Medical Writing Samples

Another client has flaked out, so here are writing samples again!

Who Might Consider Having Chin Surgery
When it comes to how people consider the aesthetics of beauty, symmetry is the defining answer. The most beautiful faces are highly symmetric between the left and right sides. They are also proportionate, especially with the more prominent features of the nose and chin. When you have a well-defined chin, it is easier to attain a pleasing level of symmetry with your nose. Your nose and chin make a pair of facial features that help you to attain a balanced facial profile. If you are already planning a nasal surgery to correct a bump in the bridge of your nose or to slim the horizontal or vertical profiles of your nose, you might also want to consider having a chin augmentation surgery performed at the same time. Having these surgeries done simultaneously allows you to get the symmetry that creates harmony in your appearance.

Chin Implant Surgery
Performing surgery on the chin is a straightforward operation for surgeons. The surgery makes a considerable difference in the way that you look. One popular method of performing chin surgery is with a chin implant. The chin implant creates a different contour or profile of your chin and helps to refine the look of the chin's outline. To do a chin implant, the surgeon makes a small incision in the natural crease underneath the chin. The implant is inserted through this incision. Once the incision heals, the minimal scar will not be noticeable because it is on the underside of the chin.

Chin Reduction Surgery
If your chin sticks out more than you would like, a chin reduction surgery may restore a sense of harmony between your nose and chin. A chin reduction procedure can be done in many ways. If your chin simply needs a little bit of sculpting, a minimally-invasive liposuction procedure may be an option for you. Liposuction of the chin removes some of the fat cells that may have accumulated underneath your chin or around the corners of your chin. The resulting look will be a slimmer and more contoured facial profile. If your chin bone is more prominent than you would like, the surgeon may perform a more in-depth procedure. This type of a procedure involves sculpting the bone to a shape and size that is more harmonious with your other facial features.

What to Expect After a Chin Surgery
Your surgeon will let you know what to expect after your particular chin surgery. The recovery time differs for each person and with the type of chin procedure that you are having done. If you are having both a nasal surgery and a chin surgery, and more than one specialist is involved in your care, it is a good idea to ask about the expected recovery time. As with any surgery, your body will need time to rest and heal. Be sure to attend any follow-up appointments as recommended.


http://ent.uci.edu/clinical-specialties/facial-plastic-reconstructive-surgery/chin-surgery.asp
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About Image Guided Sinus Surgery
If you have ever made use of a global positioning system (GPS) unit to navigate while driving from one place to another, you know how helpful this digital, high-tech equipment is for pinpointing exactly where you need to be and how to get there. With image guided surgery, the surgeon is essentially able to use a GPS unit to navigate through your sinuses. This method allows the surgeon to use a minimally invasive technique for accessing your sinuses.

How Image Guided Sinus Surgery Works
Image guided sinus surgery is a relatively new operative technique. The innovative method makes use of information from your recent computed tomography (CT) scan. Before your surgery, your physician will order a CT scan of your sinuses. This procedure involves laying still on a table while a machine moves about your head. The machine takes a rapid succession of X-rays. The X-rays are taken at different layers, allowing for the visualization of all of the structures of your head. The data is stored on a hard drive or on a compact disc. A computer uses the scan of your sinuses and reconstructs the two-dimensional images into pictures that are three-dimensional. Seeing your sinuses in three dimensions allows the surgeon to pinpoint the exact place of specific sinuses. During an endoscopic surgery, the rhinology physician needs to know exactly where your vital structures are. The advanced technology shows exactly where your major blood vessels, nerves, eyes and brain are located in relation to the sinuses.

Why Image Guided Surgery Is Beneficial
Your surgeon may use the image guided surgery techniques when it is necessary to operate on parts of your sinuses that are close to a major blood vessel, facial nerve, your eye or your brain. This surgical technique is also beneficial if the place where the surgeon needs to operate has distorted anatomy because of a prior sinus surgery. The equipment that is used in image guided surgery offers state-of-the-art technology and is highly accurate in its determination of your critical anatomical structures. The equipment also functions seamlessly as a surgery is taking place. This real-time operation allows the surgeon to carefully navigate and access the correct area of your sinuses. Rather than having to spend time searching for the problem areas of your sinuses, the data from the CT scan allows the surgeon to directly head to the known location of the anatomical or structural problem that requires surgical care.

Potential Uses of Image Guided Sinus Surgery
Surgeons have recognized the many benefits of image guidance during endoscopic surgeries of the sinuses. Doctors have recently identified additional potential uses of this surgical imaging technique. The image guidance could be used as a critical component of minimally invasive surgery for the base of the skull. These procedures are often difficult to navigate because the areas that need to be accessed often extend past the boundary of the sinuses.

http://ent.uci.edu/clinical-specialties/rhinology/image-guided-sinus-surgery.asp
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What the Nasal Septum Is
The septum of your nose is the structure that goes down the interior middle. It divides your nose into two nostrils. Made up of cartilage and bone, the septum is lined on both sides by a membrane of cells that produce mucous. The septum totally separates the left and right sides of the nose, providing additional surface area for the cleansing and warming of the air that you breathe. The front-most part of the septum's cartilage plays an important role in supporting the structure and shape of your nose.

How a Deviated Septum Impacts Health
In some people, the septum is not perfectly aligned. When there is an area of crookedness, this is referred to as a deviated septum. When the septum is not straight, it may promote health issues such as obstructions or blockages of the nasal passages. Deviations of the nasal septum are common. You might not even know that your septum is deviated until an otolaryngologist tells you. In many cases, the deviation in the septum's alignment is congenital. That means you could have been born with the deviation in the cartilage and bone. In other situations, the septum can become deviated as the result of facial trauma. When your nasal septum is deviated, you could develop sinusitis. This is an inflammation of the sinuses that results from insufficient drainage pathways.

Why It Is Important to Seek Treatment for a Deviated Septum
Taking a medication cannot correct the misalignment of your deviated septum. While some over-the-counter and prescription medicines may help to reduce inflammation of the septum or promote thinning of the mucous so that it can drain easier, no medicine addresses the anatomical problem of a deviated septum. The only way to correct a deviated nasal septum is to have surgery performed by an otolaryngolgoist. The surgery that is performed to straighten the septum is called a septoplasty. The goals of septoplasty are to improve airflow and reduce obstructions in your nose. After correcting a deviated septum, the sinuses will be able to drain without obstruction.

How a Deviated Septum Is Corrected
Modern surgical techniques allow otolaryngologists to perform septoplasties using state-of-the art surgical equipment. This equipment offers high-definition image resolution so that the doctor can enjoy a great level of detail when viewing the anatomical arrangement of the septum, nasal passages and sinuses. This type of surgery is performed with an endoscope. The endoscope is a small camera that is attached to a thin, flexible piece of tubing. The video images are transmitted from the camera to a monitor in the operating room, allowing the doctor to see inside of your nose. With the endoscope in place, the surgeon is able to target the specific areas of the septum that are deviated. Using this technique allows the doctor to identify the anatomical issues that would otherwise be difficult to detect during surgery in a small, tight space.


http://ent.uci.edu/clinical-specialties/rhinology/deviated-septum.asp
"I have not referenced any other websites for information for this content."

What Is Nasal Obstruction?
Nasal obstruction is a constriction of your nasal passages. Many people find this situation to be quite bothersome. When your nasal passages become obstructed, it is difficult to comfortably breathe through your nose. You might try sniffling or blowing your nose to clear the obstruction, only to find little or no relief. When you find that your nasal passages are obstructed, you may come to appreciate the ability to freely breathe through your nose.

How Nasal Obstruction Affects Your Life
When your nasal passages are severely obstructed, you might end up having to breathe through your mouth in order to get enough air into your lungs. Mouth breathing often leads to snoring at night while you sleep. In some people, mouth breathing is associated with sleep apnea. This is a condition in which you unconsciously pause while breathing, resulting in insufficient air intake. After a long time of mouth breathing at night, you might notice additional problems such as the sensation of a dry mouth when you wake up in the morning. In severe and prolonged cases of nasal obstruction, you might notice that it is difficult to smell. This is because of a lack of air reaching your olfactory receptors that line the interior of your nasal passages.

Additional Symptoms of Nasal Obstruction
When you have nasal obstruction, you might also notice congestion or a sense of fullness in your sinuses. These are common symptoms in people who have sinusitis. The inflammation of your sinuses is often the result of an anatomical issue that could be addressed with a minimally invasive surgery that makes use of an endoscope. If medications fail to improve your nasal obstruction symptoms, an anatomical issue could be to blame.

Anatomic Causes of Nasal Obstruction
Many people visit a physician and find out that the cause of their nasal obstruction is a deviated nasal septum. The nasal septum should form a straight line from the tip of the nose all the way up its structure. If the septum has a deviation or crooked area between the nasal cavities, one side could be narrower than the other. When you have a deviated septum, a surgical procedure called a septoplasty can correct the issue. Another common anatomical problem with noses is enlargement of the turbinates. The turbinates are small bones located within your nasal cavity, up high toward the bridge of your nose where your glasses sit. If one or more of these bones becomes enlarged or grows larger than the typical size, this could be the cause of the nasal obstruction. Enlargement of the turbinate bones is treatable with some medications that aim to reduce the swelling and inflammation of tissues around them. In some cases, turbinate reduction surgery is needed in order to reduce their size so that air can flow properly through your nasal passages. This type of surgery is also performed with a minimally invasive endoscopic technique.


http://ent.uci.edu/clinical-specialties/rhinology/nasal-obstruction.asp
"I have not referenced any other websites for information for this content."