This review is long overdue. Dr Schendel performed bilateral jaw surgery, removed all wisdom teeth and provided a chin implant for my daughter. It literally changed her life. She struggled with chewing, eating and sleep issues. But it also greatly affected her self esteem. We saw several surgeons trying to find the right fit for us. We chose Dr. Schendel hands down upon meeting him. His experience and expertise were very valuable to us. And to be honest, I was a bit of a basket case as a mom with a daughter going in for major maxiofacial surgery. I was nervous, terrified for her and asked around a million questions. Anyway, there is no one else who could have provided the care and superior treatment that my daughter received. She is grateful daily for what Dr Schendel was able to provide for her. The results are absolutely amazing. read more

I must say Dr. Stephen Schendel is a fantastic cranial facial, maxillofacial surgeon. I was in a very bad accident where a large object rearranged my face. Dr. Schendel diagnosed my injuries and with confidence said he could bring me back back to 90% of normal. I must say after numerous surgeries I feel he brought my facial looks back to 98% of normal before the accident. I cannot say enough about the skills and expertise of Dr Schendel. He is a hero in my eyes! read more

Dr. Schendel was recommended to me because he's the best, and he proved it 100% in my case. I can't imagine having a better outcome from the surgical procedures he performed on me. I traveled 4hrs round trip to see him for every visit, and every second in the car was all worth it. In addition to his unquestionable surgical talent, he is a kind, genuine, patient and comforting person, as are his colleagues and staff. I was diagnosed with acromegaly in the Fall 2015. The disease caused extensive issues for me included abnormal skeletal growth in several areas of my face. After getting the acromegaly disease itself under control with the help of the excellent California Center for Pituitary disorders at UCSF, I turned to Dr. Schendel to address the physical changes to my face. I've now had two surgeries with Dr. Schendel to correct the worst of my issues. 1) The first was to reduce and sculpt the growth of my brow ridge, and reduce excess skin and growth around my eyes and eyelids. This surgery was in November of 2016 and the results are fantastic. 2) The second, and much more dramatic surgery, was to correct the severe malocclusion and overbite that I also developed from acromegaly. In July 2017, Dr. Schendel performed a flawless bilateral sagittal split osteotomy to fix my jaw and bite. His technique does NOT require jaw wiring after surgery, which other surgeons suggested was necessary. When I went back to my orthodontist post-surgery, we all expected that I'd need rubber-band therapy to fine-tune my bite but the surgery was done so accurately that my orthodontist didn't need to use rubber bands. My orthodontist said I'm the only patient he's ever seen undergo this surgery and not need rubber bands afterwards. From an orthodontic standpoint, he considered the jaw operation essentially flawless. My bite is now perfect: no more malocclusion, no more underbite, and great proportion and balance to my mouth, jaw, teeth, etc. At the same time as the jaw surgery Dr. Schendel also sculpted my enlarged jaw line and did genioplasty on my chin, all in an effort to make me look how I did before my disease changed my appearance. Now, ~17 months later, I look and feel much more like myself, I can chew food again, my braces are off, and while bouts of jaw pain and the associated headaches have not completely ceased, they've GREATLY decreased in frequency and severity. Dr. Schendel has done a few botox injections to calm some of the jaw muscles which helps what little pain I have left. Thank you Dr. Schendel. I'm so happy I found you! read more

Schendel Plastic Surgery - Brow reduction/eyelid soft tissue reduction/jaw surgery to correct underbite/ chin genioplasty - Plastic Surgeons Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Dr. Schendel represents everything you would want in a doctor--competence, compassion and ability to think outside the box to solve a problem. We met him when my 6 month daughter was discovered to have an extremely rare tumor in her mouth. We saw a specialist at Lucile Packard who, although able to identify the tumor, indicated it was so rare that no one at Stanford had ever performed the surgery she needed. We were told they would look around for someone who had done one of these surgeries and if they could find that doctor, it would be our best bet. Obviously, using a doctor who had performed only one of these procedures worried my wife and I tremendously. Then, Dr. Schendel was found. I may have some details incorrect but I believe Dr. Schendel founded the plastics department at Stanford Children's. Through this process we learned he is a living legend there and extremely well known and highly regarded. Although not a full time resident there, he still has access to their operating rooms due to his impact at the hospital over the years. He carved out time in his already packed calendar to meet with us and instilled the confidence we were desperately searching for that he could perform the surgery and be successful. He got us on the surgery calendar way faster than we normally would have due to his "legacy" there and using his name brand equity for us. On the day of the surgery, we met with the anesthesiologist. He said he does a lot of surgeries with Dr. Schendel. I inquired a little more about his background and came to find out he was something like "Director of Pediatric Medicine" at Lucile Packard. I was shocked that someone with those credentials was going to be my daughter's anesthesiologist but that just speaks to the kinds of doctors Schendel works with and who he has access to. The surgery went way better than planned and my daughter has made a full recovery. The compassion part of Dr. Schendel is perhaps his most endearing quality. After our initial consult, his office staff called us and said they got us on the calendar for the surgery but there was a big "but......" He didn't take health insurance. Now, a doctor of that stature, I could see why that was. However, it was our baby girl and in our desperation we said it doesn't matter, just book it and we'll figure it out. Obviously, that added a new stress to the whole thing. However, a day or two later, his office called and said Dr. Schendel had told his staff to get the OR at Lucile Packard to charge our insurance and then try to get every lost drop from the insurance company for his time and whatever they wouldn't cover (which was going to be significant) he would do pro-bono. We were floored. We had just met this man and he was willing to go to this extent to help our little girl--it was amazing and a huge lift off our shoulders. We couldn't believe we had found such an experienced doctor medically who also had a huge heart. We are eternally thankful for all that Dr. Schendel has and continues to do for us. Should you find yourself in need of a service/procedure he provides, you should not hesitate to make him your doctor. He is the absolute best!!! read more

I have seen dr Schendel for several cosmetic treatments. As a woman on the south side of forty, I started noticing changes and aging in my face that I wasn't very excited about My biggest area of concern were the deepening wrinkles around my mouth. Dr schendel suggested thermismooth treatments. Thermismooth, as I understand it, is a low impact heated wand that is designed to scientifically heat areas of wrinkled skin to help stimulate collagen production in the tissue below the skin. I'm not a doctor , everyone should google it , all I know is that I have dramatic improvement in the skin around my mouth, and it was quick and painless. What more can a girl ask for ! He also have me the best Botox injections I have ever had. Targeted perfectly in my forehead and between the eyes where I needed it. I have received more than a few compliments on looking younger or more refreshed since the treatments , even from my mother (not common) I had some ideas on other treatments to do, including lasers and fillers. Although he had the equipment and supplies to do these procedure, he counseled me that they were a bit pre mature for my skins current aging. Suggested more diligent use of sunscreen instead :) Dr Schendel was very professional, knowledgeable and kind during my visits. I would definitely recommend him based on my experience read more

Dr. Schendel has been my surgeon since I was 15 years old, I am now 44. I have been incredibly grateful for his work and dedication to his field. He has performed several procedures on me to correct a severe unilateral cleft lip and palate. I was referred to him because my clefting was so unusual and other surgeons had been unsuccessful with my case. My cheekbones were non-existent, eye sockets sucken in, jaw extremely recessed, palate permanently open and I had existing scar tissue from previous cosmetic surgery attempts by another surgeon. These are ALL the things Dr. Schendel has fixed with expertise, compassion and dedication. http://californiacraniofacialinstitute.com/articles/RebuildingFaces-RebuildingLives(sm).pdf Over the years, Dr. Schendel has carefully and compassionately rebuilt my face from the inside out. Giving me the bone structure that I was not born with due to the severity of my cranial facial anomalies. When I first met him(I was 14) he excused his entire team of fellows who were there to observe him. He gave me the privacy I needed, handed me a mirror and asked me, "What don't you like about your face?". As a teenager, I was given the space to communicate the things that were great sources of pain. I explained the various things about my cleft lip that caused other kids teased me about. From that moment Dr. Schendel set out to give me a normal face with nothing but determination, dedication and true compassion. Over the years, I have faced other complications with my bone structure and degeneration from my severe cleft. Dr. Schendel has fiercely, carefully and methodically worked to fix the constant erosion and instability in my face. He has striveded to continually find the newest, best techniques available. I have been able to have implants along with bone grafts to retabalize my eroding palate, stem cell procedures to improve the tissue and blood flow to my face and cosmetic revisions-- I have been incredibly grateful and happy with the results. Dr. Schendel's ability to listen and connect with me has been amazing. As a youth, I felt safe, validated and listened too as a patient. As an adult, he has heard my worries and validated the pain I have felt in my face and palate. He has worked tirelessly to fix my cranial facial anomalies. I believe that his ability to be so compassionate and careful with his patients comes from YEARS of working with cleft affected children here and in third world countries. A few years ago, I learned that Dr. Schendel has also volunteered countless hours of surgery in third world countries to operate on children. He has insisted that the surgeries are learning sessions for local doctors in those countries. He has created a learning environment to teach the newest techniques to other physicians in these countries. He also spends months of his own time collecting supplies to take to these countries to donate for the surgeries. Dr. Schendel's passion for rebuilding faces generates from a desire to truly want to help rebuild lives--physically...and emotionally. Our son is also bilaterally cleft affected, he is now 13. Dr. Schendel has revised his soft palate and his lip. It is with tremendous gratitude that we have Dr. Schendel as our son's doctor. His revision is beautiful and his cleft is a non-issue. His speech has also VASTLY improved due to the titrated listening of Dr. Schendel in knowing how to revise our sons palate so skillfully so he can now make sounds like "J" "P" "K". I have referred Dr. Schendel to several family friends for various things that are not cleft related. Not because Dr. Schendel is an incredible oral maxillary and plastic surgeon. But because of his ability to connect with his patients, to hear them, to see them and then to use his dedication to medicine to help them. read more

I am taking the time to share the positive experiences I have had of Dr. Schendel because it is important that any public information is accurate. Firstly, the doctor went out of his way and made room in his schedule to consult regarding my 8 year-old daughter's needs when we had no prior relationship with him and oral surgery was imminent. He was gentle with her and honest with me about our choices. His expertise and care allowed me to make the best choice for my child. Secondly, he has cared for more than one individual I hold dear. This family has faced over 20 years of medical intervention and combined, upward of 30 surgeries. Dr. Schendel has been steadfast, consistent, and brilliant in his care of my dear one and her child. As her friend, each time they have faced yet another intense physical challenge or surgery, I have rest assured that she was getting the absolute best treatment because she was in Dr. Schendel's care. The bottom line is I trust him, both to care for my family and those I cherish. Aneea Toomajian PPS, LMFT Educational and Behavioral Consultant read more

He messed me up. That's for sure. I had a LeFort 3 jaw surgery with him. It was completely unnecessary. He should have just done a SARPE surgery and a LeFort 1. Things that happened after his surgery: 1. My eyes became smaller and slanted. 2. My nose became crooked. 3. My upper jaw is off-center. 4. My smile became extremely gummy. 5. I started snoring. It was more than 20 years ago I had surgery with him, but I still regret it. I am having a multi-process corrective surgery now at Kaiser Permanente and they have done an excellent job so far, but there are things that they cannot fix (thanks a lot, Dr. Schendel!). What really bothers me was that I didn't know what he was doing. I was 16! I just found out he did chin surgery on me also. An x-Ray showed a long nail drilled into my chin. I never authorized that! My chin was fine. Butcher! read more

Very Professional. I've been seeing Dr. Schendel for botox for my TMJ and it's been amazing. It has reduced all the pain in my jaw. I am very thankful. The office and staff are very helpful and nice. read more

Dr. Schendel injected my lips over a year ago and they still look amazing!!!! He gave me a natural look but full and beautful. Thank you Dr. Schendel! I will definitely be getting them filled with him again. read more

LOVE my surgical results! Dr Schendel does amazing work!! I appreciated the weekend calls checking in on me and it reassured me to know how easily Dr S could be reached. Dr Schendel is a caring surgeon and so very sweet. If I could give another 5 stars I would. I never imagined my results would be as beautiful as those of Dr Schendel. Anyone who does their research knows Dr Schendel is truely one of the finest plastic surgeons around! Thank you for your hard work and talent! read more

I've been getting Botox from Dr. Schendel for several years - and I still look forward to my appointments because he always manages to make me smile and laugh. The office is clean, easily located by the freeway, and the staff is courteous and always prompt. read more

I love Dr. Schendel. I had a previous jaw surgery years ago at UCSF that was completely botched (see my review of UCSF if you want more on that). The feeling never came back to my lower lip on the left side. I went back to UCSF to see the supposed "nerve specialist" there, and showed him a recent CT Scan. He said "maybe" one of the screws was impinging on the mandibular nerve canal. I pointed out a hole in my mandible along the canal knowing full well it was not a foramen nor normal anatomy (26 years in the dental field, y'all). This doctor at UCSF said it was nothing and "just the way it healed". I was still suspicious of the hole, and not comfortable with UCSF doing any more work on me, so I decided to see Dr. Schendel as he is highly respected in the dental community. Dr. Schendel thought that maybe two of the screws were impinging on the canal, and suggested we remove all three. I then pointed out the hole and he was immediately glad I pointed that out and said that, in his experience, that meant the nerve might be growing out at that site. I had originally come in thinking just the screws were coming out, but we decided to add some additional exploratory surgery to see what was going on there. Well, fast forward to after the surgery... I am happy to report that I've probably gotten 75% of the feeling back in my lip, which is a miracle considering how long it had been since my original surgery (years). Dr. Schendel did indeed find that my nerve sheath was growing out of that hole and had attached to nearby tissue. He cut back the sheath, removed some bone that was compressing the nerve, and took out the 3 screws on that side. He was so great because he showed me pictures from the surgery and I could see everything that had transpired. You could clearly see the filmy sheath sticking out of the hole and he showed me the bone he removed to take pressure off the nerve. Thankfully, my nerve was intact and over the course of this last year, more and more feeling has come back. I also want to say that Dr. Schendel was great in dealing with me. I was so incredibly unsure and nervous because of my previous terrible experience at UCSF. I required a lot of hand holding and reassurance, and Dr. Schendel never lost patience with me. He is very calm and compassionate, and I am just thrilled that some of the feeling came back and my lip feels so much better now. I was so pleased that I saw Dr. Schendel again for some more corrective surgery due to the terrible outcome of the UCSF surgery, and I was again tremendously pleased with the outcome. I would go back to him any time and highly recommend him. read more

Dr. Schendel is a horrible surgeon. Not only because his lack of skill, but also he's unethical. I had a jaw surgery done by him to correct my TMJ and the results were terrible. I ended up with an open bite and overjet on both the front and left side, and my jaw still has some problems after my surgery. The open bite on the left side is so huge that it causes many problems for me, and even prosthodontists can't fix this for me. I also had genioplasty done by him because he claimed to also do plastic surgery, but he didn't even know the basics of plastic surgery. He did not have me wear a strap around my head while healing, and my chin became so long I looked like Jay Leno. No fillers were used either so there was a very obvious line across my chin as well and my flesh grew into that groove, and to top it all off, the chin was crooked. He sewed my lower lip so low that I had trouble closing my mouth, and my mouth became crooked and half the size it used to be. At first I was hesitant to go see him because he was a professor and I didn't want fellows involved in my surgery, but later I found out that he had his own private practice. I told him that I was concerned about fellows participating in my surgery, but he assured me that since he has a private practice so he can make sure that they won't be a part of my surgery. However, after looking through my records after the surgery, I found out that fellows had participated, and once I confronted him about it, he admitted this. This is very unethical and dishonest of him. Thanks to him, I had to do revision surgery, but the damage done by him is permanent. Nothing I can do can get rid of the line across my chin, and my mouth still has terrible scarring and is still much smaller than before. I still have trouble speaking because of the scarring. He even tried to settle with me for a sum of money for the damage that he's done. I would give my contact information so I can show you the horrible damage that he has done to me, but yelp does not let me post my personal information up here. Please think twice before you see this horrible unethical doctor, especially if you're thinking about plastic surgery!! read more

Dr. Schendel has become my hero! After suffering traumatic injuries to my jaw joints in 2013, I was left with daily/constant headaches, loud clicking and locking. The constant pain made me miserable, and I never thought I would have a jaw that would open and close correctly again! I had to unlock my stiff/locked jaw every morning and was barely able to open my mouth, even with the loud click. Post-surgery, although I am swollen and recuperating, I was immediately able to open my mouth wider and straighter than before surgery, and with no more awful clicking and locking. I am truly grateful for Dr. Schendel's personal attention, expert skills, and wonderful assistant/staff! He helped me to get my life back to a more livable state where I can enjoy basic things like eating, talking... and even kissing LOL, all things that became a challenge and I will never take for granted again! read more