Glossary of Facelift Terms
ABMS (American Board of Medical Specialties)
The umbrella organization under which 24 certifying medical boards function in the U.S. The main purpose of the ABMS is to organize information about medical specialties and certification in medicine, and to distribute this information to the public, government, and the medical profession.
Ala
The flap of skin and cartilage covering each nostril.
Ala Base
The border of the nostrils.
Ala Cartilage
The wing-shaped connective tissue comprising the tip of the nose.
Alar ( base) Reduction
The procedure to narrow the width of the nostrils and Ala.
Anesthesia
General or local insensibility, as to pain and other sensation, induced by certain interventions or drugs to permit the performance of surgery or other painful procedure. There are three types: general, regional, and local.
Asymmetry
Lacking symmetry; parts of the body are not identical on both sides.
Board Certified Surgeon
A surgeon who has completed the required course of study and an accredited residency, along with successfully passing the examination given by the certifying board.
Bossing
A misshapen nasal tip.
Cartilage
Cartilage is that structure in your body that is firm like bone, but
is more flexible and can bend and take different shapes. Your ear is made
up of cartilage. The nose is composed primarily of cartilage NOT bone. The
3 nasal cartilages are Septal cartilage, Upper Lateral Cartilage, Lower Lateral
Cartilage.
Columella
The partition between the two nostrils that can be grasped between thumb and
forefinger.
Computer Imaging
State-of-the-art technology which enables a patient to preview the potential result of a procedure. A patient's image appears on a computer screen and is then 'morphed' until the desired result is achieved. While computer imaging is certainly helpful, it is not an exact replication of the potential surgical result.
Conscious or IV (Intravenous) Sedation
An anesthetic approach which allows the patient to be unaware of pain without placing him/her under full, general anesthesia.
Cosmetic Surgery
The enhancement or beautification of specific body or facial parts. Cosmetic surgery typically does not include reconstruction or restoration except in specific cases, such as Facelift where both form (ie removal of bump, etc.) and function (ie breathing, etc.) can be addressed.
Dermis The dense inner layer of skin that lies just below the epidermis, composed of connective tissue, blood and lymph vessels, sweat glands, hair follicles, and an elaborate sensory nerve network. The dermis protects the body from mechanical injury, binds water, stores water, maintains temperature, and carries nerves to detect sensation and feeling. |
Dorsum The bridge of the nose. |
| Dorsal Referring to the dorsum. |
Dorsa Hump A bump on the bridge of the nose. |
Dorsal Reduction The procedure to remove or reduce the appearance of a bump on the bridge of the nose. |
Endonasal Facelift The surgery to reshape the nose which is performed through internal nasal incisions. |
Endoscope A sterile video instrument allowing a surgeon to see inside of the body through small, limited incisions. |
Endoscopic Procedures A surgical procedure involving the use of an endoscope, a sterile video instrument which allows the surgeon to see inside of the body through small, limited incisions. An example of an endoscopic procedure is the forehead or brow lift. |
Epidermis The outer, nonvascular, nonsensitive layer of the skin which contains no nerves or blood vessels. The epidermis acts as a seal against the environment while exerting some control over the amount of moisture lost to the environment. |
Erythema Abnormal redness of the skin due to local congestion, as in inflammation. |
Facial Plastic Surgeon A surgeon specializing in cosmetic and/or reconstructive surgery of the head and neck only. Facial plastic surgeons are typically board certified in otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat - ENT), as well as being certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, an ABMS equivalent board. |
General Anesthesia An anesthetic approach which allows the patient to be put into a careful and controlled state of unconsciousness for the duration of a procedure. |
Glandular Relating to a gland. |
Hematoma A circumscribed collection of blood, usually clotted, in a tissue or organ, caused by a break in a blood vessel. This can occur as a result of abnormal post-operative bleeding. |
Hemorrhage A profuse discharge of blood, as from a ruptured blood vessel. |
Hypertrophic Scar A form of scar which is red, raised, and itchy. |
Incision The cutting into skin or body tissue. |
Informed Consent Informed Consent refers to the signing of forms which legally allow a surgery to proceed, and assumes that the patient has read about and understands the events, risks, and complications that can occur as a result of surgery. |
Inpatient Surgery A surgical procedure requiring the patient to stay overnight in a hospital. |
Keloid An abnormal proliferation of scar tissue, as on the site of a surgical incision. |
Local Anesthesia A form of anesthetic directly injected into the site of the surgery, causing numbness to that area. |
Lower lateral cartilage |
|
Maxillofacial Of, pertaining to, or affecting the jaws and the face; as in maxillofacial surgery. |
| Maxillofacial Surgeon A doctor who treats injuries, abnormalities, and diseases of the face and jaw. |
|
Milia Tiny cysts in the skin which can result from blocked pores or from suture tracks. |
| Nasal Bones Actually the very small paired nasal bones that comprise just the tip of the bony nasal component ( the remainder of that coming from the maxillary bone). Used typically, however, to refer to the entire bony nose. |
| Nasal sill The small skin "step" separating the upper lip with the nostril. |
| Nasal tip The tip of the nose. The lower one third of the nose, composed of the paired lower lateral cartilages. |
| Nasion The valley or recessed area, seen on profile, that is just below the eyebrows and is considered to be where the nose "starts". Ideally it should be at the same level as the tips of the upper eyelashes. It corresponds to the nasofrontal suture line. |
| Nasofrontal Suture
Line The junction of the frontal bone (the forehead bone) and the nasal bones. It is a horizontal line that lies at the base of the valley or recessed area, seen on a skeletal profile, that is just below the forehead bone and just above the insertion of the nasal bones into the forehead bone. |
|
Nasolabial Fold The skin crease extending from the edge of the nose to the corner of the mouth. |
|
Nose Job Slang for Facelift, the refining and reshaping of the nose. |
| Nostril The paired holes in the nose in which air passes in and out when breathing. |
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Nostril Show |
|
Open Facelift The procedure to refine and/or reshape the nose through the use of traditional incisions within the nostrils combined with one incision on the outside of the skin across the columella. Open Facelift allows the surgeon to lift the skin of the nose away from the nasal cartilages, thus allowing greater exposure, and is often preferred for more complex procedures and secondary procedures. |
Osteotomy |
| Philtrum The vertical groove above the upper lip, below the septum of the nose. |
| Plastic Surgeon A surgeon dealing with the repair or replacement of malformed, injured, or lost organs or tissues of the body, chiefly by the transplant of living tissues. Plastic surgeons are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery - an ABMS (American Board of Medical Specialties) member board. |
| Plastic Surgery The branch of surgery dealing with the repair or replacement of malformed, injured, or lost organs or tissues of the body, chiefly by the transplant of living tissues. |
| Post-Operative Also known as post-op; the term used to refer to the period of time following an operation or surgical procedure. |
|
Pre-Operative |
Projection |
Quadrangular Cartilage |
|
Rasp The term for a variety of instruments used to remove the bump on the nasal bridge; the action of removing the nasal bridge bump. |
Regional Anaesthesia |
Facelift (Nose Reshaping) |
Rotation |
| SMR Abbreviation for Sub Mucous Resection, which is performed during nasal surgery to relieve breathing difficulties associated with a deviated septum. |
| Scar A permanent mark left on the skin by a healed wound, sore, or burn. |
| Scar Revision Various techniques including surgical revision, steroid injection, and abrasion, meant to improve the appearance and/or orientation of a scar. |
| Septoplasty The surgical procedure to correct defects and deformities of the nasal septum (the partition between the nostrils). |
| Septum The partition between the right and left nasal cavities. |
| Seroma The collection of fluid (serum) in a surgical wound. |
Sidewall |
| Slough A mass or layer of dead tissue separated from the surrounding or underlying tissue; a loss of tissue caused by death from lack of circulation. |
| Subcutaneous Meaning under the skin. |
| Supratip The depression just above the tip of the nose, that separates the nasal dorsum with the tip of the nose. |
Suture |
| Turbinate The organ inside of the nose (one on each side) which humidifies, filters, and warms inspired air. When too large, the turbinates can actually be responsible for causing nasal obstruction. |
Twilight Anesthesia |
Upper lateral Cartilage |
| Vestibule The area inside the nose, just inside the nostril. |
| Vitiligo The loss of pigmentation in the skin. |
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