Training and board certification
Source for all rows: source
| Stage | Detail |
|---|---|
| College | University of Texas, graduated with honors |
| Medical school | Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine), Maryland, 1993, on an Air Force scholarship |
| Internship and residency | Transitional internship and ophthalmology residency, San Antonio, Texas; Chief Resident |
| Fellowship | Two-year American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery fellowship in Facial and Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery, Salt Lake City, Utah, under Richard L. Anderson |
- Board certification: "board-certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology."
- Fellow of the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
- 1999-2004: Chief of Ophthalmology and Assistant Professor of Surgery at Eglin AFB, Florida, in the US Air Force.
- Chief of Oculoplastics and Orbital Surgery at the Salt Lake VA Hospital and Adjunct Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Utah.
- Returned to Colorado Springs in 2006; currently Adjunct Professor of Surgery, Rocky Vista University.
- Has performed eyelid surgery since 1996 (blepharoplasty). The bio page states over 100 publications in journals and textbooks.
Eyelid surgery work
- Upper blepharoplasty. Done under local anesthesia with oral or IV sedation in 45-90 minutes (source). The incision is hidden in the eyelid fold and extends toward the crow's feet. He prefers a scalpel or a low-setting electric needle to a laser for the incision. The medial fat pad is reduced or shifted conservatively to avoid a hollow look. He uses a non-dissolving running suture removed at 7-14 days (source).
- Lower blepharoplasty. Removes or repositions fat, tightens loose skin and the orbicularis oculi muscle, and smooths the lid-cheek transition. Incisions are usually inside the eyelid, less often below the lash line (source).
- Ptosis repair. He most often uses a hidden incision inside the eyelid. He also performs the external approach through an upper eyelid or blepharoplasty incision, and frontalis suspension for severe levator weakness. The page states his revision rate for primary blepharoptosis surgery is under 5% (ptosis).
- Double eyelid surgery creates a crease in eyelids without one, per the eyelid surgery page. The site also covers entropion and ectropion (source), eyelid reconstruction after trauma or skin cancer removal (source), revision of other surgeons' eyelid work, and filler blepharoplasty (source).
- Galleries show eyelid (source), bilateral upper lid (source) and ptosis (source) before-and-after cases.
Other procedures
Brow lift options are an internal brow lift through the upper blepharoplasty incision (source) and an endoscopic brow lift through small incisions behind the hairline (endoscopic brow lift). Brow lift and forehead lift galleries are posted (source, source). The site also lists facelift, neck lift, lip lift, fat transfer, dry eye care, skin cancer removal and a medical spa (source).
Insurance and cost
- Any portion of surgery done to improve eyelid function and eye comfort "may possibly be covered by one's insurance if the strict medical criteria is met" (source).
- Ptosis surgery coverage requires strict photographic, visual symptom and visual field criteria. Some insurers, such as Medicare, will not cover brow lift, ptosis repair and blepharoplasty at the same time (ptosis).
- The site publishes no prices. Cosmetic surgery fees are stated to be all-inclusive, with no separate anesthesia or surgical center fees, and post-operative adjunct treatments such as IPL bruise treatment are often included.
Recovery
- Going out in public: many patients by one week, especially with LidLift compression goggles (source).
- Sutures out: 7-14 days.
- Final result: a few months to a year.
- Swelling and bruising after upper blepharoplasty: about two weeks (source).
- Lower blepharoplasty: a week off work and no strenuous activity for 1-2 weeks (blepharoplasty).