and subsequent problems with airway obstruction.
The changes in the nasal airway can lead to difficulty breathing through the nose with a sense of blockage or stuffiness. In Denver, there is a greater chanced of noticeably increased dryness of the crooked nose. Paradoxically, the nose may get very drippy; a runny nose may be a result of septal deviation.
Other consequences of a crooked nose, may be loss of sense of smell, loss of taste, sinus problems, more frequent colds and snoring.
The repair of the crooked nose must necessarily combine improvements in shape and function. One should never compromise one for the other.
Because the cartilage in the nose has memory once it has been warped by injury and scar, special techniques are necessary to reshape the cartilage. Even when the nose cannot be returned to a perfectly straight shape, its appearance and function can be tremendously improved.
Choose a board-certified Denver plastic surgeon with special training in nose reconstruction and Denver rhinoplasty.
Dr. Paul Zwiebel of the Zwiebel Center for Plastic Surgery is a Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and a cosmetic surgery specialist in Denver, Littleton and Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
Posted in Denver Face, Denver Plastic Surgery, Denver Rhinoplasty | No Comments »
April 6th, 2009 admin
A facelift is an important event in anyone’s life. So choosing the right time for surgical rejuvenation of the face is an important decision to optimize your results.
People often ask if they should have their facelift when they are younger, when their skin has better tone. It is true that better skin elasticity means a facelift will look better and last longer.
But a facelift does not prevent aging changes. A facelift will remove some signs of aging like jowls and laxity in the neck. However the pace at which aging occurs is very individualistic and results from genetically determined factors. Other factors that increase the pace of aging changes include illness, stress, smoking, malnutrition, and sun exposure.
A facelift is not a preventive treatment; a facelift is best done when the signs of aging bother you enough to be treated.
Another important aspect of timing your procedure is scheduling your Colorado face lift when you have enough stress free time to recover. A good recovery is a critical part of optimizing your results: the early stages after surgery are important for setting the stage for good healing as well as quick resolution of swelling and bruising.
During our cosmetic surgery Denver consultation, we’ll talk about your goals and desires and together we’ll determine if you are a good candidate for facelift, what type of facial rejuvenation procedure is best for you, and I’ll help you to plan for the right timing for your facelift. Check out this before and after photo with great results.
Posted in Denver Face, Denver Plastic Surgery, Home | No Comments »
March 23rd, 2009 admin
Patients often ask me, “Why should I choose you as my Denver plastic surgeon?” The answers lie within the characteristics you want in your plastic surgeon: excellent training, skill, experience, commitment to caring and integrity, and a proven history of superior results.
Training: My personal passion for plastic surgery was ignited when I was a student at Harvard. I vividly remember sitting in the lecture amphitheater at Harvard Medical School listening to a Nobel Prize winning plastic surgeon, Dr. Joseph Murray describing his experience visiting the pioneer of craniofacial reconstruction, Dr. Paul Tessier. I was transported by the photographic images of children with freakish birth defects heroicly reconstructed to normality by Dr. Tessier.
I pursued excellence in my training from the teaching hospitals of Harvard to the rigors of surgery residency at UCLA, then following my mentors’ recommendations to one of the finest plastic surgery residencies, at the University of Pittsburgh. I expanded on my core skills with specialized fellowships, culminating in six months under the tutelage of the renowned Dr. Paul Tessier, in Paris, France.
Skill and Experience: This excellent training was the foundation for my own private practice in Denver. In my 25 years of private practice, I have performed thousands of Denver plastic surgery procedures, specializing in cosmetic surgery for more than 13 years.
With a practice well balanced among facial-, breast-, and body contouring procedures, I have performed many hundreds of procedures in each discipline (for example, I typically perform ore than 100 breast augmentations annually, and have performed more than 350 facelifts in the last year).
My experience has enabled me to develop the skills to safely and consistently produce the natural appearing results my patients seek, whether in breast augmentation, facelift, or rhinoplasty (cosmetic nasal surgery).
Commitment to Caring: I know that one of the most important elements in choosing a surgeon is developing trust and confidence, knowing your surgeon will use his best judgment on your behalf. To this end, in considering my recommendations to my patients, I always ask myself, “What would I do if it were me?” or “What would I want for my wife?”
I’ve learned much from being a patient, myself. I recognize that a patient depends on a doctor’s staff to act in earnest on the patient’s behalf to expedite their care and not serve to insulate the doctor from his patients by screening calls. I am very proud of my staff of proven professionals, who are sincerely devoted to the best for our patients and who contribute to the environment of caring in our office.
Proven Results: Beyond before-and-after photographs demonstrating excellent results, I am proud that most of my patients are referred by satisfied former patients and physicians who continue to send their patients and family members to my practice.
I look forward to using my experience for your benefit and to giving you the same careful attention and skillful caring.
Posted in Denver Plastic Surgery | No Comments »
