Posts Tagged ‘plastic surgeon’

Documentary About a Plastic Surgeon Wins an Oscar!

Monday, February 27th, 2012

As I discussed in a blog post a few weeks ago, a film documentary about a London-based plastic surgeon was recently nominated for an Oscar.  The film, entitled Saving Face, won the Oscar last night for Best Documentary.  During Hollywood’s most glamorous evening, my favorite moments were not the critiques of Hollywood’s latest fashion trends or who went to what after-party. In my opinion, the best moment was watching the filmmakers accept the Oscar for Saving Face and the academy’s acknowledgment of them for undertaking such a noble cause.

I admire surgeons like Dr. Jawad, who have been able to help people in unfortunate circumstances that do not have access to medical care.  I strive to follow in the footsteps of Dr. Jawad, who offers his expertise and time to make a difference in the world.

As a facial plastic surgery specialist in Charlotte, NC, and Columbia, SC,  I will see any patient in an unfortunate circumstance free of charge.  Please contact me for any questions.

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Posted in Blog, It's All About Facial Plastics In The News | 3 Comments »

Four Main Causes of Wrinkles and Their Treatments

Saturday, February 25th, 2012

As we age, wrinkles are formed by four different mechanisms:

1)      The constant movement of muscles causes creases and wrinkles in the face.  The medical term for these creases is dynamic rhytids, and they are commonly found on the forehead, between the eyes (frown lines), and around the eyes (crow’s feet).

Treatment:  Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin.

2)      Sun exposure and UV light stimulates enzymes in the skin that break down collagen and the supporting structures of the skin.  This process causes fine wrinkles on the face.

Treatment:  Good skin care, medical-grade skin peels, and laser resurfacing

3)      Over time, the skin loses elasticity and it descends or sags.  Underneath the skin, there are ligaments and other tissues that tether the skin to the underlying bone, fat, and muscle.  The pleating of the skin over these attachments may cause deep wrinkles and depressions such as tear troughs, pre-jowl sulci, and deeping of the nasolabial folds.

Treatment:  Facial fillers, fat transfer to the face, facelift, necklift, and eyelift

4)      Finally, unlike the rest of the body, the face loses volume over time. A volumized young face appears bright and energetic and it has smooth transitions from one facial area to the next.  Topography is the study of the relief features or surface configuration of an area. Dr. Kulbersh believes that the loss of volume due to aging changes the facial topography creating more “hills and valleys” on the face.  These valleys increase facial shadowing, giving a dark, tired, and aged appearance.  This is similar to a grape and a raisin.  A grape is volumized, has smooth transitions, and reflects light at all angles.  A raisin is a grape that has lost volume, which has many “hills and valleys” and shadowing.  A raisin is not as visually appealing as its “younger” grape form.

Treatment:  Facial fillers, fat transfer to the face, facelift, necklift, and eyelift

There are multiple causes of wrinkles on the face.  Dr. Jonathan Kulbersh trained and practiced in Beverly Hills with facial plastic surgeons, general plastic surgeons, oculoplastic surgeons, and dermatologists.  He would be happy to evaluate the skin of patients in his offices in Charlotte and Columbia.  Dr. Kulbersh is a facial aesthetic plastic surgery specialist that welcomes new patients to his practice.

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Posted in Blog, It's All About Your Face | 4 Comments »

What is the Best Sunscreen?

Monday, February 20th, 2012

There are currently 17 active substances approved for use in sunscreens by the FDA. Sunscreens fall into two broad categories, chemical and physical, although most sunscreens on the market are a mix of both.

How does each type of sunscreen work?

Chemical sunscreen absorbs the UV radiation to prevent damage to the skin.  The physical sunscreens form a layer on the skin that actually reflect UV radiation. Many sunscreens contain a mixture of both chemical and physical active ingredients.

Which type of sunscreen do I recommend?

Most importantly, I would recommend a sunscreen type that protects against both UVA and UVB radiations.  In regards to chemical vs. physical sunscreen, I recommend a physical sunscreen.  Some studies show that chemical sunscreen may get into the blood stream when used.  Those types of sunscreens I are not my favorite.  The two main ingredients in physical blocking sunscreens are zinc and titanium.  I prefer both of these sunscreen products, but I would not use titanium on children as it may not be good for them.  In short, to be the safest, I would choose a zinc based medical-grade sunscreen.

What does SPF mean?

SPF is the sun protection factor.  It is a measure of how long it will take your skin to sunburn in comparison to not wearing sunscreen at all.  SPF 30 means it takes 30 times the amount of sun exposure to get a sunburn compared to a person who was not wearing sunscreen.

My name is Jonathan Kulbersh, and I am a facial plastic surgeon in Charlotte, North Carolina.  I also have an office in Columbia, South Carolina.  I have the best medical grade sunscreens available at my offices.

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Posted in Blog, It's All About Your Face | 4 Comments »

Using Rib Cartilage in Revision Rhinoplasty

Friday, February 17th, 2012

Revision rhinoplasty is one of the most rewarding and challenging surgeries in facial cosmetic surgery.  Patients seeking a revision rhinoplasty in Charlotte normally come to my office with a different mindset than patients who are seeking their first nose job. For whatever the reason, patients seeking a revision are normally unhappy with their previous results. This unhappiness has normally led to a change in self confidence and a diminishing in their confidence and trust in doctors.  More than any other facial aesthetic surgery, a revision nose job should be done by a nasal specialist, due to the complex anatomy of the nose and importance of the appearance of the nose for the overall look of the face.

When seeing a patient at a consultation for a revision nose job, I inquire about their previous rhinoplasty(ies), their goals, and their desires. After establishing a trusting relationship between both parties, I develop a surgical approach to improve the nose.  I use two general approaches:

1)  Camouflage Revision Rhinoplasty

2)  Reverse Reconstructive Revision Rhinoplasty

In a camouflage revision nose job, the nose has proper underlying support, but has a poor appearance.  In this situation, I will use either an open or closed rhinoplasty approach to place tissue, grafts, and sutures to refine the nose and create an appealing appearance.

In a reverse reconstructive revision rhinoplasty, the nose has collapsed, lost its supporting foundation, and patients are normally unable to breath through the nose. These patients require the facial plastic surgeon to rebuild the underlying cartilaginous support to the nose and reconstruct it.  This may require a significant amount of straight and strong cartilage. The first option for cartilage is septal cartilage.  Often this cartilage is not available due to its removal during a previous surgery.  The next available option is ear cartilage in combination with a new product, PDS plate.  The ear cartilage is not straight or strong enough to reconstruct a nose.  The PDS plate is a sheet of suture material that straightens and strengthens the cartilage so it may be used in nasal reconstruction.

The final option for cartilage is to take it from the rib.  This cartilage is very strong and straight and is the best material to use when rebuilding a collapsed nose.  Typically, a small incision is hidden in the breast crease.  The patient will not experience any changes in their breathing or have a hole in their rib cage.  In fact, sometimes the rib will actually partially reform!  I will only use this procedure if it is absolutely necessary.  I believe as a rhinoplasty specialist, it is imperative to offer this procedure as there will be some patients that require rib cartilage.

Other surgeons will use foreign implants in the nose.  While this can be an option, I prefer to use the body’s natural material and believe using your own rib is safer in the long term.

Revision nose jobs in Charlotte should be done by a nasal specialist.  Dr. Kulbersh is a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon who completed special training and has a vast interest in revision nose jobs.  He has offices in Charlotte and Columbia.

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Posted in Blog, It's All About Your Nose | No Comments »

Are All Upper Blepharoplasties, or Eyelift Surgeries, Created Equal?

Friday, February 10th, 2012

With an interest in eye surgery, I have received specialized training with a prominent oculoplastic surgeon, a specialist who only preforms eye surgery, in Beverly Hills.  During this experience in Beverly Hills, I worked with cosmetic surgeons, plastic surgeons, and oculoplastic surgeons, and learned how each of the fields preforms upper and lower eyelift surgery.  Each field has their unique techniques and trends, and I worked to acquire the best techniques from each and bring them to Charlotte and Columbia.  This collection of techniques allows me to tailor the blepharoplasty to the patient’s goals and desires.  The eye has complex anatomy and has many functions, such as tearing, eye closure, and cleaning the eye, and these functions must be preserved during eye lift lid surgery.  Not only is the anatomy complex, but it is also small, requiring delicate and precise surgery.  I believe the extra time I have dedicated to focusing mainly on the surgery of the eye has made me a better blepharoplasty surgeon.

In preforming upper eyelift, I first look at the general shape of the eye: Is the eye prominent, sunken, wide, small, sleepy, fatty, surrounded with excess tissue, ptotic, or hallow? All of these different features will guide me on the approach of individually tailoring the upper blepharoplasty procedure for my patients in Charlotte and Columbia.

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Posted in Blog, It's All About Your Eyes | No Comments »