Dr Terence Goh asked 11 months ago
I am a MOH-accredited plastic surgeon who specialises in aesthetic and reconstructive microsurgery. Besides being the current President of theSingapore Association of Plastic Surgeons, I also serve as the Vice-Chairman of the Chapter of Plastic Surgeons Academy of Medicine, Singapore. My practise centres around the principles of providing my patients with procedures specially tailored to the individual, to deliver improved but naturally beautiful results that enhance and complement the individuals features.
I am one of the few surgeons to combine the intricate skills of microsurgery with aesthetic surgery, and I specialise in surgery of the Asian face, particularly Asian eyelid surgery and rhinoplasty. I also have interests in mummy makeovers, breast augmentation, body contouring and liposuction. I also maintain my practise in reconstructive microsurgery, focusing on breast reconstruction, complex head and neck reconstruction, and lower limb salvage.
After graduating from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, I went on to complete my special training in General Surgery, eventually obtaining a Masters of Medicine in General Surgery. Through my keen aesthetic eye, and artistic and technical expertise, I was selected into the Department of Plastic Surgery at Singapore General Hospital (SGH), Singapore’s oldest and largest hospital, where I continue to serve as a visiting consultant.
To further develop my own specially curated technique, I have also completed numerous observerships with renowned plastic surgeons in the United States, Europe, Australia and Asia. A firm believer in constant self-improvement, I also went on to do a fellowship at the prestigious Asan Medical Centre in Seoul, South Korea. It was during my stint here where I had the opportunity to meet and learn from some of the top cosmetic and reconstructive surgeons in Korea, where I continue to work closely with them, returning annually to give talks at their international conferences.
As a Consultant Plastic Surgeon in the Department of Plastic Surgery at SGH, I also served as core faculty in the Plastic Surgery Residency Program and hold the appointment of Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Duke-NUS Graduate School of Medicines. Passionate about academia and research, I have published more than 30 articles in international plastic surgery journals, and also contributed to several textbooks in plastic surgery. I have also spoken at numerous regional and international conferences in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Regardless of whether a patient is recovering from an illness, accident or simply wants a boost to help them feel better about their bodies, knowing that I am helping to improve the quality of their lives is what drives my passion. Through personalised comprehensive consultation in a private space, paired with my approachable personality, and meticulous attention to detail, I utilise holistic approaches to provide my patients with the best care that is individually tailored, to achieve naturally beautiful results with minimal downtime.
Learn more about me here: https://patients.smarterhealth.sg/specialist-doctor/terence-goh/
I am excited to be here to share/discuss Aesthetic and Reconstructive Microsurgery with everyone. I will be actively answering questions. Whether you’ve got questions about eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, mummy makeovers, breast augmentation, body contouring and liposuction, ask me anything!
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Jessie Tay answered 11 months ago
Doctor, I have a crooked nose and am planning to do rhinoplasty. But I have sinusitis and haven’t had treatment for that. Would a rhinoplasty affect my sinusitis?
Dr Terence GohThank you for your question. If you have sinusitis, you should have it checked and treated first. Depending on the severity of the sinusitis, it may be treated conservatively or with surgery. If surgery is required, you may be able to combine your sinus surgery with your rhinoplasty surgery. Combining your surgery does have obvious benefits of having 2 surgeries done at the same time. This would mean not having the need to schedule 2 separate procedures leading to reduced anaesthesia, less downtime and a quicker recovery. The septum that is removed during septoplasty can also be used during your rhinoplasty surgery.
Genevie Lim answered 11 months ago
Is liposuction safe for patients who are taking diabetes medication? What else should one prepare for (medical/health-wise) before undergoing this procedure?
Diabetes does increase the risk of complication for any surgical procedure. The infection rate may be higher but it is usually acceptable if your diabetes is well controlled.
You should consult with both your endocrinologist as well as your plastic surgeon before proceeding with your procedure
C.L answered 11 months ago
I am considering a breast reduction surgery but have read online that if the areola is not kept in place, breastfeeding might be an issue in the future if I choose to have children. Is that true?
Thank you for your question.
Depending on the techniques used the ducts of the areolar may be disrupted and if this is so then breastfeeding will not be possible. However, this is only in very large reductions when the nipple is removed (separated from the breast ducts) and re-grafted back. In most cases of breast reduction, the ducts and blood supply of the nipple is kept intact and breast feeding should still be possible although the breast ability to produce and express milk may be affected. Many women who have had breast reduction have gone on to successfully breast feed. If you have concerns about breast feeding after breast reduction, be sure to discuss this with your surgeon before surgery.
Hope this helps to answer your question.
Melissa W. answered 11 months ago
I want to correct my asymmetrical lips, but I heard that you can’t do that if you have an existing allergy. My skin, especially my lips, is sensitive to weather changes. In extreme cases, my lips will swell and turn red. Can I still go ahead with the lip correction procedure?
Thank you for your question. We would need to ascertain the cause of your lip swelling and the trigger factors. This is important so that we can plan the surgery and the amount of reduction. You should be able to go ahead with the correction procedure. However, try to plan the consultation when your lips are not swollen so that your surgeon can have an accurate assessment of the amount of reduction that is required. Similarly, you would want to postpone your surgery if the lips are swollen on the operation day. Bring along photos that document the different severities of the lip swelling if you have any. It will help us to have an estimate of how bad it can be. Hope this helps to answer your question.
Sheryl answered 11 months ago
Hi doctor. I experienced a burning accident in the middle of last year and as a result I have scars all along my right arm. The skin peeled off and turned whitish. Also, the area is now numb. Can plastic surgery bring back not only the original appearance of my skin but also treat the numbness I am experiencing?
Jesslyn Ang answered 11 months ago
It’s been close to a year since my caesarean. The skin on my tummy is wrinkly and still very loose. Can plastic surgery help revert it to its original condition? Are there any side effects I should think about?
Yes a plastic surgery procedure known as a mini-tummy tuck or a tummy-tuck can be done to remove the loose skin over the abdomen. Depending on the condition, liposuction may also be performed to reduce the adipose (fat) tissue around the flanks and upper abdomen. In certain patients who have weakened abdominal muscles or a hernia, a repair of the rectus abdomens muscle or hernia can also be done during the surgery.
Hope this helps you in planning for your surgery. All the best!
Beatrice answered 11 months ago
I want to get either ptosis or double eyelid surgery. However, I am nearsighted and also plan to do lasik surgery. Which one should I do first?
Thanks for this question. This is a very common question.
There are several factors that will affect which one you should do first.
The first would of course be which condition bothers you most and hence that should be your main priority. LASIK and eyelid should not be done together for the reasons that both surgeries will cause temporary post-operative dryness and that would impact the healing of the LASIK procedure. Eyelid surgery such as ptosis or double eyelid surgery would lead to a period of swollen eyelids and this would also affect your recovery from the LASIK procedure. During LASIK the eyelids have to be stretched opened and this may affect your eyelid surgery results.
The considerations for having LASIK surgery first before eyelid surgery is that the recovery is faster so you won’t have to wait too long before your eyelid surgery. After LASIK surgery, one would no longer need contact lens wear and this will help with the eyelid surgery recovery. LASIK can very rarely result in ptosis or droopy eyelid and this can also be addressed with eyelid surgery procedures.
The consideration for having eyelid surgery first would be that some patients have persistent dry eyes after LASIK and this may make recovery from the eyelid surgery more uncomfortable.
Regardless of which surgery first, you would need to recover well from one before embarking on the next. Do have a discussion with both your Opthalmologist and your plastic surgeon on the timelines. We would want the cornea flap to heal fully before the eyelid surgery. I typically wait for the go-ahead from the Opthalmologist before proceeding with any eyelid surgery in patients who had prior eye procedures. We normally wait a minimum of 1 month and sometimes more if more time is required for recovery.
Hope this helps you in planning for your surgery. All the best!
Melody L. answered 11 months ago
My daughter is 3 years old and her ears are deformed (folded ears). Can plastic surgery help with this? And at what age should I consider arranging surgery for her?
We can certainly help with folded ears. At the early ages, silicone moulds or splints can be used to correct the shape of the ears. We normally advise to start these as young as possible as the cartilage is still soft and more mouldable. A review of your child would be best to ascertain the type and severity of the deformity and if moulding is still possible.
Plastic surgery procedure, known as otoplasty can be performed to alter the structure of the cartilage and to straighten the folded ears. Surgery is usually performed before they go to school. This can be done at the ages of 7 or 11.
Hope this helps.
Penelope answered 11 months ago
I used to have a big benign tumor on my forehead. It was removed several years ago. However, because of the surgery, my forehead is now sunken and wrinkly. Can plastic surgery help to get it back to normal?
Thanks for your question. Yes, we can perform procedures to restore contour defects that were caused by both congenital occurrence or as a result of previous surgery. Depending on the condition, removal of the scar (scar revision surgery) can be done or structural fat grafting to the forehead with fat removed from your body can be used to correct the sunken appearance.
You may find more information regarding this on our website: https://www.azataca.com/fat-grafting
Cassie answered 11 months ago
There is a mole on my shoulder. It started out as an ordinary mole, but as time went by, it seems like it’s now grown into a small lump with a scaly texture. Do I see a plastic surgeon to remove it or should I see a dermatologist?
Thanks for your question. Some of the warning signs that a mole is changing or becoming more dangerous can be identified with the ABCDs. A – Asymmetry of the mole. B – Change in the border. C – change in colour. D – increase in diameter. Changes to a mole can be worrying. You can see either a plastic surgeon or a dermatologist that specialises in surgery for an evaluation and removal of the mole if necessary.
You may find more information regarding this on our website: https://www.azataca.com/removal-skin-lesions