Training and board certification
Source for all rows: about Dr. Pontell.
| Stage | Detail |
|---|---|
| Medical school | Jefferson Medical College; Hobart Amory Hare Medical Honor Society |
| Residency | Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, State University of New York - Health Science Center at Brooklyn |
| Fellowship | Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York City |
- Board certification as printed: "double board certification in facial plastic surgery by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Otolaryngology by the American Board of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery."
- Served three and a half years as Director of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii, under a military scholarship.
- Former Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Hawaii School of Medicine; visiting surgeon to the Republic of the Marshall Islands and Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
- Former President and Treasurer of the Hawaii Society of Head and Neck Surgery.
- The site states 27 years of experience, and the eyelid page states he has performed over 4,000 eyelid surgeries.
- He takes part in the AAFPRS Face to Face and Faces of Honor programs.
Eyelid surgery work
The blepharoplasty page names Dr. Pontell and his partner, Dr. Catherine Weng.
- Upper blepharoplasty. An incision in the natural upper lid fold removes an ellipse of skin from the crease, with fat removal where needed.
- Double eyelid surgery. A similar incision with specially placed sutures creates a permanent upper eyelid crease for patients born without one.
- Lower blepharoplasty. A transconjunctival (inside the lid) incision alone, or an added incision just under the lashes when skin must be removed. Lifting the lower lid muscle is called a skin muscle flap. Fat can be repositioned into hollows to restore the lid-cheek contour.
- Revision blepharoplasty corrects asymmetry, crease height problems and triple folds after surgery elsewhere, at least six months to one year after the first operation.
- Awake surgery. Upper eyelid surgery can be done under local anesthesia with mild oral sedation.
- The procedure takes about one to two hours, as an outpatient, under local anesthesia, IV sedation or general anesthesia.
The brow lift page describes pretrichial, coronal, endoscopic and mid-forehead brow lift techniques.
The blepharoplasty gallery shows before-and-after patient cases.
Other procedures
The site offers facelift, mini facelift, neck lift, rhinoplasty, otoplasty, chin and lip surgery, hair transplant, facial reconstruction and non-surgical injectables, Fraxel and Ultherapy.
Insurance and cost
- Eyelid page: average cost "$4,500 to $8,500" depending on upper, lower or combined surgery.
- Cost estimates page: upper or lower blepharoplasty $3,500 to $5,500; upper and lower $6,000 to $9,000; endoscopic brow lift from $6,000; temporal lift from $4,500.
- Brow lift page: typically starts at about $8,000.
- Third-party financing is offered. The site has no statement on insurance or Medicare coverage.
Recovery
- Back to work: about one week (blepharoplasty).
- Swelling and bruising: typically resolve within two weeks; iced saline compresses for the first two days.
- Usual activities: about two weeks after surgery.
- Sun protection for incisions for one year.
- Results: upper blepharoplasty results can last 10 years or longer.