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Do You Know About Oculoplastic Surgery? …Correcting The Function Or Appearance Of Facial Structures

jason-hendrixIssue 33.10

Our bodies change in many ways as we age, and our eyes and face aren’t exempt.  It’s not uncommon to experience problems affecting our appearance or facial function that bother us.  These things could be merely a result of a combination of environmental influences like sun exposure and the effects of gravity over the years, or could be the result of other factors like genetics.  Regardless of the cause, there are often options to help correct things that concern us with the function or appearance of our facial structures.  Often, people experience problems like peripheral vision interference from the upper eyelids, or problems with the tear flow system of their eyes causing discomfort, or irritation from eyelashes growing irregularly, just to name a few.  Wrinkles, bags, discoloration spots, and unwanted hair are among other common complaints.  Luckily, advances in modern medicine have afforded us some great options to help people with many problems which range in nature from serious or injury-related, to minor nuisances. 

Oculoplastic Surgery is a subspecialty of Ophthalmology which blends the fields of Ophthalmology and Plastic Surgery.  Oculoplastics, or oculoplastic surgery, includes a wide variety of surgical procedures that deal with the orbit (eye socket), eyelids, tear ducts, and the face.  It also deals with the reconstruction of the eye and associated structures when needed.  Oculoplastic surgeons are dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases or problems involving the eyelids, orbits and lacrimal systems.  In Southern Utah, we are fortunate to have some very experienced and highly skilled Oculoplastic specialists available to us, one of which is Dr. B.C.K. Patel.  He travels all over the world providing his expert services where it is needed and we are fortunate to have him routinely available to us.  The goal of oculoplastic surgery is to restore the form and function of the eyelids and face in order to augment vision and facial aesthetics, and many people have been pleasantly surprised by the outcome of a simple procedure which can be performed on an outpatient basis, so if there’s something that’s bothering you related to oculoplastics, look into it!

Dr. Jason Hendrix is a physician and surgeon and can be contacted at St. George Eye Center, 676 S. Bluff St., suite 208, St. George, or call 435-628-4507.

 

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