Training and board certification
Source for all rows: source
| Stage | Detail |
|---|---|
| College | Columbia University; Bachelor of Arts in Art History |
| Medical school | Boston University School of Medicine; top 10 percent of class; Alpha Omega Alpha |
| Internship and residency | General surgery internship and four-year otolaryngology-head and neck surgery residency, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York City |
| Fellowship | Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery |
- Board certification as printed: "Certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery."
- Member, American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
- Davidoff Award for excellence in teaching, during residency.
- Contributing author, Surgical Facial Rejuvenation: A Roadmap to Safe and Reliable Outcomes; author of journal articles and textbook chapters on face, head and neck surgery.
- Established the Temecula Valley practice in 2007 and later added Del Mar; more than 20 years of experience.
Eyelid surgery work
- Approach. The page describes preserving or repositioning fat rather than removing it, to avoid a hollow look, and considering the eyelid, brow and midface together. Muscle support is refined and only the needed skin is addressed.
- Upper blepharoplasty. Treats excess skin and fullness and can improve vision blocked by sagging skin; incisions sit in the natural crease.
- Lower blepharoplasty. Treats bags and puffiness; fat is preserved or moved to smooth the lid-cheek junction. Incisions are along the lash line or inside the lid.
- Named techniques. Fat preservation and repositioning; transconjunctival lower blepharoplasty; skin pinch technique for mild laxity.
- Anesthesia: typically local anesthesia with sedation; outpatient.
- Brow lift. The 4 Point Brow Lift uses four small incisions in the hairline. The temporal (lateral) brow lift raises the outer third of the brow through a short incision about one centimeter behind the hairline. Recovery includes light therapy treatments for swelling and bruising (source).
Galleries: the blepharoplasty gallery spans two pages of cases credited to Dr. Balikian, including upper blepharoplasty, transconjunctival lower blepharoplasty with fat transfer, and lower lid CO2 laser (source). The brow lift gallery shows 4 Point and temporal brow lift cases, some combined with eyelid surgery and deep plane facelift (source). The site has a facial revision page but no page for ptosis repair or double eyelid surgery.
Other procedures
Dr. Balikian's site offers the Artiste Lift deep plane facelift, neck lift, neck liposuction, rhinoplasty with 3D imaging, revision surgery, lip lift, chin augmentation, otoplasty, facial fat transfer and CO2 laser. Dr. Shain Cuber performs breast and body surgery in the same practice (drbalikian.com).
Insurance and cost
The eyelid and brow pages state no price and say nothing about insurance or Medicare coverage. The practice has a financing page (financing).
Recovery
- Mild swelling, bruising and tightness for the first several days; cold compresses and ointments.
- Light activity within one week; return to work within 7 to 10 days.
- Makeup after 10 to 14 days; strenuous exercise avoided for about two weeks.
- Most swelling and bruising resolve within the first couple of weeks.
- Results often last 10 to 15 years or more. Patients need a driver after surgery.