Featured Patient Success Stories

female Septoplasty & Cosmetic Rhinoplasty

This female patient presented to Dr. Funk with breathing issues due to a deviated septum and inferior turbinate hypertrophy. She suffered from nasal allergies and would also get sinus infections. 

Cosmetically she felt her nose was too large, crooked, and the tip was droopy. She felt her nose did not fit her face.

Dr. Funk’s Approach & Results

Dr. Funk performed a septoplasty to correct her deviated septum and reduced the size of her turbinates. This helped with her nasal breathing and reduced congestion with her allergies. He also performed cosmetic rhinoplasty straightening her nose, taking down the dorsal hump, and rotating her nasal tip. Overall her nose was significantly reduced in size and now fits her face. Previously her nose overwhelmed her face and distracted from other features such as her eyes, hair and facial balance. She feels more confident, feminine, and can breathe clearly. 

Male Revision Septoplasty

Dr. Funk saw this male patient in consultation for his nasal concerns. He had a previous septoplasty with an ENT surgeon to improve his nasal breathing but continued to have obstruction. He was also concerned about the appearance of his nose. He felt his nose was crooked, too wide and had a dorsal hump and droopy tip. 

Dr. Funk’s Approach & Results

On exam, Dr. Funk found him to still have a deviated septum. However, he was missing a significant portion of cartilage from his septum due to the failed septoplasty. He also had some nasal valve collapse and inferior turbinate hypertrophy. Dr. Funk discussed that he may require ear cartilage or cadaver rib cartilage to reconstruct his nose given the lack of septal cartilage. 

Revision septoplasty was performed and the nasal septum was straightened using an open rhinoplasty approach. However, there was insufficient cartilage for grafting purposes. After taking down the dorsal hump and straightening the nose, the middle vault needed to be reconstructed to support the collapsed nasal valves. Cadaver rib cartilage was used here and to support the nasal tip. The nasal bones were significantly narrowed to create a more slender nose for this patient. Dr. Funk made sure to maintain a masculine appearance for his nose and one that fits his face. The patient was thrilled with his result and is breathing better and feeling more confident about his appearance.

Female Upper & Lower Blepharoplasty

“I’m tired of being told I look tired”, was what this patient told Dr. Funk when she came in for her blepharoplasty consultation. She did not like how heavy and hooded her upper eyelids appeared. The bags under eyes gave her an unrested appearance. She wanted something done to look more refreshed.

Dr. Funk’s Approach & Results

Dr. Funk examined her eyelids and discussed her options. Botox and filler could only do so much to lift her brows and fill in the dark circles under her eyes. Dr. Funk explained that filler under the eyes will provide about a 40% improvement in patients with small bags. She was not a candidate for this. Dr. Funk proposed upper blepharoplasty, removing the excess upper eyelid skin and the small amount of fat in the upper eyelid close to the nose. He also recommended lower blepharoplasty using a transconjunctival approach with fat repositioning. This means the access to the bulging fat is through the pink portion of the eyes. This prevents long term lower eyelid malposition and drooping that can occur when the fat is accessed through the skin. 

Once sufficient fat was removed, the muscle was elevated off the bony rim beneath the eye and a small amount of fat was placed under this muscle. This allowed for a better transition between the eyelid and the cheek and a more natural look. Finally, a small pinch of skin was taken beneath the lash line to tighten the eyelid. 

Recovery for this patient took about 10 days until she was feeling socially acceptable and final results at about 6-10 weeks. She now appears the way she feels – energetic, rested, and refreshed.