Summer break is a great time for educators, college students and busy parents with school-age children to schedule plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures.

For college students, busy parents and teachers, the summer break is a great time to schedule plastic surgery or a chemical peel. Jacksonville-area plastic surgeons always see an uptick in business over the summer. With upwards of a dozen colleges and universities in the Greater Jacksonville area, plus one of the nation’s largest K-12 school systems, many of our potential patients studying or working in education look forward to a little downtime in the summer months.

For many, summer break is the perfect time to undergo that plastic surgery or chemical peel procedure they’ve been thinking about. Any invasive or intense procedure requires a few weeks of recovery time during which it’s critical to take exceptional care of your skin and to limit movement and activity. The few weeks or months off from teaching, attending classes and carting kids to and from school allows instructors, students and parents the time to focus on preparing for their procedures and caring for themselves afterward.

Among the most common summer break procedures are facelifts, eyelid lifts, rhinoplasty procedures (nose jobs) and deep chemical peels:

• Facelifts: Facelift patients typically are able to safely apply makeup and return to normal daily activities within two weeks and are fully healed in a month to four months, depending on the intensity of the procedure.
• Eyelid Lifts: Stitches are removed or dissolved typically by the fifth day and bruising clears around the fifth or seventh day. Most patients return to work after just a week of downtime.
• Rhinoplasty: Most of the swelling inside and outside the nose after nasal surgery will go away within a week after the surgery. Patients typically are able to breathe through the nose two or three days after the surgery. All splints and tapes are removed seven days after the operation and Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery follows patient’s results for a full year following the procedure.
• Deep Chemical Peels: Deep chemical peels penetrate into the deepest part of the dermis, rearranging collagen, melanocytes and skin support structures. Swelling (particularly around the eyes and lips) can persist for up to seven days and your skin may be pink for two to three weeks following the procedure.

Of course, recovery time depends wholly upon your strict adherence to your doctor’s instructions for post-procedure care. Skipping steps or trying to return to normal activity too early can cause problems that will significantly lengthen your healing time or cause permanent scarring.

If you’re considering plastic surgery or a chemical peel, Jacksonville’s Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery will help you through the entire process, from preparing you for your procedure in the weeks before to performing multiple follow up checks to make sure your skin is healing beautifully. Contact Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery in Jacksonville at 904-247-8522 or via our online email form.

It’s a primary concern among women and men considering facial plastic surgery: scars. Despite the tens of thousands of successful facial plastic surgeries that happen daily, the thought of a mishap that leaves a scar is enough to hold many people back from the procedure that could improve their looks and dramatically boost their confidence.

Can you see the plastic surgery scar?

At Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery, we go the extra mile to assure each of our patients a beautiful new look with no visible plastic surgery scarring. We carefully plan the location and size of incisions to best hide them and give you all of the information you need to help prepare for and maintain a flawless look. For instance:

• Facelift incisions are placed in the natural creases of the face or within your hairline.
• Upper eyelid operations are performed through a tiny incision in the crease of the upper lid.
• Lower eyelid surgery incisions are made in the first crease just below the eyelashes or behind the eyelid.
• Browlifts employ small incisions behind the hairline and can be performed in a way that allows hair to grow through and hide the incision.
• Cheek and chin implants are performed via incisions made inside the mouth.
• Rhinoplasty incisions are almost always are located inside the nose and, rarely, in the crease at the bottom of the nose.
• Otoplasty (ear pinning) incisions are located in the crease behind the ear – never in front of the ear.

It’s important to note, however, that your surgeon’s efforts to minimize plastic surgery scars largely depend on you. Your diet, lifestyle and skincare regimen can help assure a smooth new look. If you’re considering facial plastic surgery, we recommend a healthy, balanced diet that includes plenty of water and fresh fruits and vegetables. If you’re a smoker, stop now! Minimize your alcohol intake, get plenty of exercise and restorative sleep, and take care of your skin. Cleanse and moisturize your skin with a high SPF moisturizer daily.

Browse our image gallery to see how we’re able to hide and minimize our patients’ plastic surgery scars, then contact us at (904)247-8522 to schedule a consultation.

A recent study published in the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery reveals the primary reasons that patients who have undergone rhinoplasty procedures seek revision surgeries. Commonly known as a “nose job,” a rhinoplasty procedure repositions or refines a patient’s nasal features to address aesthetic issues (such as a hump or asymmetry) as well as functional issues (including breathing difficulties, sleep apnea and snoring).

Researchers surveyed 104 people who had undergone at least one rhinoplasty procedure and were seeking re-dos. For nearly two thirds of these patients, the issue prompting a rhinoplasty revision was a functional one – primarily nasal obstruction. The most common problems survey respondents reported were nasal blockage, breathing through the mouth and snoring. Facial plastic surgeons reported finding a nasal obstruction in 94% of these cases.

As for aesthetic concerns among both the patients responding to the survey and the facial plastic surgeons treating them, the most common were tip asymmetry, a crook in the middle third of the nose and an irregularity in the upper third of the nose.

Rhinoplasty revisions often require the use of cartilage taken from the patient’s septum or, on more rare occasions, from the back of the ear. Nasal implants also can be used to augment the bridge of the nose. Incisions typically are made on the inside and across the bottom of the nose to minimize potential scarring. Because the nose goes through several phases of healing most facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons recommend waiting a year before undergoing a rhinoplasty revision.

If you are unhappy with the results of your rhinoplasty, Jacksonville’s Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery may be able to help. Dr. Phillip Garcia and Dr. Roberto Garcia both are double board-certified facial plastic surgeons and Dr. Roberto Garcia’s areas of focus include advanced and revision nasal surgery. Both are highly experienced in performing rhinoplasty revisions that address both aesthetic and functional concerns of a patient dissatisfied with a prior procedure. View our Before-and-After gallery of advanced and revision nasal surgeries, then call Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery at (904) 247-8522 to schedule your consultation.

Considering cosmetic nasal surgery? Jacksonville’s Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery offers tips on making sure you get the best results possible with your rhinoplasty procedure.

Cosmetic nasal surgery, also known as rhinoplasty, is intended to correct aesthetic issues of the nose that make patients feel self-conscious. Among the most common issues that Jacksonville plastic surgery specialist see in patients are:

•    A nose that appears too large for the face;
•    A bump on the nasal bridge when viewed in profile;
•    A nose that seems too wide when viewed from the front;
•    A nasal tip that droops or plunges;
•    A thickened or enlarged tip;
•    Excessively flared nostrils;
•    An off-center or crooked nose;
•    An asymmetrical shape of the nose caused by a previous injury.

Cosmetic nasal surgery isn't like choosing a new nose from a catalog. Many factors are at play, so having realistic expectations is critical.

In 2009, the fourth most frequently performed plastic surgery procedure was cosmetic nasal surgery. Jacksonville’s Drs. Philip Garcia and Roberto Garcia specialize in reconstructive and cosmetic nasal surgery. Their most important piece of advice to patients is to clearly and fully communicate with your Jacksonville plastic surgeon and to have reasonable expectations.

It has been said that the best candidates for cosmetic nasal surgery – or any cosmetic surgery – are those who want to improve, not perfect the way they look. The nose is the face’s most prominent feature and many factors affect what a surgeon is and is not able to accomplish. Patients often mistakenly believe that the process is like choosing a new nose from a catalog. Surgeons today use advanced digital imaging and morphing software to help communicate ideas and expectations prior to a patient undergoing a nose surgery procedure. However, understand that each procedure is as unique as each patient.

To assure great results with your cosmetic nasal surgery, Jacksonville’s Garcia Institute asks that you be extremely clear as to what you would like to change about your nose and why. The decision to undergo any plastic surgery procedure should be yours alone, so be sure that you are not being influenced by your family, friends or media-fed perceptions. Even the most extensive cosmetic nasal surgery won’t make you look like that movie star on the magazine covers. It will make you look like you – only better. And that’s a beautiful thing!

To plan your cosmetic nasal surgery, contact Jacksonville’s Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery at (904) 247-8522.

Whether insurance will cover your plastic surgery in Jacksonville depends chiefly on the type of plastic surgery you choose. The primary consideration is whether your will undergo a cosmetic plastic surgery or a reconstructive plastic surgery. Jacksonville’s Garcia Institute defines the two using the same definitions adopted by the American Medical Association and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. We define cosmetic plastic surgery as a surgery “performed to reshape normal structures of the body in order to improve the patient’s appearance and self-esteem;” and reconstructive plastic surgery as one “performed on abnormal structures of the body, caused by congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, trauma, infection, tumors, or disease.” Reconstructive plastic surgery primarily is performed to restore or improve facial functions such as the ability to smile, open and close your eyes or speak clearly, but may also be done to restore or approximate a patient’s normal appearance. Read more »

Perhaps among the most nerve wracking cosmetic surgery or reconstructive surgery options is nose surgery. Jacksonville’s Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery Institute offers nose surgery (informally called nose jobs) by highly skilled and board certified plastic surgeons Dr. Phillip Garcia, M.D., F.A.C.S. and Dr. Roberto Eloy Garcia, M.D. Each trained in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the world renowned McCullough Institute for Appearance and Health in Alabama, and Dr. Roberto Garcia completed a fellowship that included heavily specialized reconstructive surgery of the nose.

The nose is among the features that lend the most character to our faces, and it’s the one that causes the most angst for patients unhappy with theirs. A nose that’s too big, too wide or crooked either naturally for resulting from an accident (or a brawl – we don’t judge) can be a source of self consciousness or even downright embarrassment. When you need nose surgery, Jacksonville’s Garcia Institute can help.

Nasal surgery is performed for two reasons: to restore or improve the function of the nose, and to improve its aesthetic form. Functional reconstructive nose surgery primarily addresses cases of a deviated septum. The nose septum, made up of cartilage and bone, divides the nose into two halves. A deviation (either natural or as a result of nose trauma) obstructs airflow and can cause a cadre of symptoms including headaches, snoring, daytime sleepiness and sinusitis. Another common problem is enlarged turbinates, tiny structures within the nose that help warm incoming air and prepare the body for allergens such as pollen. When turbinates enlarge, they can obstruct airflow and cause symptoms similar to those of a deviated septum. Performed in our state-of-the-art surgical center near Jacksonville, functional nose surgery involves straightening the nose septum or reducing the size of turbinates.

On the other hand, cosmetic nose surgery – also called “rhinoplasty” or simply, a “nose job” – focuses on the nose’s aesthetic form. Drs. Garcia aim to improve the nose’s size and special balance with the rest face, so that the focal point of a patient’s face moves from the nose to the eyes. Cosmetic nose surgery primarily involves sculpting or adding cartilage to the nose’s tip or bridge to give the nose a better shape or make it less prominent.

Cosmetic nose surgery in Jacksonville typically is performed under twilight anesthesia, making it less risky than undergoing general anesthesia, which can be dangerous and leave you groggy for days. Patients have neither discomfort during the procedure or any recollection of the procedure afterward. And we use absorbable sutures that require no removal. Splints and tapes are removed seven days after nose surgery, though patients typically are able to breathe through their noses again within three days, and we’ll follow your progress for one year, performing any needed revisions.

If you have trouble breathing through your nose, or if you simply are unhappy with its shape or size, contact the Garcia Institute via our online email form or at or 800-803-0082 or 904-247-8522 to speak with a Jacksonville nose surgery specialist today.