Dr. Yael Halaas
Dr. Yael Halaas MD, FACS
Website: www.drhalaas.com
Address: 120 E 56th Street, Suite 800, New York, NY 10022
Phone: 212.688.5955
Dr. Yael Halaas MD, FACS is a facial plastic surgeon operating in New York City. Although she has an area of expertise in areas of the face, including the ears and hair, her office also offers laser treatments to tighten other areas of the body. Her practice also sells creams for smoothing and toning the face. She is Board Certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology and the American Board of Facial Plastic Surgery. Her utmost concern is the satisfaction of her patients. At the plastic surgery office of Dr. Halaas, you will find procedures on the nose, face, ears, lips, chin, skin and neck.
Q: What are your credentials?
Dr. Halaas: I am a board-certified by the American Board of Surgery. I also hold certification in the American Board of Otolaryngology (ENT). I hold membership in the American Society of Plastic Surgery, as well as a host of other medical societies. I began my medical education at Cornell University Medical College and graduated graduated in the top ten percent of my medical school class, with prestigious distinction of membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honors Society. I earned the American Medical Women’s Association award as part of my membership in the top five percent of her graduating class. I spent my general surgery internship and otolaryngology residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, after which I was awarded a fellowship through the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. I am also a proud recipient of the highest recognition offered to surgeons practicing in the United States as a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS).
Q: What sets you apart from other plastic surgeons?
Dr. Halaas: I am fluently bi-lingual in English and Spanish. I have a unique approach on the human face and head in that I offer procedures that are divided for distinct areas of the head to address specific issues. I take a comprehensive method towards handling the face/head, as I offer plastic surgery for the nose, eyes, eyelids, eyebrows, lips, chin, neck and even for the hair. I have a wide variety of treatments, especially for rejuvenating the skin with facelifts, peels, injectables, fat transfers, cutting edge technological machine techniques such as the Thermismooth and much more. It’s been said that the eyes are the first place you look at when speaking to someone, but it is not just the eyes, which make up such a small area of your head. People are paying attention to your skin, your nose hair and all other facial and upper neck features. I want to help people feel the most comfortable in this area.
Q: Have you gotten any praise?
Dr. Halaas: I am recognized as a leading plastic surgeon in New York. I have also gotten praise and recognition from several major media outlets. I was featured on the Dr. Oz Show, Good Day New York, CBS News, ABC 7 News, CBS 3 Philadelphia, CBS Inside Edition, Fox News TV, GMTV Europe and Spanish language television networks such as Telemundo and more. These were news features in which I leant my knowledge and expertise on a variety of medical topics such as skin care, plastic surgery and more. My state-of the art office I NYC is nationally accredited.
Q: How do you approach rhinoplasty, which is such a common plastic surgery these days?
Dr. Halaas: I recognize that the rhinoplasty is the most difficult plastic surgery. I also understand that there is no cookie cutter rhinoplasty procedure, in terms of people’s ethnicity. With each distinctive ethnicity, there are different sets of physical traits, most of which show on the skull and head, which includes the nose. My approach to rhinoplasty involves taking a patient’s ethnicity and ethnic nasal disposition into serious consideration before assessing the results for the patient. I make sure to calculate how certain nasal traits can be altered. I also bear in mind the importance of not abolishing the marker’s of one’s ethnicity with my nose jobs. For example, I will not try to make an African Ameriacn patient’s nose appear more European or white. Instead, I sculpt their nose to fulfill their goals while keeping the features unique to their ethnicity present.
Q: You also perform a nonsurgical rhinoplasty. How do I know if I am eligible for this as opposed to the traditional surgery?
Dr. Halaas: A nonsurgical rhinoplasty treats a very specific nasal concern, while a traditional rhinoplasty, can only augment areas on the nose, not reduce the size of the nose, as they are performed with injectable dermal fillers that correct depressions. It cannot be used to correct functional problems with the nose such as breathing difficulties.The facial dermal injectable fillers commonly used for non-surgical rhinoplasty are Restylane, Juvederm and Radiesse, which are also available in my office for facial rejuvenation. You may only qualify for this rhinoplasty if you need to fill a nasal sidewall depression, lift the angle of the tip of the nose, provide a smoother appearance to the bridge of the nose that will diminish lumps or bumps or to make the nose appear symmetrical by straightening it out the appearance.
Q: What can be done about significant hair loss?
Dr. Halaas: Reasons for hair loss vary, including hormonal changes, diet, poor circulation, genetics and even age. Hair loss is prevalent in both men and women, especially past age forty for women, and past thirty for men. Hair restoration surgery is ideal for both men and women seeking to restore hair growth if they have had a significant amount of hair loss that does not seem to be regrowing. I perform two procedures using the most advanced micro-graft techniques. Local anesthesia can be used, and any scarring that results is covered by the new hair growth. Whether you are losing hair on the back of the head, on top, or have a receding hairline, this surgery can turn back the clock and help give you the hair you had when you were 20.
Q: What are the two hair restoration surgeries you perform to restore lost hair?
Dr. Halaas: There are two techniques used for gathering hair follicles for placement grafts when performing hair restoration surgery. They are called Follicular Hair Grafting, abbreviated as FUG and Follicular Unit Extraction or FUE. The only difference between FUG and FUE is the manner in which the hair follicles are harvested for transplant. The FUG method removes a strip of hair from the donor region while the FUE method uses a tiny punch to remove individual groupings of hair follicles.The donor region is the same for both, which comes from the back of the head. Hair follicles harvested from this region are generally resistant to inherited balding traits and will become permanent.
Q: Are there any nonsurgical hair restoration methods to regrow my hair?
Dr. Halaas: Yes, I offer two different hair restoring formulas, one is called Formula82 M, the other is my own product, called Formula YH by Dr. Halaas. It works with an application of a few small drops to the problem areas during the morning and night. It takes 2-3 months for results to show. Formula YH is a prescription that slows down the progression of hair loss, reduces shedding, makes hair thicker, and stimulates hair growth. Results are seen from 6-8 weeks after use, while significant results take 3-6 months to take effect.
Q: You do two similar-sounding facial procedures, the ThermiSmooth and ThermaVein. What are they used for?
Dr. Halaas: These two are non-invasive facial procedures that involve the use of the the eponymous machines. The ThermiSmooth is a great solution for rejuvenating aging facial skin. The face ages due to a declining collagen production. Collagen is the protein that allows your skin to repair tissue after depletion from exercise and aging. The ThermiSmooth is a handheld device that heats the skin, coupled with the application of a gel. It can be used on the forehead, eyelids, under eye area. around the mouth, jawline, chin and neck. The ThermaVein is a completely different machine and is used to treat tiny but unattractive facial veins, or “telangiectasia.” You may also hear these veins referred to as spider veins, threadveins, rosacea, spider naevi, or vascular blemishes. ThermaVein treats these unwanted facial veins by delivering a microburst of current through the surface of the skin. Thermocoagulation causes the vein walls to collapse and seal, and the veins disappear instantly. There is no down time or side effects.
Q: How else are you improved in the plastic surgery community?
Dr. Halaas: Having spent my general surgery internship and otolaryngology residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, I am now an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology. I am passionate about imparting my knowledge onto others, and though I work in plastic surgery, the otolaryngology field is very crucial and it intertwines with plastic surgery; I love teaching how they are connected. I am also a member of numerous other medical societies including: the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, the New York County Medical Society, the New York Facial Plastic Surgery Society and the International Society For Hair Restoration Surgery.
