Do You Need Eyelid Surgery?
As they say, the eyes don’t lie. And this is no truer than when it comes to showing the signs of aging.
Many people are unaware that blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery, can alleviate many of the aesthetic and functional issues associated with aging eyes.
Which may leave you wondering, do you need eyelid surgery?
What Exactly Is Blepharoplasty?
Blepharoplasty is just a fancy medical term for an eyelid lift. And it’s not a one-size-fits-all procedure.
Depending on your specific needs, your board-certified plastic surgeon will recommend either an upper blepharoplasty or a lower blepharoplasty. In some cases, he or she may recommend both – known as a quad blepharoplasty. All three procedures deliver a dramatically more youthful appearance to the eyes.
So Do You Need Eyelid Surgery?
Good candidates for blepharoplasty need to be in good overall health, and free from certain conditions that may affect healing. They should also have realistic expectations about the outcome.
It’s important to note that if you have Dry Eye Syndrome, glaucoma, corneal issues, or retinal disorders, you may not qualify for eyelid surgery. In addition, those with heart disease or bleeding disorders may also be precluded.
Beyond these caveats, there are many reasons patients consult with plastic surgeons about getting blepharoplasty.
- Desire to Appear More Youthful and Rested
Are you looking for a way to rejuvenate the area around your eyes but don’t want to alter your natural facial expressions? Or do you get plenty of rest but still look exhausted? Drooping eyelids and puffiness can add years to your face and give the appearance of chronic tiredness, even when you’re well rested. Eyelid surgery can alleviate this.
- Experiencing Heaviness in the Eyes
If it takes effort to keep your eyes open, it could be that the heaviness of the drooping lids is causing muscular fatigue. Those muscles have to work harder to keep your eyelids raised, causing forehead and eye strain that can accelerate the signs of aging. A blepharoplasty removes fat and other tissue to alleviate the weight of the eyelid and the associated symptoms.
- Upper Eyelids Are Impairing Vision
For some people, excess skin on the upper eyelids does more than just fatigue the muscles and result in the same symptoms listed above. It can also obstruct peripheral vision. At this point, this is considered a medical condition. If this is happening to you, it’s important you address it.
- Persistent Under-Eye Bags
When you look in the mirror, are you troubled by persistent under-eye bags that just won’t go away? Perhaps you’ve tried some of the best topical treatments and are still unable to alleviate the condition. This is a condition that is well-served by lower eyelid surgery to bring back a more youthful and alert appearance to the area around your eyes.
- 5. Uneven Eyelids
If you’re noticing that age and gravity have caused one eyelid to droop more than the other, you are not alone. Given there is no requirement that dictates what happens on one side of the face must happen on the other, you may be struggling with asymmetrical puffing and bagginess. Eyelid surgery can correct this to restore facial harmony.
- Dissatisfaction with Eyelid Contour
You’ve likely noticed that aging causes the skin around the eyes to lose elasticity. It’s this loss of elasticity that leaves the eyelids more prone to developing wrinkles and folds. Not only does this leave your eyes looking older, but it can also render eye makeup application more difficult. Blepharoplasty goes the distance in lessening these wrinkles and folds to deliver a more youthful eyelid contour.
Curious About How Eyelid Surgery Could Benefit You?
Do you need eyelid surgery?
If any of the above conditions apply to you, you may greatly benefit from a blepharoplasty procedure to restore a more youthful, alert, and well-rested appearance to the eye area. It may even improve your vision!
So contact us today to schedule a consultation. Discover how eyelid surgery could be right for you!
A History of Fat Grafting
Though you may not know much about it, fat grafting has become increasingly popular in recent years. Board-certified plastic surgeons find it highly effective for reconstructive applications for the breast and face, congenital anomalies, and treating post-radiation and burn injuries.
But it’s also effective for a wide variety of aesthetic applications, including breast augmentation, facial and body contouring, and many more.
While it’s a relatively common plastic surgery procedure today, the history of fat grafting goes back over a century.
What Is Fat Grafting?
Fat grafting involves three steps.
In the first step, fat is extracted from a donor area of the body using thin liposuction cannulas with small holes.
The fat is then processed with decanting and centrifugation, or is washed with a sterile saline solution. Both methods serve to discard debris and fat cells that are unlikely to survive and can later create problems.
Finally, small droplets of the fat are injected into the subcutaneous tissue of the recipient area. Doing so encourages good blood supply to the droplets so they can survive in this new area.
The History of Fat Grafting Starts in the 1890s
The early days of fat grafting were, well, dicey. In 1893, a German surgeon, Gustav Neuber, transferred fat from the arm to the face to correct scarring – thus performing the first documented fat grafting procedure. He was followed in 1895 by Dr. V. Czerny, who performed an early form of breast reconstruction by transferring a lipoma from the buttocks to the breasts.
There were numerous other surgeons experimenting with grafting fat cells to the breasts and other areas of the body. But the survival rates of the patients weren’t promising. Liposuction did not exist, and ‘cleaning’ the extracted fat was far from perfected.
The Early 20th Century
In 1909, Eugene Holländer introduced new injection techniques. There continued to be high reabsorption rates and the extracted fat was often of inconsistent quality. As a result, the formation of cysts became more common. As such, fat grafting had trouble gaining acceptance during the next 50 years.
The first scientific studies regarding fat graft survival were done in 1950 when surgeons began experimenting with dermo-fat grafts into the breasts. These were large clumps of skin and fat that were transferred together. This often resulted in the death of the fat that would cause breast lumps with calcification. Such lumps were difficult to distinguish from breast cancer.
So fat grafting was tabled for a while.
Liposuction and Fat Grafting in the Late 20th Century
By 1975, the development of modern suction-assisted lipectomy (fat removal) paved the path for more efficient ways to harvest fat. Techniques continued to be refined, and the 1980s brought the invention of liposuction. Even so, results were still inconsistent.
As such, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) placed a moratorium on the use of fat grafting to the breasts in 1987. By this time, silicone implants were widely available so surgeons utilized those in most augmentation and reconstruction procedures.
In the 1990s, Dr. Sydney Coleman, a New York City plastic surgeon, published papers detailing standardized techniques for fat extraction, processing, and injection. Fat grafting began to gain in popularity and effectiveness for a variety of applications.
A New Century and Millennium
In 2001, Dr. Coleman published a book titled “Structural Fat Grafting,” illustrating a technique of fat harvesting and grafting that resulted in a high survival rate of fat cells. By 2008, ASPS had reversed its 20-year moratorium and in 2009, French surgeon Dr. Emmanuel Delay reported on his personal experience with nearly 1000 fat injection breast procedures over the previous ten years – effectively proving that fat grafting to the breast was considered safe and effective.
Just ten years ago in 2013, Patrick Tonnard and his group reported on another new technique for preparing and using fat tissue called “nanofat.” What’s next in the area of fat grafting? Only time will tell.
Could You Use a Little More Volume?
Understanding the history of fat grafting makes it clear that it’s now a safe and effective procedure for adding fullness and volume.
That’s why plastic surgeons often utilize it for various cosmetic and reconstructive purposes, including facial rejuvenation, breast augmentation, and correcting contour deformities from trauma or surgery.
So if you’re ready to explore the benefits of fat grafting for you, contact us today.
Weird Facts About Plastic Surgery
Plastic surgery was once a topic reserved for discussion among those in wealthy circles. But now, it’s much more commonplace and available to a wider cross-section of people.
Yet, for as much as you may think you know about plastic and cosmetic surgery, you might be surprised to discover some weird facts about plastic surgery.
We’ll take a look at some of them here.
Weird Facts About Plastic Surgery
Don’t worry. If you’re considering plastic surgery, there’s not anything too bizarre here that will sway you! If anything, it will illustrate how safe modern plastic surgery is.
- Cosmetic Surgery Goes Way Back
Many consider the “early days” of plastic surgery to be the 1950s and 60s. But plastic surgery dates back as far as 2000 B.C. The first medical texts about plastic surgery were published in India in 600 B.C. And in ancient Egypt, healers used reeds to keep the nostrils open during nose reconstruction.
Meanwhile, in ancient Rome, surgeons were using early methods of plastic surgery to restore the physiques of gladiators. And some of the earliest techniques for breast reductions, as well as ear, lip, and nose reconstruction, are outlined in the ancient Roman text “De Medicina.”
After the fall of the Roman Empire, new developments in cosmetic surgery fizzled out for hundreds of years during the Middle Ages and Renaissance as Christianity forbade surgical changes to the body during that time.
- Botox Was Created to Treat Crossed Eyes
Today, Botox is most often associated with plastic surgery. But using it to smooth wrinkles was not its original intent.
It was an ophthalmologist who worked with a biochemist and physiologist to develop medicine that would help relax the muscles around the eyes to treat those who suffer from crossed eyes. When they began to do the experimentation on volunteers in the late 1970s, subjects discovered that not only did it help with crossed eyes, but it also smoothed facial wrinkles.
Today, along with treating crossed eyes and wrinkles, Botox can be used to treat disorders such as migraines, excessive sweating, and muscle contractures following strokes.
- Liposuction Wasn’t Always Simple
In the early 1920s, a French surgeon began experimenting with scraping away fat beneath the skin for body contouring purposes. Unfortunately, the lack of modern antibiotics and anesthesia meant that patients didn’t always fare well.
Then in the 1970s, two Italian gynecologists developed hollow canulas through which fat could be sucked without disrupting blood vessels. In the 1980s, a dermatologist perfected the tumescent technique that reduced bleeding and skin rippling.
Further advancements in liposuction techniques continue to make it one of the simplest yet most effective procedures.
- The First Breast Augmentation Did Not Use Implants
The first breast augmentation was in 1895. And strangely enough, the implant was actually a tumor.
Okay, that sounds bizarre. But when a Victorian woman needed to have the cancerous tumor removed, the surgeon decided to augment the breast using a large benign fatty tumor from her flank. Because he was using her own tissue to replace the cancerous tumor, her body didn’t reject it as a foreign object.
Since that time, surgeons have experimented with many more substances (including glass balls, ground rubber, ivory, wool, and ox cartilage) before finally landing on the modern implants and fat grafting techniques that exist today.
Plastic Surgery Has Come a Long Way
Weird facts about plastic surgery aside, you can feel confident in knowing you’ll now be in far safer hands for whatever procedure you’re considering today.
So if you’re ready to explore your options, contact us today to speak with our board-certified plastic surgeons and aesthetic specialists.
You’ll be glad you did.
Get Better Lips with Volbella
Have you started noticing fine lines and wrinkles around your mouth? Or perhaps your lips have grown thinner or you can no longer see much of a border around them.
It could be that your lips are asymmetrical, turned down at the corners, or simply not the shape and size you desire.
Whatever the case, Volbella can improve the appearance of your lips without leaving them too large or puffy. And all with one simple treatment.
What Is Volbella?
Volbella is a lip augmentation filler that addresses wrinkles and the delicate skin around your mouth. It’s also used to contour the lips; changing their shape and overall appearance to create a soft and natural lip enhancement.
This FDA-approved filler is made from hyaluronic acid (HA), a naturally occurring sugar produced by the body to help maintain volume and elasticity in the skin. Volbella is one of the newer fillers added to the Juvéderm collection, which utilizes different weights of hyaluronic acid.
Volbella also contains a small amount of the numbing agent lidocaine to make the procedure nearly painless. At most, patients may feel a small prick during the injection.
Are You a Good Candidate For Volbella?
Patients seek lip augmentation for a variety of reasons. Many want to restore lip volume and smooth lipstick lines. Others wish to fix an asymmetry, refine smile lines, or correct downturned corners. It could be a combination of any of those.
So if you’re over 18 and you’re frustrated with stubborn wrinkles around your mouth and want natural-looking volume to your lips that doesn’t appear overdone, then you could be a good candidate for Volbella.
On the other hand, if you are allergic to lidocaine or gram-positive bacterial proteins, or you suffer from severe allergies, including a history of anaphylaxis, then Volbella is not right for you. This would be something discussed during your consultation.
What Does the Vobella Treatment Entail?
The procedure is pretty straightforward. After numbing the area to be addressed, the syringe is inserted and Volbella is injected. Depending on the specifics of your situation, your appointment will take anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes. For most patients, one syringe of product is sufficient.
You’ll be asked to forgo certain blood-thinners or supplements for a few days before the procedure. And if you have a cold sore or fever blister, you’ll need to wait for two weeks before the procedure can be performed.
Once your treatment is complete, you can go back to your normal life. You will need to avoid direct sunlight for the first 24 hours though. And you should steer clear of strenuous exercise during that same time block. If there are additional post-treatment instructions, you’ll be given them.
Are There Side Effects?
Side effects for Volbella are minimal. There may be some swelling, tenderness, discomfort, or itching after the procedure. Any side effects are temporary and generally only last a day or two.
Your skincare specialist will go over your aftercare plan with you. When attended to properly after the initial procedure, Volbella fillers last nine months to a year.
Is Volbella Right for You?
Are you seeking fuller and more defined lips? Do you want results that are subtle and in harmony with the rest of your face?
Then Volbella might be right for you. This hyaluronic acid-based filler will enhance the shape and volume of your lips without giving them a pumped-up and artificial appearance.
So if genetics and aging have changed your lips in ways you don’t like, contact us today to set up a consultation to talk more about this amazing filler.
How Plastic Surgery Can Help Cancer Patients
Plastic surgery often gets a bad rap. And reality TV only glorifies this by portraying it as purely elective procedures sought after by over-the-top people with insane wealth and vanity.
This portrayal is not accurate. Sure, plastic surgery goes the distance in providing a flatter belly or a younger face. And that’s great. There’s a lot to be said about the positive psychological effects of plastic surgery.
But what many don’t consider is the far-reaching range of issues that plastic surgery can address. This includes how plastic surgery can help cancer patients.
How Plastic Surgery Can Help Cancer Patients
It’s no secret that cancer treatments, while often effective, can be hard on the body. Especially in cases where the treatment is drastic. It can change not only how a person looks, but also how they feel. Plastic surgery can help in the following ways:
- Restoring Tissue Damage from Radiation
The side effects from radiation therapy can be overwhelming. Patients report feeling fatigue and experiencing rashes and thinning of the skin. This is because radiation attacks healthy tissue in its fight to eradicate the cancer.
In situations where a specific part of the body is heavily targeted by radiation, the tissue damage can be significant enough to change both the appearance and function of the damaged area. Plastic surgery can help restore these.
- Performing Breast Reconstruction
The most common and well-known plastic surgery procedure associated with cancer treatments is breast reconstruction. And for good reason. Many women who’ve had a cancer-related mastectomy or tumor removal are understandably distraught with the results and seek plastic surgery as a means to restore something closer to their former appearance.
- Minimizing Scarring
Removing certain skin cancers and soft tissue sarcomas isn’t a matter of simply scraping off the surface of the skin. In more severe cases, the skin cancer is removed along with the surrounding margins. Then, wide resections of the skin may be required. Because board-certified plastic surgeons specialize in repositioning healthy tissue from one part of the body to cover the wound of another, they have the expertise to perform such procedures that result in minimal scarring.
- Correcting Deficits from Tumor Removal
Similar to removing skin cancer, tumor removal often requires taking out more than just the tumor. Surgeons often need to remove the surrounding healthy tissue to eliminate the chance of it becoming cancerous. While this can be a life-saving step, it leaves unnatural deficits in the soft tissue which can, fortunately, be addressed through plastic surgery.
- Repairing Specific Damaged Tissue
Plastic surgeons who are skilled in reconstructive microsurgery can utilize these small procedures that use the patient’s own tissues to repair damaged areas. This can involve repurposing skin, fat, muscle, tendon, and possibly even bone to reduce scarring and promote healing and normal function.
Giving Cancer Patients in Treatment New Hope
Cancer treatments can slow or even stop the spread of the disease. But they can also leave lasting marks on the body.
In these cases, plastic surgeons help cancer patients by repairing and restoring these areas. In doing so, they also extend the ability of other surgeons and specialists to keep treating the cancer, giving patients the best chance for a cure.
If you’re struggling with the appearance of cancer treatment deficits, contact us today to find out how we can help. You have enough to focus on without having to deal with that too.
How Body Contouring After GLP-1 Can Help
Have you recently experienced major weight loss after taking a GLP-1 medication such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro? Congratulations on your achievement!
Yet, while you’ve effectively reduced body fat, you may now be left with loose, excess skin that’s making it difficult to fully embrace the benefits of weight loss.
What’s worse, no amount of exercise or dieting can eliminate excess skin once it has lost its elasticity. But body contouring after GLP-1 can help.
Get the Most out of Your Post-Weight Loss Results
Rapid weight reduction, such as occurs with GLP-1 medications, often leaves behind stretched, sagging skin that doesn’t magically shrink back to fit your new body. Patients notice this phenomenon most frequently in the abdomen, arms, thighs, and face.
Fortunately, body contouring surgery offers a solution. The following procedures carefully remove excess skin and enhance natural curves to achieve a toned silhouette while avoiding an overly tightened appearance.
- Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)
A tummy tuck removes excess skin (and fat, where applicable) to give patients a smoother and flatter abdomen. The procedure also involves the reconstruction of the abdominal wall musculature to tighten weak or distended muscles.
Removing excess skin while tightening and toning abdominal muscles improves posture and can also help those who struggle with chronic back pain. So there’s a nice bonus!
- Arm Lift (Brachioplasty)
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to an arm lift. The incision length and pattern will be determined by your surgeon and will depend on the location of your excess skin and how much needs to be removed.
Generally speaking, though, incisions are placed either on the back or the inside of the arm. Excess skin is removed, and the supportive tissue underneath is tightened and reshaped using internal sutures. The skin is then smoothed over to create a new and more toned upper arm.
- Thigh Lift
Also known as thighplasty, a thigh lift is a cosmetic surgery that delivers a contoured appearance by removing excess skin and, where applicable, fat.
Your board-certified plastic surgeon will likely recommend either an inner (medial) thigh lift or a standard thigh lift. With the former, excess skin is removed to give the top part of the inner thigh a more toned appearance. This is the most common type of thigh lift.
- Other Body Contouring Procedures
Of course, if you find that your breasts have lost elasticity after weight loss, you may consider a breast lift and/or augmentation to restore their shape and volume. Or if you’re finding excess skin on your face and neck, a facelift or neck lift can deliver an enhanced and more youthful appearance. With body contouring procedures, the possibilities are endless.
Are You a Good Candidate for Body Contouring After GLP-1?
The obvious first condition that makes you an ideal candidate for body contouring is that you’ve lost significant weight after a GLP-1 medication and are bothered by excess skin.
But because a body contouring procedure is a surgery, you must be in good overall health and have no uncontrolled medical conditions. You should also have maintained a stable weight for at least six months before the procedure. If you smoke, you’ll need to refrain from doing so before your procedure, as smoking can negatively impact the healing process and increase the risk of complications.
Two of the most important qualifications, though, are that you are realistic about the results of the contouring procedure and that you are willing to commit to a healthy lifestyle to maintain those results. If all of that checks out, you’re good to go!
It’s Time to Complete Your Weight Loss Transformation
There’s no need to feel embarrassed about sagging skin when body contouring after GLP-1 can help!
If you meet the qualifications that make you a good candidate for one of these surgeries, contact us today.
Our board-certified plastic surgeons will help you refine your figure and achieve a smoother and more sculpted appearance to celebrate your major weight loss victory.
Preventative Aesthetics Treatments to Consider in Your 30s
Many millennials have started noticing the first signs of aging in their skin. That’s because collagen starts declining as early as your 30s and this can lead to loss of skin elasticity, fine lines around the eyes, uneven texture, and/or a duller complexion.
Fortunately, if you’re starting to notice these signs, there are preventative aesthetics treatments to consider in your thirties.
Also known as prejuvenation, preventive aesthetics treatments aim to delay the signs of aging in those where it’s just beginning to show. And millennials are finding success with them.
The Top Preventative Aesthetics Treatments
Preventative aesthetics will help to stimulate your body’s natural regenerative systems now so that it takes longer for deep wrinkles and laxity to form later. It’s about preserving what you have while investing in your future appearance.
Getting these small and strategic cosmetic treatments in your 30s could help you dodge the need for more aggressive procedures in your midlife and later years. The most popular treatments are as follows:
- Plasma-Rich Platelets (PRP) with Microneedling
PRP with microneeding is a minimally invasive skin treatment. A microneedling device is used to create tiny, controlled micro-injuries in the treatment area with tiny needles that puncture the skin. These micro-injuries trigger your skin’s natural healing response, stimulating the production of new collagen and elastin, which are vital for youthful skin.
The PRP, which is derived from a small blood sample you give, is then applied to the skin. The microchannels created by the microneedling allow the PRP to penetrate deeply into the skin, enhancing the healing process and maximizing the benefits of the treatment. PRP is rich in growth factors and helps accelerate healing and enhance results by rejuvenating the skin at a deeper level.
- Dermal Fillers
A dermal filler such as Juvéderm is made with the body’s natural compound, hyaluronic acid. Juvéderm and fillers like it addresses static wrinkles such as nasolabial folds (i.e. laugh lines) and the marionette line folds that develop between the corners of the mouth and continue down to the jaw line.
The gel-like fillers are injected beneath the skin and can stave off the need for facial surgery in younger patients. They smooth lines, soften creases, and restore volume to enhance your facial contours. There is no downtime with fillers, but the results aren’t as long-lasting as surgical options. Therefore, you’d need to return for treatments.
- Botox
Botox contains neurotoxins that temporarily weaken the muscles in your face. Scary as it may sound, it’s really not. A bacterium called Clostridium botulinum comprises the neurotoxins used in Botox. and it’s created in a lab where technicians dilute and sterilize these toxins.
By weakening or paralyzing the muscles that cause laugh lines, crow’s feet, or other wrinkles, Botox effectively reduces those wrinkles and lines to provide younger-looking skin. When the injected muscle is unable to contract, wrinkles relax and soften. Plus, Botox also helps prevent new wrinkles from forming. So it’s a two-fer!
- VI Chemical Peel
There are a variety of chemicals peels, but the VI peel is one of the newest and safest chemical peels on the market. And it’s ideal for a wide range of skin types, including darker skin which typically requires preconditioning for a traditional chemical peel. A VI peel can dramatically improve the skin’s texture and tone, leaving it with a clear and radiant glow.
Using a unique blend of minerals, salicylic acid, vitamin C, phenol, retinoic acid, and TCA, the VI peel works to safely remove damaged layers of skin and promote cellular growth. At the most basic level, this blend will help the skin to build collagen and elastin; tightening the skin, shrinking enlarged pores, and erasing fine lines and wrinkles. It’s also effective on dull or damaged skin as a result of acne, rosacea, sun damage, or melasma and other hyperpigmentation issues.
Plus, it’s packed with vitamins and minerals, making it far more nourishing than a traditional chemical peel.
- HydraFacial
Hydrafacial is perfect for anyone who wants a refreshed, youthful appearance without the downtime of more invasive procedures. The procedure consists of a gentle exfoliation to remove dead skin cells that reveals a fresh, new layer of skin. This is followed by a painless suction process to remove impurities from clogged pores.
Your skin is then drenched in intensive moisturizers, hyaluronic acid, peptides, and antioxidants, leaving it deeply hydrated, plump, and rejuvenated. Finally, a customized serum is applied to protect your skin from environmental damage and lock in moisture for a lasting, youthful glow.
For optimal results, Hydrafacial treatments should be performed regularly (perhaps once every month or two) to maintain your skin’s health and radiance.
Maintain Results with Stellar Skincare Products and Hydration
No matter your procedure, it’s important to take care of your skin. Ideally, keep your sun exposure to a minimum. If you must go into it, use a sunblock with an SPF of at least 50 and wear appropriate clothing to shield the harmful UV rays.
In addition, use moisturizers containing hyaluronic acid after any face procedures. ALLASTIN Trihex Technology is a solid recommendation.
Finally, don’t forget to drink plenty of water. In general, most adults need five to eight glasses every day. Drinking a minimum of six glasses each day will keep your skin hydrated and healthy for many years to come.
Don’t Let Aging Get the Best of You
There’s no need to feel down about signs of aging. It happens to all of us who are lucky enough to get this far.
And with so many preventive aesthetic procedures to consider in your 30s, you have a much better chance of slowing the signs of the aging process and extending your youthful appearance.
So if you’re noticing new signs of aging and are curious about any of the above procedures, contact us today to set up a consultation. We look forward to hearing from you.
The Advantages of Scheduling Plastic Surgery in the Fall
Autumn is a great time to breathe in the cool, fresh air, take a walk among the vibrant leaves, or cozy up to a warm drink and a good book. It’s also a great time to consider a plastic surgery procedure.
This might seem counterintuitive. After all, isn’t summer the season for showing off smooth skin and improved contours? Well, sure.
But if you stop to think about it, scheduling plastic surgery in the fall makes perfect sense.
Why Scheduling Plastic Surgery in the Fall Is Advantageous
If you’ve spent the summer increasingly dissatisfied with your reflection in the mirror, you might be considering a facelift or some rhinoplasty. Perhaps your upper brow could use a lift.
Or maybe after a summer of feeling self-conscious in a bathing suit, you might be pondering breast augmentation or a tummy tuck. No matter what treatment you’re considering, scheduling plastic surgery in the fall offers many benefits.
- Increased Flexibility in Scheduling
Summer is often abuzz with busyness. When fall comes, our circadian rhythms change, and things slow down. Kids are back in school, and vacations are over. This opens up time to schedule surgery and recovery, minus the stress of managing summer vacations, events, and activities.
- Ease in Avoiding Sun Exposure
Cooler weather means wearing long sleeves, pants, and hats. It also means shorter days, more time indoors, and less sun. This is important because protecting your skin from the sun is critical for healing after any surgical or even non-surgical treatment. UV rays can cause scarring and hyperpigmentation, which can delay your recovery and affect your final results.
- A Boost in Healing Facilitated By Cooler Weather
Along with avoiding UV rays, the cooler temperatures can help keep post-treatment swelling and discomfort at bay. The heat of the summer can often exacerbate these symptoms. What’s more, any bruising or temporary swelling is hidden under the cover of sweaters and scarves, so your healing happens more privately.
- Ample Recovery Time Before the Holidays
Even with less sun exposure and cooler temperatures, recovering from a plastic surgery procedure can still take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. So by scheduling your surgery in the fall, you’ll have ample time to rest and recover so you can feel your best (and show off your results!) during the holiday season events and parties.
- Advanced Preparation for NEXT Summer
It isn’t until spring that many people start considering how they’ll look in revealing summer clothes or bathing suits. But scheduling a breast augmentation, tummy tuck, or body lift surgery to contour your curves in the spring may not allow your body time to fully recover by the summer. Getting these surgeries in the fall, however, ensures your results will have plenty of time to settle by the next swimsuit season. Or even spring break!
Achieve a Sense of Renewal This Fall
Fall is the season for reflection and going inward. But there’s also a sense of renewal that comes with the cooler air of autumn.
So if you’re feeling an increased need for transformation and recharging this new season, take advantage of the benefits of scheduling plastic surgery in the fall.
Contact us today to set up a consultation with our board-certified plastic surgeons. And cruise into the holidays and the new year feeling rejuvenated and more confident.
Questions to Ask Before Your Tummy Tuck
Do you have excess skin or fat around your abdomen, and dieting and exercise aren’t making any difference? If so, you may have decided it’s time to schedule a consultation for abdominoplasty, a.k.a. a tummy tuck.
Congratulations! It’s a big decision. And it’s a decision that has probably left you wondering what questions to ask before your tummy tuck.
That’s completely normal. Knowing the right questions to ask during your consultation can make all the difference in achieving a satisfying, not to mention safe, outcome. Before you schedule any consultation, be sure it’s with ONLY a board-certified plastic surgeon.
Questions to Ask Before Your Tummy Tuck
Having a tummy tuck can significantly improve the appearance of your midsection. During the procedure, your board-certified plastic surgeon will remove excess skin, tighten weakened muscles, and contour the abdominal area. But most patients want more than that basic knowledge. So here are seven questions you can bring to your consultation:
- Am I a Good Candidate?
During your consultation, your surgeon should evaluate your goals, health status, and general anatomy to determine whether a tummy tuck is in your best interest. He or she should also inquire whether you’re planning any significant weight changes (such as those that come with pregnancy or quick weight loss) in the future, since these can affect the long-term results.
Generally speaking, patients with sagging abdominal skin, diastasis recti (separated abdominal muscles), or fat deposits that are unresponsive to diet and exercise are ideal candidates.
- Are There Risks?
Abdominoplasty is generally safe. Of course, all surgery carries some degree of risk. And there is always the chance of complications such as infection, bleeding, poor wound healing, and fluid build-up. He or she will be able to further explain these risks and complications and provide ways they can be mitigated.
- What Should I Do to Prepare?
Before a tummy tuck, you’ll be advised or required to quit smoking, eat a healthy diet, get plenty of rest, and stop taking certain medications. Your surgeon should give you detailed instructions along with clear and personalized guidance that will help you get the best results.
- Which Technique Is Best for Me?
This is a question many patients don’t know to ask. There are actually several different tummy tuck techniques. They are the traditional, mini, extended, and endoscopic. Depending on the factors of your specific situation, your surgeon will choose the best method that will meet your unique needs.
- Will There Be Other Procedures Involved?
In most cases, this will be up to you. It’s not unusual to include liposuction around the hips, lower back, and flanks during a tummy tuck surgery to enhance contouring. If you’re aiming for a more dramatic body transformation, you may opt to add a breast augmentation, breast lift, or lower body lift. You’ll want to know how these treatments will benefit your overall results, as well as how they’ll affect your recovery.
- What Will Recovery Be Like?
Your surgeon should be able to give you an idea of how much time you’ll need to take off work, as well as what your activity restrictions will be and when it will be safe to resume exercise. He or she should also be clear about the use of compression garments, follow-up appointments you’ll need to attend, and ways to minimize discomfort after surgery – including the use of EXPAREL®.
- How Long Will the Results Last?
A tummy tuck should give you a firmer and more contoured abdomen for years, which is thrilling. But it’s important to remember that while this outcome is long-lasting, aging and gravity can affect your skin over time. Plus, you’ll need to maintain a stable weight. Based on all of that, you can discuss with your surgeon how your results might evolve.
Get Informed About Your Tummy Tuck
Are you ready to embark on your tummy tuck journey? Then contact us today to get started!
Knowing the best questions to ask before your tummy tuck will help you feel confident and informed as you head into your consultation. We look forward to sharing this experience with you.
FDA Approval Vs. FDA Clearance: What’s the Difference?
Most people are familiar with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, also known as the FDA. But did you know the FDA has a role in evaluating the safety and efficacy of products used in cosmetic procedures?
When researching different cosmetic procedures, patients are often confused by the terms FDA approval vs. FDA clearance. Are they essentially the same thing?
It turns out they’re not.
The Distinction Between FDA Approval vs. FDA Clearance
There’s actually a significant difference between FDA approval and FDA clearance. The two terms refer to different levels of regulatory scrutiny for certain cosmetic surgery devices and products.
Products and devices are sorted by Class I, II, and III. Class I requires the least amount of regulation, while Class III products must adhere to the most stringent regulations. In a nutshell, FDA-approved products are subject to more rigorous testing than FDA-cleared devices.
FDA Approval
FDA approval is assigned only to Class III medical devices and prescription drugs. These are products that have the potential to pose more risks. Therefore, they require extensive testing to prove their safety and efficacy. Breast implants and BOTOX® injectables fall into this category.
Products that are FDA-approved are extensively researched. There’s a five-step process to gain approval that starts preclinical research which is followed by human clinical trials. In addition, manufacturers have to provide comprehensive data that demonstrates the product performs as intended and the benefits outweigh any potential risks. The process is lengthy and typically takes anywhere from eight to twelve years. This ensures that FDA approval is granted to only the most rigorously tested products.
FDA Clearance
By contrast, FDA clearance is reserved for Class I and II devices. These are considered to carry a low to moderate risk. Some of the non-invasive treatment tools used in cosmetic surgery fall into these categories. These can include microneedling devices as well as a handful of laser treatments.
While FDA-cleared items gain faster entry into the market than those that are FDA-approved, they still have to adhere to safety standards. The process is not as stringent though because in this case, a manufacturer has to prove that their new device is substantially equivalent to one that’s already been legally marketed. As such, proving that a device is at least as safe and effective as its predecessor takes considerably less time – typically a few months to a few years.
How Can You Know?
Not every procedure involves the use of a device that requires FDA approval or clearance. If you’re curious about yours, it’s important you verify that anything being used has the proper regulatory status.
Unfortunately, less reputable practices or medical spas have a history of counterfeit devices that can cause a range of problems and health issues. So your first line of defense is to insist on having your procedure performed at only highly respected practices.
A reputable provider will be transparent about the regulatory status of anything they will use for your procedure. Then you can use the FDA’s database to confirm that information.
Choose Only Experienced and Board-Certified Plastic Surgeons
Now that you’re clear on the FDA approval vs. FDA clearance distinction, you can move toward your chosen procedure with a more peaceful mind.
So if you’re looking for a board-certified plastic surgeon who will focus on the highest standards of care, contact us today to schedule a consultation.
We’ll discuss the safest and most effective path for your chosen procedure that will deliver beautiful results while prioritizing your well-being.
