Training and board certification
Source for all rows: source
| Stage | Detail |
|---|---|
| College | University of Southern California, magna cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi |
| Medical school | University of Virginia School of Medicine |
| Residency | General surgery, Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation, New Orleans, LA |
| Residency | Plastic surgery training, University of Virginia |
- Board certification: "board certified with the American Board of Plastic Surgery."
- Fellow of the American College of Surgeons; member, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Medical Society of Virginia and Richmond Academy of Medicine.
- The eyelid page describes him as a board-certified plastic surgeon and "oculoplastic surgeon Richmond, VA" (source).
Eyelid surgery work
- Blepharoplasty. The eyelid page describes removing excess skin, muscle and fat from the upper lids, lower lids or both. It lists functional goals: clearing upper lids that obstruct vision and easing eyelid closure (source).
- Incisions. Upper lid incisions follow the natural crease. Lower lid incisions sit just below the lash line or inside the lid (transconjunctival), the latter with no visible external scar. Fat is removed or repositioned, and the underlying muscles are tightened in some cases.
- Setting. Most procedures use local anesthesia with sedation, with general anesthesia in some cases; surgery takes about 1 to 2 hours.
- Combined procedures. Often combined with facelift, forehead lift, fillers, thread lifts and laser skin resurfacing.
- Brow lift. The brow lift page lists endoscopic, temporal, coronal and direct brow lift techniques, plus non-surgical options (source).
- Eyelid gallery. Labeled cases include upper and lower blepharoplasty, male and female blepharoplasty, and Asian blepharoplasty and double eyelid surgery. Others show epicanthal fold repair, levator ptosis repair and lower eyelid chemical peel. One case shows lower eyelid ectropion repair with lateral canthoplasty after three previous lower lid surgeries by other surgeons (eyelid gallery).
- Brow lift gallery. A separate photo page shows brow lift results (brow lift gallery).
Ptosis repair, canthoplasty and double eyelid surgery appear as gallery cases; the site has no separate procedure page for them. A dark circles page lists causes of under-eye darkness (source).
Other procedures
The site lists facelift, rhinoplasty and thread lifts, breast surgery and revision, body contouring, labiaplasty, gender-affirming top surgery, skin cancer and Mohs surgery, lasers, Botox and fillers (discoverplasticsurgery.com).
Insurance and cost
- The site states Dr. DeConti accepts "major insurances like Medicare, Aetna, Blue Cross, Cigna, and more for medically necessary blepharoplasty."
- Insurers typically require visual field testing, often showing a 30% or greater reduction in peripheral vision. The practice submits a pre-authorization request with taped and untaped visual field results.
- Medicare and private insurers often cover medically necessary upper blepharoplasty but rarely cover lower eyelid procedures. Cosmetic blepharoplasty is generally not covered.
- Brow lifts are mostly cosmetic and not covered unless they address functional impairment (source).
- The site cites U.S. average costs (upper blepharoplasty $4,000 to $6,000; lower $5,000 to $7,000; combined $10,000 to $12,000). It does not state the practice's own fees.
Recovery
- Swelling and bruising peak around days 2 to 4 and typically subside within 1 to 2 weeks.
- Non-dissolvable stitches are removed 5 to 7 days after surgery.
- Return to work typically 7 to 10 days after surgery; makeup can usually cover residual bruising by then.
- Light exercise around 2 to 3 weeks if cleared; high-impact workouts and swimming wait at least 4 weeks.
- Final results become more apparent after 2 to 3 months.