Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty)

Happy New Year to all of you! We hope that your holidays were both relaxing and rejuvenating. With all the changes taking place in our lives these days it’s no secret that each one of us has been impacted in some way by the economic crisis. We here at Dr. C’s office have given a lot of thought about what we can do for our patients and for those of you who are interested in seeing Dr. C for a consultation. We’d like to be able to take some action and make a difference in some way to help everyone get through these difficult times, so we came up with some ways of giving back to all of you.

Below is our mission statement that we send to every patient. I have looked at it many times over the years and feel that there is no better time than now to share it with all of you. The reason I am doing this is because in times when it seems like the things you want may not seem justified, our office not only treats patients with the utmost respect and honesty but we enable you to achieve the results with financial counseling and various payment options.

1. We value your time. If you have to wait longer than 45 minutes after your scheduled appointment time to be seen, your consultation is free.
2. We make it easy to communicate. Everyone who works here is clear and straight forward in all our discussions with you. Everyone in the office has email, making inquiries easy to address if you cannot find time to call. As an added bonus, Dr. Constantinides is fluent in Spanish and Greek. Lyudmila Zeltser, our medical assistant, is fluent in Russian.
3. We remember the little things. After surgery, we supply a specialized cold pack to minimize bruising and swelling, we supply Arnica Montana to minimize bruising even more, we give you customized make-up for your particular coloring, and we give you three lymphatic drainage treatments to improve whatever swelling you have even more. All this is included free as part of your surgery with us. We can arrange for hotel stays, car service and escorts home for you while you are under our care.
4. We are available. Before, during, or after your consultation, for as long as you are our patient, we are happy to hear from you for whatever reason. After hours, Dr. Constantinides’ fellow (a fully-trained head and neck surgeon) is available no matter what the time or the question.
5. We are discreet. We will never discuss you case with anyone without your permission (this includes immediate family members).
6. We are trustworthy. Dr. Constantinides has performed over 2000 facial plastic surgeries, and many more in-office procedures such as injectibles, during his 14 years in practice. He values his relationship with you, and deeply appreciates the trust you put in him. He is honest and forthright regarding what he can do and what he can not do.
7. We are safe. Our office-based surgical suite is fully credentialed by JCAHO, the same organization that accredits all the hospitals across the U.S. We only use board-certified anesthesiologists who have worked with Dr. Constantinides on hundreds of cases. No patient has ever been admitted overnight to the hospital after having surgery in our surgical suite. If you prefer, or if your case is complex, your surgery will be performed in the hospital at NYU Medical Center.
8. We are internationally respected. Dr. Constantinides is a leader in Facial Plastic Surgery. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He has lectured in numerous national and international forums and is highly sought after as an expert among his peers.
9. We are humanitarian. Dr. Constantinides travels yearly to various countries on humanitarian missions where he offers his services pro-bono. Most recently his focus has been on Vietnam. He is currently Senior Advisor of Face-To-Face, the international humanitarian arm of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
10. We educate, but not at your expense. As Director of Facial Plastic Surgery for the Department of Otolaryngology of the NYU School of Medicine, Dr. Constantinides is responsible for educating residents and a fellow in Facial Plastic Surgery. However, if you have any surgery or procedure with him, he will personally perform all of it. There will often be a resident or fellow assisting him, cutting sutures or handing him instruments. Residents and fellows learn by observing in his private practice, not by doing.

As this year winds down and a new one fast approaches we wanted to recap a few truly memorable moments here in Dr. C’s office. We’d also like to give thanks to our patients, family, friends, colleagues, and staff for their endless support throughout the past year.
Over the past year we have held a few of our famous “Nights of Beauty”. They were not only well-attended but the feedback that patients have given us has been so positive, we are planning another one in the spring of 2009. The date will be Thursday May 14th from 6-9pm. We look forward to seeing you all then.
In July we welcomed Lindsey to the office. She is a welcome addition to our already amazing group of women.

As you know Dr. C travels quite a bit to lecture both abroad and here at home. Here are a list of a few places he visited this year:
-In January, Dr C weathered the slopes of Vail, CO at the Mid-Winter Ski Meeting for the AAFPRS. This multidisciplinary meeting included facial plastic surgeons, oculoplastic surgeons and dermatologic surgeons, providing great camaraderie amongst cosmetic specialists.
-April was a big month as he held his first course here at The Langone New York University Medical Center. It was called “Rhinoplasty and the Central Face”. The course was well attended and the response from faculty and attendees was very positive. It looks like there will be a second one in the near future.
-Dr. C also took his first trip to Cartagena, Columbia in April to speak at the International Federation of Facial Plastic Surgical Societies’ meeting. His talks were so well received that he was invited back again and instantly agreed to do so in the fall.
-In May he was a guest speaker at a conference in Long Island on rhinoplasty.
-June was a fun month. We went to Las Vegas and really embraced the town. The talks were successful and the best part was the relationships formed between the plastic surgeons and the facial plastics surgeons in attendance.
-In September Dr. C was elected to the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) as Group Vice President of Awards, Research and Development. This was not only an enormous honor but one of his lifelong dreams. His love and dedication to the AAFPRS, rhinoplasty and facial plastic surgery, and most importantly to his patients, make him the perfect board member.
-In November he went to Manizales, Columbia and enjoyed the many meetings, dinners with colleagues, historic sites, and coffee buzz that only Manizales could provide. He had promised to return to Columbia and he did. He was also inducted into the Columbian Society of Facial Plastic Surgery as an honorary member.
-This brings us to December. We are happy to let you know that our Facial Rejuvenation Spa has been updated and more services have been added, including Laser Hair Removal. Check the Spa Page of the website for specials and services.

This year has been a busy one for Dr. C as you can tell and his many successes are shared by not only us but with you as well. Our patients and those of you who check in to see “what’s new” help to make our practice a better one.
We wish you a very happy holiday season and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year.