Life doesn’t give us very many opportunities to get a “do-over” on something that didn’t go quite right the first time. If you were hoping cosmetic surgery would help you feel more confident about your appearance, but the results of previous facial procedures left you unsatisfied with what you see when you look in the mirror, you may be wondering if there’s anything you can do about it.

The good news is that achieving better results is possible in the hands of a skilled cosmetic surgeon. Board-certified Louisville plastic surgeon Dr. Gerald O’Daniel brings his 30 years of training and surgical expertise to revision facial procedures to restore better harmony and balance to your facial features.

Two of the most popular revision surgeries are a revisional facelift and a revisional rhinoplasty. Let’s take an in-depth look at what both these procedures entail, and how they can benefit you.

What Is a Revisional Facelift?

Revision, or secondary, facelifts are specially designed for the unique needs of patients who have already had a previous facelift.

There are many reasons people decide to get revisional facelifts. The most common patient seeking a revisional facelift is someone who was initially satisfied with the result of their original surgery, but has chosen to repeat the procedure to maintain a youthful appearance.

Other patients choose to get a revision facelift because they are dissatisfied with the results from their previous surgery. An underdone surgery may result in problems such as jowls, neck laxity or continued drooping or sagging of the cheeks. On the flip side, patients who are overdone may be seeking a corrective procedure to overcome a tight or stretched appearance.

The Unique Challenges of a Revisional Facelift Surgery

Patients seeking a revisional facelift typically have considerably different needs than patients who have not had prior facial rejuvenation surgery. Performing a natural-appearing second, or even third, facelift surgery requires a higher overall skill level for several reasons.

First, scar tissue is more difficult to work with than original tissue. In addition, there may be surgical deformities that need to be corrected. In addition, some patients who have undergone previous lifting procedures have thinner skin and require special treatment to avoid complications from their procedures. Dr. O’Daniel takes a unique approach to each revisional surgical patient’s wants and needs.

A skilled surgeon can achieve a satisfactory revisional facelift by repositioning the fat, muscle and skin, while minimizing the appearance of scars and distortions. Depending on the patient’s desired outcome, Dr. O’Daniel may recommend combining a revisional facelift with other procedures, such as a brow lift, eyelid lift or lip enhancement.

While the downward pull of gravity is to blame for many of the effects of the aging process, loss of fat can create a sunken or hollowed-out appearance as well. By injecting the patient’s own body fat harvested from a “donor” area such as the thighs or belly, Dr. O’Daniel can restore lost volume in the cheeks and around the mouth and eyes.

Is Revisional Rhinoplasty Right for You?

If the results of your previous rhinoplasty are “as plain as the nose on your face,” you may be embarrassed by an asymmetrical, lopsided or otherwise unnatural-looking nose.

Fortunately, there is an option to get a skilled cosmetic surgeon to improve the appearance of your nose so that it complements and balances out your other facial features.

What Is Revision Rhinoplasty?

Even for a trained cosmetic surgeon, rhinoplasty is one of the most difficult procedures to perform, and revision rhinoplasty is typically an even more challenging operation that requires a truly expert touch.

Rhinoplasty is both an intricate and highly technical procedure, with both aesthetic and functional aspects that take many years of surgical experience to master. Trained as both a sculptor and a surgeon, Dr. O’Daniel specializes in the techniques required to treat the problems that may result when rhinoplasty is performed by less practiced and experienced surgeons. In fact, about one-quarter of the rhinoplasties Dr. O’Daniel performs each year are revision rhinoplasties.

Balance Is Essential

One of the reasons rhinoplasty is so complex is that it involves two separate procedures: one on the right side of the nose, and one on the left. At every point of the surgery, the surgeon must focus on maintaining perfect symmetry by removing exactly the same amount of cartilage on both sides of the nose.

Since a rhinoplasty can often result in swelling for up to a year after the procedure, asymmetries due to unequal scarring may not become obvious until months or even years after the surgery. For any successful revision rhinoplasty, Dr. O’Daniel relies on his extensive knowledge and experience as both an artist and surgeon to anticipate how the scar tissue will likely form and achieve the most aesthetically satisfying result.

In most rhinoplasty procedures, Dr. O’Daniel will cut the skin of the nose and lift it up and away from the bone and cartilage framework beneath, which he will then reshape as desired. He then re-drapes the skin over the re-sculpted framework, and applies a splint to help your nose maintain its new form.

The aim of revision nose surgery is to restore both structure and function. In some cases, Dr. O’Daniel may need to recreate symmetry by adding or removing cartilage. If needed, sources of extra cartilage can be the nasal septum or your ears.

Reshaping for Better Results

Cosmetic surgery is equal parts art and science. Not only does Dr. O’Daniel need to take into account the proper proportions and distinctive characteristics of each patient’s face during the surgery itself, he must also consider the patient’s overall healing process and how his or her face could change over time to achieve the ideal final result.

Sometimes, a cosmetic procedure is successful in medical terms, but unsuccessful in terms of the aesthetic outcome. Revisional surgery by a trained expert like Dr. O’Daniel can address any complications introduced by the previous surgery and strike both the balance and the beauty each patient deserves.