MEET PAUL J. CARNIOL, MD – NEW JERSEY FACIAL PLASTIC SURGEON AND PRESIDENT OF THE AAFPRS

11-22-20 | Posted by Wendy Lewis

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Dr. Paul Carniol practices Plastic Surgery in Summit, New Jersey. At Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, he is a Clinical Professor and past Director of Facial Plastic Surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Carniol has served as the 222^nd President of the Medical Society of New Jersey, past President of the New Jersey Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, and past President of the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners.

Currently Dr. Carniol serves as the President of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Prior to being elected as President he has served on the Board of Trustees for twelve years.

Dr. Carniol is a proud graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed the Harvard Residency in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and trained in Plastic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital.

In addition to caring for his patients and his academic commitments, Dr. Carniol is an active member of his community. He volunteers on the Board of The New Jersey Parkinson’s Disease Association and serves as a member of the New Providence Emergency Response Team which works through the OEM (Office of Emergency Management). 

BITB had the pleasure of catching up with Dr. Carniol to learn about his work as a facial plastic surgeon.

Tell us what inspired you to go into the field of facial plastic surgery? 

Facial Plastic Surgery encompasses a wide variety of issues including: Cosmetic Procedures, Reconstructive Procedures, Lasers, New Technology, Minimally Invasive Procedures, Trauma, Congenital Conditions, Tumors, and Hair Loss. Only a select group of surgeons train in Facial Plastic Surgery.

Working on faces can be quite challenging and inspiring.  Everyone has a unique face. When working on someone’s face, it is important to maintain their uniqueness. Routinely as part of communication, we try to read someone else’s face to have a better understanding of their thoughts and plans. People are frequently judged by their appearance.

Even in the pandemic it has remained critically important for good communication. This has led to the rapid growth of video web communications utilizing services such as Zoom, WebEx etc. It is this critical importance of the face, together with the complex anatomy and function, that makes facial procedures so challenging and rewarding.

How has your practice changed over the past decade in offering non-surgical treatments alongside traditional surgery?

In the past decade, our practice has had unprecedented growth and development in Facial Plastic Surgery. This includes the use of the latest innovations such as Lasers, Fillers, Neuromodulators, and expansion of new Approaches to Procedures with easier, quicker recovery. In our practice, Carniol Plastic Surgery, we perform a variety of procedures. One of our areas of expertise has been new technology and procedures. Many of these have involved lasers or other minimally invasive techniques. With these, patients can often achieve greater results with an easier experience and minimal associated recovery. I have edited or coedited seven books dedicated to educating other physicians. The most recent one is: Complications in Minimally Invasive Facial Plastic Surgery:  Prevention and Management.

How do you think facial plastic surgery will evolve in the near future?

It’s always challenging to try and predict the future but anticipate that there will continue to be new innovations including use of lasers, fillers, neuromodulators and surgery. For example, innovations in laser technology for facial skin changes, such as reducing wrinkles and brown spots, are performed and typically have a only a brief easy recovery. We also now have multiple other patient friendly procedures, with shorter recovery and impressive results.

Using the latest surgical techniques have also led to smoother, easier procedures and recovery such as “pinning back ears” without any incisions.

In terms of COVID, we anticipate that we will have to be vigilant in protecting our patients and all of our healthcare personnel until there is a proven vaccine or medication. Currently this includes use of Hepa and UVC air purifiers in every room; intense cleaning of rooms between patients; complete use of masks, plastic shields, gloves, sanitizers and having patients wait in their car until we are ready for them rather than in our recently renovated reception area.