Facelift, Browlift, Blepharoplasty, BOTOX® Cosmetic, and More - Santa Barbara Facial Procedures

• Face Lift
• Browlift
• Blepharoplasty
• Rhinoplasty
• Ear Pinning
• Chin Augmentation
• Lip Augmentation/Fat Transfer
• BOTOX® Cosmetic Injections
• Dermal Fillers
• Obagi® Blue Peel
• Skin Care
• Latisse
• Structural Procedures
• Skin Procedures
• Intense Pulsed Light and Photodynamic Therapy

Facial Rejuvenation Procedures

As the face ages, the skin and underlying structures and tissues begin to deteriorate, causing the skin to wrinkle and the face to sag. These changes can make a person look much older and often create a disconnect with what the person feels inside (younger) versus what he or she sees in the mirror (older). 

However, you don't have to accept the facial aging process without a fight! While we cannot stop the deterioration of the facial tissues completely, we offer plastic surgical and nonsurgical procedures in Santa Barbara that can restore and repair the effects of aging and sun damage.  Face lift, eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), brow lift, and injectables such as Botox, Juvederm, and Radiesse injections at our Santa Barbara office are some of the tools we have to help set back the clock. These procedures can adjust the skin and improve the underlying tissues, get rid of the angry or tired look, and restore a more youthful, full, and vibrant face. 

Sundamage which is seen as pigmentation changes, wrinkles, and broken blood vessels, can also be improved with nonsurgical methods such as Intense Pulsed Light and Photodynamic Therapy.

Scroll down to find out more about some of the facial plastic surgery procedures we offer at our office in Santa Barbara, and Contact our office to schedule a consultation on facial rejuvenation.

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Facelift

The facelift procedure offered at our Santa Barbara practice rejuvenates the skin and underlying structures around your cheeks, mouth, eyes, and forehead to reduce facial sagging and eliminate the tired or angry look that tends to develop with age. By undergoing a facelift procedure, a patient will "set the clock back" on the aging process and enjoy a more youthful look.

If you are thinking about a facelift procedure, consider a consultation with Dr. Mackenzie to evaluate your needs and discuss the many types of facial rejuvenation surgery procedures available. Taking into account your particular facial anatomy and pattern of aging, along with your skin condition and degree of sun damage, Dr. Mackenzie will describe the procedures that will work best for you as well as give you an in-depth description of the surgery itself.  You may be a candidate for endoscopic or other minimally invasive surgery techniques, depending on your degree of facial aging.  There may be non-surgical procedures that you may benefit from as well, particularly to address sun damage and skin texture. 

The facelift surgery usually takes place at South Coast Surgery Center, our Santa Barbara surgical facility, and can take as long as three hours. More time may be necessary if combined with other procedures. Some pain, swelling, and discomfort follow the facelift procedure, and you may have surgical drains to be removed the next day, depending on the procedure. With most facelift procedures, you will need to wear a compression head garment for a week.

If you would like to enjoy the look of youthful vitality that face lift creates, contact our Santa Barbara offices today.

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Endoscopic Brow Lift

The endoscopic brow lift is a minimally invasive surgery that reduces the appearance of lines in the forehead and gives the orbit (the eye socket) a more open, awake appearance. The brow is typically elevated to a natural degree, and the "deer in the headlights" look of an old fashioned open browlift is avoided.  Other types of browlifts, including open lifts and trans-blepharoplasty browlifts (through the upper eyelid during a blepharoplasty) are done, depending on the pattern of aging of the brow.

During the endobrow lift procedure, Dr. MacKenzie inserts a small camera, or endoscope, through small incisions he has made behind the hairline. He then lifts the skin and soft tissues of the brow away from the underlying bone and tightens the underlying tissue.  Usually, an internal Coapt Endotine device is used on each side to secure the tissues in the elevated position until they are healed.  This device ultimately dissolves and dissapears.

If you are interested in the endoscopic brow lift, contact the office of Dr. Mackenzie today to schedule a brow lift consultation.

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Blepharoplasty (Eyelid Surgery)

Drooping or puffiness around the eyes can be corrected through eyelid surgery, also known as blepharoplasty.  People don't have to accept the signs of eyelid aging as inevitable. Instead, sagging or puffiness around the eyes can be eliminated through blepharoplasty in our Santa Barbara office. Aging of the eyes, which can make people look tired or sad, is not a necessary consequence of growing older. Instead, you can choose blepharoplasty and retain your youthful appearance for years to come.  Some may also be candidates for non-surgical rejuvenation of the eyelids, using Botox or Juvederm for example.

Upper eyelid surgery (upper blepharoplasty) usually involves removing excess skin that may be causing extra folds, or even laying on the upper lashes.  In severe cases it may even impair vision.  There may be excess fat that can be removed as well.  Upper blepharoplasty is often combined with other facial rejuvenation procedures, especially brow lifting and lower blepharoplasty, but is also commonly done as a stand alone procedure, which can be done under local anesthesia in Dr. Mackenzie's Santa Barbara office.

Lower eyelid surgery (lower blepharoplasty) involves very different anatomy than the upper eyelids, and is more often done under general anesthesia.  It is often combined with other facial rejuvenation procedures, especially upper blepharoplasty.  Most commonly corrected is the bulging fat pocket below the eye, and the groove (tear trough) below this bulge.  Redundant skin, and sometimes muscle, is removed.  The incision usually follows underneath the eyelashes, but many people are candidates for transconjunctival blepharoplasty, which involves an invisible incision behind the eyelid.  In almost everyone, Dr. Mackenzie will perform a canthopexy, which is a procedure to support the lower eyelid to help avoid unattractive bowing or ectropion of the lid as it heals - a telltale sign of surgery.

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If you are interested in learning more about what blepharoplasty can do for you, contact our Santa Barbara cosmetic surgery practice today.

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Rhinoplasty

Our rhinoplasty procedures change the shape of the nose to give patients a more proportional, balanced facial structure. Rhinoplasty can increase or decrease the size of the nose, remove a bump, or reshape the bridge or nostrils. Just a small alteration in the shape of your nose can realign your face and make you look and feel more attractive. 

At our Santa Barbara office, we offer computer imaging with the Mirror system, a morphing technology that allows patients to see the potential results of his or her rhinoplasty procedure.  More than any other procedure, rhinoplasty surgery should be tailored to the individual nose and not performed with a one-size-fits-all mentality.  Dr. Mackenzie is comfortable performing both open and closed rhinoplasty, as well as secondary rhinoplasty for correction of problems from previous surgery.

Some select patients may also be candidates for nonsurgical rhinoplasty using fillers to sculp and fill contour problems.

For more on rhinoplasty or contact our plastic surgery practice today.

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Otoplasty (Ear Pinning)

Prominent ears are a common cause of feeling self-conscious about one's appearance, and it's not just with children.  We've seen many adults who still try to hide their ears under hats or long hair.  We are amazed at how many people go for years avoiding this simple surgery.  With children, it can be a source of teasing or bullying.  Dr. Mackenzie offers ear-pinning, or otoplasty surgery, to re-sculpt the ear cartilage and make the ears lie in a more normal and pleasing position.  Otoplasty is a very reliable and safe surgery, and for adults and children over the age of 12, it can easily be done under local anesthesia.   Younger children typically need to have general anesthesia for otoplasty surgery.
Contact Pacific Plastic Surgery for more information on otoplasty.

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Chin Augmentation

For some people, a weak chin can cause a significant imbalance in the appearance of their profile. For these patients, we offer chin implants to strengthen the chin and re-balance the facial features. If you are concerned about the appearance of your chin, or even your upper neck, a chin implant may be the option for you. We will sometimes combine the chin implant with other procedures such as neck liposuction or facelift to recontour the lower face and neck.  If your chin problem is more extensive, with problems of your teeth and your dental occlusion, you may need more extensive jaw surgery, and for that we would refer you to an oral surgeon.  We are also pleased to offer patients cheek implants, an option many choose to improve facial structure.

Contact us for more information on chin or cheek augmentation.

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Lip Augmentation/Fat Transfer

Our office offers a range of procedures and techniques for enhancing the lips and correcting the nasolabial fold, as well as restoring volume to sunken cheeks. Fat transfer, also known as fat injection, or fat grafting, can also be used for many purposes and in many areas of the body, not just for the face.  From injections of Juvederm or Radiesse, to using your own tissue, these procedures offer many options with regard to cost, recovery time, longevity, etc.  Dr. Mackenzie will explain all the options we offer, whether you're considering lip augmentation, smoothing of facial lines, or more youthful full cheeks.  Search my blog for some recent posts that include discussions about fat injections.

Please contact Pacific Plastic Surgery for a complimentary lip augmentation consultation.

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BOTOX® Cosmetic Injections

For patients who have fine lines, wrinkles, or deeper furrows in the skin of their face, the BOTOX® Cosmetic injections offered at our Santa Barbara practice are a convenient, quick, non-surgical alternative to more extensive procedures such as face lift or blepharoplasty.

BOTOX® Cosmetic injections are done in our Santa Barbara office and take a very short amount of time. BOTOX® Cosmetic is a neurotoxin which, when injected into the facial tissue, relaxes the muscles under the injection site. Tightening of the muscles contributes to facial wrinkles, and when they are relaxed by the action of the BOTOX® Cosmetic injections, wrinkles are smoothed and the area takes on a younger appearance.

The effects of BOTOX® Cosmetic injections can last up to three or four months, occasionally longer. Since although Botox acts to soften wrinkles by relaxing the muscle but doesn't "fill in" depressed areas or wrinkles that are deep, we often combine it with a filler such as Juvederm or Radiesse.  Sometimes though, a more permanent and extensive facial smoothing requires surgical procedures like a face lift or eyelid surgery. If you think BOTOX® Cosmetic sounds like the option for you, don't hesitate to contact our Santa Barbara office for more information. Take the first steps toward a younger-looking face today.

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Dermal Fillers

Dermal fillers can restore a youthful appearance to the face by smoothing deep wrinkles or adding volume to thinning lips.  They can help conceal bags under the eyes or give cheeks a more youthful, full appearance.  Even depressed scars can be softened to appear more discreet.  Although we have used several filler products, we now use Radiesse® and Juvéderm™ at Pacific Plastic Surgery as safe, bio-compatible products that give patients consistent results.  Fat injection is an alternative for these types of "off-the-shelf" fillers.

Contact Pacific Plastic Surgery to find out whether dermal fillers can help you.

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Obagi® Blue Peel

The Obagi® Blue Peel is an intensive facial peel that removes the outer layers of skin to reveal younger, fresher skin beneath. This procedure can reduce the appearance of fine lines, scars, age spots, and other flaws. Through this 20-minute office procedure, the skin can regain some of its elasticity, making you look years younger. Contact Dr. Mackenzie for more information on the Obagi® Blue Peel.

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Skin Care

While skin care cannot fix every skin flaw, there are some skin care products that can actually make your skin look fresher and younger. We offer the Obagi® NuDerm System, as a stand alone product line, and as an adjunct to surgical and laser procedures. While our skin care cannot reverse the aging process, it can undo some of the affects of aging and sun exposure and give your skin a glowing, youthful look that over-the-counter products just can't match. Contact Pacific Plastic Surgery for more information on skin care and how it can help you.

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Latisse

Longer, fuller, thicker eyelashes in weeks with Latisse! Apply once a day to the base of your eyelashes, just like you would eyeliner, and in 7-10 weeks you will notice a dramatic difference. Use it on your eyebrows, too! Latisse is a clear liquid eyelash conditioner available at our office.

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Structural Procedures

Various procedures are available to improve the shape or symmetry of the face.  These are procedures that can improve the volume loss of aging in the cheeks, correct traumatic defects of the face, or just provide more balanced and harmonious facial features.  Some of the procedures available include facial implants specifically designed for certain areas and effects, including cheek implants and chin implants.  Some procedures are designed to reduce areas that may be out of proportion, such as an overly prominent brow ridge.

Fat transfer (also called fat injection) can also be used for filling in facial hollows, or the volume loss due to aging.  Injectable products like Radiesse and Juvederm may also improve structural contours.

The Mirror Imaging System that Dr. Mackenzie uses allows him to show you what kind of realistic changes can be made during your surgery.  

Contact Dr. Douglas J Mackenzie today to see what plastic surgery can do to enhance your appearance.

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Skin Procedures

Beauty is not only skin deep. However, at Dr. Mackenzie's office, we realize that having beautiful skin can make our patients feel more self-confident and can enhance their physical appearance. Many times, our face lift or eye lift patients find that, while reducing or eliminating deep wrinkles, these procedures cannot eliminate fine, surface lines in the skin, sunspots, or other skin irregularities. That is why we offer sun and age spot removal, skin peels, other laser treatments, as well as a whole line of skin care products and recommendations that you can only get from a licensed physician.

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Intense Pulsed Light and Photodynamic Therapy

Sun and Age Spot Removal (IPL) - Intense Pulse Light

Correction of deep lines and wrinkles can require invasive blepharoplasty or face lift procedures. However, California residents often find that too much sun has done additional damage to the surface of their skin. A sad side-effect of long, sunny summers and hours at the beach can encourage the appearance of fine lines and sun spots on the face, arms, legs, and body. However, using an intense pulsed light system, we can eliminate these distracting marks with little or no discomfort to you. For more information on intense pulsed light therapy and how it can remove sun or age spots, contact our cosmetic surgery practice.

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Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is a treatment performed with a topical photosensitizing agent called Levulan (5-aminolevulinic acid or ALA). Levulan is a natural product that is activated or "turned on" by a specific wavelength of light. Levulan is placed on the skin of the face, neck , chest or hands and then is activated by our IPL( Intense Pulse Light) device. These treatments improve actinic keratoses or precancerous spots caused by sun exposure. ALA/PDT is easier than the typical treatment options for actinic keratoses such as topical liquid nitrogen or Efudex (5-FU) cream. It offers an effective treatment option with minimal side effects and downtime. Levulan also offers cosmetic benefits. Sun spots, uneven pigmentation, and early wrinkles are improved with the its use. In addition, these treatments can improve the appearance of acne and some acne scars.

Follow-up treatments can be done in the future to maintain the rejuvenated appearance of the skin. For more information on photodynamic therapy and how it can remove sun or age spots, contact our cosmetic surgery practice.

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