Dr. James Shaw, MD

Training and board certification

Source for all rows: source

• Board certification: "certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery in 1997, and updated this certification in 2007 and 2017."
• Practicing in Wichita since 1995; formed Shaw Plastic Surgery in 2016.
• Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Kansas School of Medicine - Wichita.
• Member, American Society of Plastic Surgeons and American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
• Operates mainly at Cypress Surgery Center in Wichita, Kansas Medical Center in Andover and Kansas Surgery and Recovery Center; courtesy privileges at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center. Takes Wesley Medical Center emergency cases for facial lacerations and trauma.

Eyelid surgery work

• Dr. Shaw performs upper and lower eyelid surgery and treats functional problems such as excess skin drooping into the line of sight.
• Upper eyelid. The incision is placed in the natural crease. Dr. Shaw avoids removing too much skin, since excess removal would make blinking difficult.
• Lower eyelid. The page names three causes of aging: bulging fat pads, loss of fat in the tear trough, and thin wrinkled skin. Lower incisions are usually inside the lower eyelid. Tear trough volume loss can be treated with fat grafted from the abdomen or hip. Lower lid skin is rarely removed unless the patient is elderly; it is tightened with CO2 laser resurfacing instead.
• Surgery is done under sedation or general anesthesia, supervised by a board-certified anesthesiologist.
• Sagging outer brows may need a brow or forehead lift rather than eyelid surgery.

Forehead lift. Usually done under general anesthesia through short incisions hidden in the hairline. For patients with a high, receding hairline the incision can be made in the upper eyelid, with less elevation (source).

Galleries:

• Blepharoplasty: four before-and-after patients (source).
• Brow lift: one patient (source).

Other procedures

The site lists breast augmentation, lift, reduction, revision, implant removal and reconstruction, gynecomastia surgery, liposuction, tummy tuck, mommy makeover, arm and thigh lift, facelift, neck lift, thread lift, fat grafting, lip lift, rhinoplasty, otoplasty and non-surgical injectables, lasers and RF treatments (shawplasticsurgery.com).

Insurance and cost

• "Eyelid surgery starts at $5,500 for a combination of procedures." The price includes anesthesiologist and surgery center fees; a personal estimate depends on the plan and added procedures such as fat grafting or brow lift (source).
• Some insurers may cover surgery when hooding obstructs vision, but blepharoplasty is generally not covered by insurance.
• Financing is offered through CareCredit (financing).

Recovery

• Keep the head elevated and cold packs on the eyes for the first few days; avoid sleeping on the side.
• Bruising and swelling typically take about 10 days to subside; many patients run errands after a few days with sunglasses.
• No strenuous activity or exercise for the first two weeks.
• Contact lenses may be uncomfortable for one to two weeks.