Endoscope Becoming Important Tool in Plastic Surgery

For millions of people, the effects of aging, particularly on the face, can be devastating. The eyes, chin and cheeks can be depressing reminders of the progress of time. But many people are opting to defy time with plastic surgery operations to key facial areas and according to Dr. Jay Calvert, MD FACS, an endoscope may be a helpful new tool.

According to recent statistics by a national plastic surgery association, facial plastic surgery procedures are among the top requests of patients consulting a plastic surgeon. In the last five years, the survey states, a face life, or rhytidectomy, is one of the most requested of all invasive procedures. In 2009, more than 103,000 such operations were performed.

This boom in facial plastic surgery has ushered in a new era of techniques and Dr. Calvert has become a leading proponent of the use of endoscopes in this procedure, highlighting its usefulness in making surgery as minimally invasive as possible.

“With an endoscope, incisions can be minimized, visualization improved, and results maximized through the use of an endoscope in facelifts and browlifts,” says. Dr. Calvert, who has appeared on The Oprah Show and The Tyra Banks Show as a plastic surgery expert.  “Facelifts, browlifts, midfacelifts, and necklifts are all procedures that have been made easier by the use of the endoscope.”

An endoscope is a medical instrument that consists of a flexible tube that contains a fiber optical and lens system that allows the surgeon to examine the interior of a body cavity without making an incision. With this instrument, the surgeon can view the structure of the area to be operated on and assess the proper procedure before making any incisions. Prior to the use of an endoscope, surgeons may have used imaging devices that could produce a picture of the area to be operated on, but would lack the detail that viewing it with an endoscope would provide.

Dr. Calvert has been at the forefront of the use of endoscopes in facelifts and browlifts, beginning in 1933 when, while visiting a plastic surgery workshop at Emory University as a medical student, he first saw the benefits of endoscopic surgery. Since that time, he says, the endoscope has been a valuable instrument through his medical training and in his current practice.

But the endoscope does not take the place of personal interaction with each patient, Dr. Calvert points out. He own approach, he states, involves intense consultation before any surgical procedures are begun.

“I like to work compassionately with each patient to customize a plan for their facial rejuvenation,” Dr. Calvert states. “I believe that each patient has distinct goals, unique anatomy, and varied life situations that must be incorporated into an individual, custom plan.”

Dr. Calvert is a board-certified member of the American Board of Plastic Surgery and serves the Beverly Hills, Orange County and Los Angeles area. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles on plastic surgery and has presented his techniques at national and international conferences. Patients interested in learning more about Dr. Calvert can visit his website, http://www.drcalvert.com/.