Florida Plastic Surgeon - Dr Clevens

One procedure many people are interested in learning more about is Sculptra. Sculptra works by replacing lost collagen and fills in shallow to deep facial folds and wrinkles. The results of Sculptra are subtle and it gives you a natural and youthful look. We recommend that you have three injectable sessions over a few months. These injections will give you a gradual result that can last up to two years.

Some clients wonder if it is possible to have sterile water injections to remove Sculptra if you have lumps afterward. We do not believe that injecting sterile water will help. In most cases, with our proper injection technique, lumps and bumps are avoidable. Re-injecting Sculptra in this area may be helpful in smoothing the contour of this area so the bumps are not perceptible. Massage or steroid injections may help if for some reason you are unhappy with your results.

Good candidates for these injections are people who are physically healthy and are realistic in their expectations to improve the appearance of facial fat loss. These injections can take anywhere from fifteen to forty minutes to complete depending on the number and size of areas being treated.

Call our office at 321.727.3223 to schedule an appointment. We would love to meet with you and discuss the best treatment options available to you.

Ross A. Clevens, MD
Melbourne Florida Facial Plastic Surgeon

Many patients are curious of how a fat transfer procedure is done and how it is used during a facial implant. The fat transfer procedure uses fat from one part of the body where there is excess and places it in another part of the body.

A fat transfer, also known as fat grafting or microlipoinjections, is used in facial plastic surgery to restore volume that has been lost to the face. A youthful face is round, full, and heart shaped whereas the aged face becomes more gaunt, deflated, square shaped, and bottom heavy. The fat grafting procedure helps achieve a more youthful face through volumization. It may be performed alone of with other traditional procedures such as a facelift.

There is no question that fat is the ideal material for soft tissue augmentation, and that the results obtained with fat grafting are the most natural-appearing. This procedure is not too difficult and will only take a few hours. During a fat transfer, we will remove the fat cells from the abdomen, thighs, or buttocks. Then we must isolate the fat cells from the other fluids that were initially collected by centrifuging (spinning very quickly) the collected tissue. Now we will use the isolated fat cells and inject them under the facial skin. This creates the desired younger looking face.

Call our office at 321.727.3223 to schedule an appointment. We would love to meet with you and discuss the best treatment options available to you.

Ross A. Clevens, MD

Melbourne Florida Facial Plastic Surgeon 

If you are experiencing any symptoms leading you to believe you have Rhinophyma, then the combination of dermabrasion, Co2 laser techniques, and excision may help you. To better understand Rhinophyma, it is important to be familiar with Rosacea, a chronic disease that affects the skin. It is indicated by redness, pimples, and thickened skin in an advanced stage. When Rosacea reaches a progressive stage, it’s possible that Rhinophyma may develop.

Rhinophyma is illustrated by an enlarged, bulbous, and red nose that has resulted from an enlargement of the sebaceous (oil-producing) glands underneath the surface of the skin. Treatment options for this advanced stage of Rosacea include medications as well as surgery. Rhinophyma that does not respond to medications may be treated with electrosurgery, laser treatment, dermabrasion, and resculpturing.

Lasers are used to remove the excess tissue that accumulates on the nose in patients with rhinophyma. The tissue can also be removed with a scalpel or a rapidly rotating wire brush known as dermabrasion. Although the nose will look red for a year or so following tissue removal, the nose will assume a normal skin color after about a year.  We often combine dermabrasion, excision, and the use of a Co2 laser for the most effective treatment of Rhinophyma.

Call our office at 321.727.3223 to schedule an appointment. We would love to meet with you and discuss the best treatment options available to you.

Ross A. Clevens, MD
Melbourne Florida Facial Plastic Surgeon

When picking the best doctor to conduct your Mohs surgery in Melbourne, Florida, what should you be looking for? Finding the best doctor to conduct your surgery is a key factor when you are looking to book your appointment. It can be nerve-wracking to think about the removal of cancerous cells from your face. However, Dr. Clevens is expertly qualified to remove tumors while still keeping intact your cosmetic appearance. This is an important consideration when choosing your surgeon. By preserving your cosmetic appearance, Dr. Clevens can spare the majority of the healthy tissue. This results in a less obvious removal of the cancerous cells.

Mohs surgery is the most precise method for the removal of cancerous tissue. It may result in a significantly smaller surgical defect and less noticeable scarring, as compared to other methods of skin cancer treatment.

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States and in Florida where the sun is almost always shining you might be at risk. When you are choosing a surgeon to perform your Mohs surgery, trust your face to a Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon specialist who is uniquely trained and expertly qualified to perform the Mohs Surgery. 

Please call our office at 321.727.3223 to schedule an appointment. We would love to meet with you and discuss the best treatment options available to you.

Ross A. Clevens, MD
Melbourne Florida Facial Plastic Surgeon

Anyone considering blepharoplasty or "lower eye lid surgery" because they aren't happy with they way they look or feel because of sageness of the eyelids, bulging skin or bags around the eyes cause a tired or sad appearance, may be a great candidate for the procedure.

Blepharoplasty has other benefits that aren't purely cosmetic as well.  In some situations, the patients field of vision may be improved.  If they upper eye lids are heavy that they obstruct vision, blepharoplasty can make dramatic improvements.  The patient often experience an increase in comfort of their eyelids after healing from the procedure.

Blepharoplasty is often performed on its own, however I generally recommend a brow lift, facelift or skin surfacing to help achieve the best results.  It is very important to seek out a highly recommended professional and meet with them to discuss your goals and what you would like to accomplish with your procedure.

Please call our office at 321.727.3223 to schedule an appointment. We would live to meet with you an discuss the best treatment options available to you.

Ross A. Clevens, MD
Melbourne Florida Facial Plastic Surgeon

Q: Am I too old to get a facelift?

A: It is not a question of how old a person is, rather how healthy a person is.  A physically healthy person at any age can receive great results from a facelift.  Patients of all ages should be realistic in their expectations as it pertains to loose facial and neck skin. Many healthy people over the age of 80 have enjoyed the benefits of a facelift.

Please call our office at 321.727.3223 to schedule an appointment.  We would love to meet with you and help decide the best treatment options available for you.  

Ross A. Clevens, MD
Melbourne Florida Facial Plastic Surgeon

Q: What's the best way to plump hollow spots on my face?

A: As we age, the face tends to become more bottom heavy, morphing from a heart or triangular shape to a more square faced appearance. I agree with the remarks of the other doctors who have answered this question. Sculptra is a wondeful filler to address facial hollows and contour deformities as a result of aging. In the hands of an experienced user, Scuptra successfully restores volume to the upper and mid face in just several office treatments over a couple or few months.

Sculptra may last up to 3-5 years, but more commonly, once the desired result is achieved, we suggest that the patient return every 12-18 months for a touch up treatment in order to maintain their result over the long term.

Call our office at 321.727.3223 to schedule an appointment to discuss treatment options.

Ross A. Clevens, MD
Melbourne Florida Facial Plastic Surgeon

How Can I Prevent Age Spots?

To avoid getting age spots that occur due to sun exposure, simply follow these 3 simple steps;

1. Use a UVB/UVA sunscreen DAILY - apply after moisturizer as part of your morning routine
2. Avoid direct sun exposure as much as possible- especially during this midday
3. Shield your face when out during the day for long periods of time with a hat  

If you are already noticing age spots and discoloration, treating with an IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) is a quick easy way to erase the spots and using hydroquinone daily keeps them at bay.

Call our office at 321.727.3223 to schedule an appointment or discuss treatment options.

Ross A. Clevens, MD

Melbourne Florida Facial Plastic Surgeon

Q: When Should Facelift Sutures Be Removed?

How Many Days Post Op from a Facelift Should Sutures in Front of Ears Be Removed, for the best possible chance of limited scarring? Thank you.

Q: Options for Defining a Flat Upper Lip?  I have a problem with my lips. The bottom one is fine but the top lip is pretty flat and has no shape to it. It does not have the youthful/sexy indent or definition. Basically it is almost as flat as my bottom lip. Is there a surgery to permanently change this....I am content with the size of my lips but not the shape. Would I be a candidate for a small lip implant?

A: Your Best Options for Defining a 'Flat' Upper Lip

You can choose either a lip implant OR a surgical lip augmentation.

If you choose a "permanent" implant, there are numerous substances that I commonly use as a graft or implant material in the lips. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages.

• AlloDerm is a popular human-donor grafting material that is FDA approved and proven safe in lip augmentation and facial reconstruction. Under a local anesthesia, the material is inserted through tiny incisions made in the inside corners of the mouth. Delicate absorbable stitches that dissolve are used. The material is often absorbed, so that the results are only temporary, lasting from 12-18 months. This procedure takes about 15 minutes in the office under local anesthesia.
• Advanta and Gore-Tex have been shown to produce reliable and predictable results with few complications. These materials do not shrink and are never absorbed into the body making the procedure permanent. It also remains in place because scar tissue forms on both ends holding it in place. To insert Advanta and Gore-Tex, a small incision is made in the inside of the lip. The material is then made into the shape of a small tube and it is inserted with a needle.
• Fat grafting produces lasting results in most of the people who try it. Although it is possible that the body will reabsorb it, many people choose fat grafting because they are most comfortable with using the fat from their own body to enhance their lips. The fat is harvested from another area of the body, often the abdomen. It is then prepared and inserted with a needle into the lip from more than one point.
• SurgiSil is new to the market but promises a safe, definitive solution for permanent tissue augmentation.Surgisil is a patented, FDA approved device designed for tissue augmentation of the lips and has undergone extensive clinical testing to ensure its safety and efficacy. It is made of a soft, solid silicone elastomer using an injection molding process to produce a naturally contoured implant with a smooth, non-porous surface. The implant cannot rupture or deflate, and may be removed at any time. I have see great results with this product.

If you opt for Lip Augmentation through a Surgical Solution, you will certainly have a permanent result.

• Surgical enhancement of the lips provides a permanent alternative to injections and implants.
• Surgical enhancement usually takes less than one hour to perform in office under local anesthesia.
• Careful and fine incisions are created to shape the lips into their desired shape and form.
• Direct Lip Lifting creates a fuller upper and/or lower lip with imperceptible incisions. This precise procedure allows the patient to state just how full you want your lip and that is where I can place the new lip line.
• As the lip ages, the corner of the mouth tends to droop. Other procedures such as the Corner of the Lip Lift enable the lip to be reshaped so that the frown can be improved and a youthful upturned lip can be achieved.
• Local flaps bring material from inside the mouth outside to enhance the lips. Results are permanent. An incision may be made inside the mouth to push the tissue inside the mouth upward, and outward, into the lip, sometimes in conjunction with grafting. Or, an incision may be along the upper lip line. In this case, skin above the lip is removed, and the lip is then stitched along the line of the incision.

Please call our office at 321.727.3223 to schedule your appointment and see what options are available for you.

Ross A. Clevens, MD
Melbourne Florida Facial Plastic Surgeon