The profile of your chin needs correction because the bones of your face and jaws are out of balance with each other. Surgery to change position of the chin is called genioplasty. The surgery will take place under a general anaesthetic, ie: you are going to be put to sleep completely. Genioplasty is often carried out at the same time as other corrective surgery on your jaws but you may well find that your surgeon has advised you to have it carried out at a later stage.
Facial scars can arise from trauma or surgery. Scar revision is designed to improve or disguise the appearance of an existing scar. Scars tend to improve on their own with time and therefore surgery to revise a scar is not usually carried out for at least six months after the original injury or operation. Scar revisions can be carried out under either general anaesthesia (ie you are put to sleep completely) or local anaesthesia (an injection to make the area numb).
One of the easiest ways of filling in a hole in a jaw bone is to use bone from the hip. A “hip graft” involves collecting bone from the pelvis above the hip joint. You can usually feel the area of bone that will be used since it forms a bony lump some 6 inches (20cm) above and in front of the hip joint.
Approximately 1% of the population in the United Kingdom consider their ears to be too prominent. In many cases a family trend can be seen. Most prominent ears lack a normal fold of cartilage, and sometimes one ear is more prominent than the other. Children with prominent ears are sometimes teased at school.
An implant is a false metal root screwed into the jawbone. Implants form anchors for a crown, bridge or denture attachments.
A sialogram is a dye investigation of a salivary gland. It is carried out to look in detail at the larger salivary glands, namely the parotid or submandibular glands. These glands drain saliva into your mouth through small tubes (ducts). The parotid duct opens on the inside of the cheek next to the upper back teeth. The submandibular duct opens on the inside of the mouth under the tongue immediately behind the lower front teeth.
The temporomandibular joint (jaw joint) is located in front of the ear where the skull and the lower jaw meet. The joint allows the lower jaw (mandible) to move and function. The joint itself is made up of two bones that are separated by a disc of cartilage. Ligaments and muscles surround the joint.
You have recently been diagnosed as suffering from oral cancer. As part of the preparation for deciding which treatment is best for you, your doctors will “stage” your cancer. This leaflet tells you what is involved in that staging process and why it is important for your care.
The skin tends to lose its elasticity with age. In the eyelids this results in excess skin which forms folds in the upper lids and deepening creases in the lower lids. There may also be a loosening of the muscles in the lower eyelid that allows fat from the eye socket to push forwards and produce bags. In some people there is an inherited tendency for eye bags to develop in early adult life before any skin changes. Rarely problems can develop in and around the eyes as a result of medical complaints (eg thyroid disease).
You have an area inside your mouth that requires removal and the surgeon that has seen you has decided that using a laser would be best for you. A laser has many advantages over other types of surgery. It tends to produce less bleeding, swelling and pain.