Mills, David Andrew John

Definitions

Facial plastic surgery includes cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. Cosmetic procedures include rhytidectomy or ‘facelift’, involving removing wrinkles and sagging from the face; browplasty, a‘brow lift’ or ‘forehead lift’, which lifts eyebrows and smoothens forehead skin; and midface lift or ‘cheek lift’, which involves tightening of the cheeks. Other procedures often accompanying facial plastic surgery are lip enhancement, improving the lips’ fullness; and rhinoplasty or ‘nose job’, reshaping of the nose. Reconstructive plastic surgery is usually performed to improve function, but it may be also done to make people appear more normal. It corrects impairments caused by burns; traumatic injuries, such as facial bone fractures and breaks; abnormalities present at birth, such as cleft palates or cleft lips; developmental abnormalities; infection and disease; and cancer or tumours.moreOtolaryngology or ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head and neck diseases and disorders. This commonly involves surgery to the head andneck to treat such things as cancers of the oral cavity (mouth), pharynx (throat), and larynx (‘voice box’), as well as other tumours. Endocrine surgery involves surgery to any of the hormone-producing glands in the neck, such as removal of the thyroid (thyroidectomy), one or more of the parathyroid glands (parathyroidectomy), parotid (parotidectomy), lymph nodes and salivary glands. Other head and neck surgery may involve reconstructive treatment after injury or disease.moreOtolaryngology deals with diagnosis and treatment of diseases and disorders of the ear, nose, throat (ENT) and related structures of the head and neck, including the sinuses, larynx (voice box), oral cavity, and upper pharynx (mouth and throat). Otolaryngology is commonly called ENT.moreThere are three main glands in the mouth that produce saliva: the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands. Each of these glands is paired; there is one parotid gland on each side of the head,in front of the ears. The salivary glands can be affected by various diseases, such as mumps, and tumours can also occur. Most salivary tumours are benign (non-cancerous) and slow-growing, but malignant (cancerous) tumours also occur. Benign tumours are at risk of changing to malignant ones. Surgery usually removes the tumour and the affected part of the particular saliva gland, or the tumour and entire gland, under general anaesthetic.moreSnoring is common in adults and can be a social problem. Those who share a bed with someone who snores can develop sleep difficulties. Snoring can sometimes be a sign of a sleep disorder calledobstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Apnoea involves periods when you partly or completely stop breathing for more than 10 seconds while asleep. The episode is followed by a sudden gasp or snort when breathing resumes. Then, snoring starts again. With OSA, the pauses in breathing occur because the airway has become narrowed, blocked or floppy. As well as OSA, some causes for snoring may include: being overweight; pregnancy; nasal congestion; swelling of the roof of the mouth (soft palate) or uvula (the tissue that hangs down in the back of the mouth); swollen adenoids and tonsils that block the airways; use of sleeping pills, antihistamines or alcohol before bedtime; large tongue size compared to the mouth; and abnormalities in the bones of the face. Factors that increase the risk of OSA include: certain shapes of the palate or airway that make it narrower or collapse more easily; large tonsils and adenoids in children that can block the airway; large neck size; and large tongue. Sleeping on the back also increases sleep apnoea episodes. Many people with OSA wake up unrefreshed in the morning and feel sleepy throughout the day. OSA may lead to leg swelling; depression; and hyperactive behaviour, especially in children. Tests will include an examination of mouth, neck and throat. You may be given a survey on daytime sleepiness, sleep quality and bedtime habits. A sleep study (polysomnogram) is often used to confirm OSA. Treatment aims to keep the airway open so that breathing does not stop during sleep. Lifestyle changes to relieve symptoms, including snoring, may involve: avoiding alcohol or sedatives at bedtime; not sleeping on the back; and losing weight. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a common treatment. CPAP is delivered by a machine with a tight-fitting face mask. It aims to decrease snoring and prevent sleep apnoea. Other treatment options may include: dental appliances to prevent the tongue from falling back; and surgery to the palate, nose, sinuses and airways.moreOtolaryngology or ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head and neck diseases and disorders. The sinuses are air-filled spaces in the skull behind the forehead, nasal bones, cheeks and eyes that are lined with mucus membranes. Normally, mucus is able to drain out and air can circulate. But when the sinus openings become blocked or too much mucus builds up, a viral, bacterial or fungal infection may occur. Sinusitis refers to inflammation of the lining membrane that occurs with such an infection. Treatment usually includes antibiotics, decongestants and pain relievers. Surgery may be required to remove blockages in sinuses. Nose disorders (or nasal disorders) may include: deviated septum (a problem with the wall that divides the nasal cavity into halves) and other defects; nasal polyps (soft growths that develop on the lining of your nose or sinuses); frequent nosebleeds; and rhinitis (inflammation of the nose and sinuses, sometimes caused by allergies). Cancer of the nasal cavity and sinuses is rare. Surgery may be required to treat some of these problems.more