Archive for the ‘Facial Cosmetic Surgery’ Category

Breast Enhancement – Before or After Weight Loss?

Friday, September 3rd, 2010
breast enhancement beverly hills

If you’re trying to lose weight, seeing those extra pounds start to melt away is exciting. But remember, you can’t always control where you’re losing the weight – it’s going to come off across your entire body, not just in one or two “target areas.” What this means for women is that, whether they like it or not, there’s a good chance their breasts will get smaller as the rest of their body gets slimmer. This is an important factor to consider if you’re planning a breast enhancement. Here’s why:
 

  • Breast lift: Weight loss often causes breasts to droop or sag. Subsequent weight loss could undo the results of a previous breast lift. Women considering a breast lift should definitely wait until after they’ve reached their target weight.
  • Breast augmentation: Results of breast augmentation will be impacted by weight loss in several ways. First, larger breasts may look out of balance with your new, slimmer physique. Second, weight loss may cause breasts to droop, creating the need for a second breast surgery.

I suggest that my patients wait to have their breast lift or breast augmentation in Los Angeles until they’ve lost the weight. By waiting, they are ensuring that they choose an implant size that fits with their new body contours and that they will have perky, youthful-looking cleavage.

And, just to note, I would also recommend waiting to perform other procedures until my patients have accomplished their weight loss goals in Los Angeles, such as face lift, tummy tuck, or liposuction.

Facelift Plus Fat Grafting for Complete Facial Rejuvenation

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
facelift beverly hills

One of the first places that men and women begin to see the signs of aging, stress, and fatigue is their face. Many men and women from Los Angeles choose a facelift to help combat the effects of time, but a new method that combines fat injections with facelifts may help patients achieve more complete facial rejuvenation.

A facelift is designed to correct sagging of facial skin and deeper facial tissue, but the traditional facelift procedure cannot correct the loss of facial fat that causes the hollow, sunken look that many people get as they age. That’s where a fat injection can help. A fat injection can restore youthful fullness to a patient’s face by filling out areas that have lost underlying support.

A fat injection involves taking living fat cells from the patient’s own body, carefully preparing these cells, and then re-implanting the cells in hollow areas of the face. Newer methods of increasing the percent of injected fat that survives the transfer means that the results can last much longer.

Although fat grafting can be performed without a facelift, the results are most flattering when sagging skin has been lifted and excess skin has been removed as well. Another major advantage of performing a fat injection in conjunction with a facelift is that the patient will only have to go through a single surgical procedure and recovery period.

I’d definitely recommend combining fat injections with a facelift for my facial rejuvenation patients. Of course, either procedure can be performed on its own, but the results of the combined procedure are more complete and dramatic than the results that either procedure can produce by itself.

3 Quick “Yes” and “No” Rhinoplasty Answers

Saturday, April 24th, 2010
rhinoplasty beverly hills

Based on the questions I frequently hear from my Los Angeles “nose job” (rhinoplasty) patients, I thought I’d share a few quick facts about rhinoplasty. If you have questions of your own, please comment here or contact me and I’ll follow up with a personal response.

  • Is the nose always broken during rhinoplasty? No. The bones in the nose are usually only moved when the nose needs to be narrowed or after a large hump has been removed. There are certainly many rhinoplasty procedures that do not involve fracturing the bone.
  • Does a rhinoplasty fix a deviated septum? Technically, no. The procedure to fix a deviated septum is actually called a septoplasty. It is a different type of nose surgery. The septoplasty procedure is reconstructive as opposed to cosmetic (rhinoplasty is considered a cosmetic procedure) and may be covered by insurance.
  • Are there non-surgical alternatives to a rhinoplasty? Yes, but they’re not for everyone. These non-surgical methods generally involve the use of injectable fillers. These fillers can “build up” but they can’t “take out.” This means that, for example, they’re a good option for people who would like a more pronounced nasal tip, but not for people who want to reduce the size of their nasal tip. Also, keep in mind that even if you’re a candidate for a non-surgical nose job, the results won’t be permanent.

These questions are just the tip of the iceberg. There’s much more you can learn about rhinoplasty. For more information, you can visit my rhinoplasty Web site.

Addressing Concerns about the Expense of Combined Procedures

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
mommy makeover beverly hills

It is not uncommon for people to decide they’d like to make broad changes to their appearance that cannot be accomplished with a single procedure. This is often the case when women decide that they would like to rejuvenate their appearance after childbirth with a Mommy Makeover. For moms from Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, abdominoplasty, breast lift, face lift, and liposuction are high on the list of Mommy Makeover component procedures.

When people consider combined procedures, one of their major concerns is often cost. They think that having more procedures means spending more money. However, there are a few things that patients should take into consideration:

  • When the procedures are performed at the same time, as they are with a Mommy Makeover, they cost less than each of the procedures would cost if they were all performed separately.
  • When procedures are performed together, you are under anesthesia for less total time than if all were performed separately, and you do not have to go through multiple recovery periods. And, as several of my journal publications have shown, the risk associated with combining abdominoplasty and breast surgery is not significantly different than when performing each procedure alone.

If cost is still a concern, you may want to consider cosmetic surgery financing as an option. You can read more about cosmetic surgery financing here. Most patients feel that the great improvement in their appearance is well worth the expense of having combined procedures all at once.

Thermage® and Fraxel® illumiNATION Tour

Monday, January 25th, 2010
thermage and fraxel beverly hills

The Thermage® and Fraxel® illumiNATION Tour wrapped up in Marina Del Rey this November and my practice was privileged to be the grand finale. Picture this: a retro Airstream filled with the latest Thermage and Fraxel technology. For a Los Angeles plastic surgeon like me who specializes in advanced skin rejuvenation treatments, a feature presentation of these devices is an exciting prospect.

The tour was a creative way for Thermage and Fraxel to introduce their newest technology. At the same time, doctors, patients and the general public were encouraged to have some fun. Traveling in the Airstream, the tour visited 20 major cities and allowed people to try out these cosmetic treatments. The new Thermage CPT™ System that was rolled-out on this tour is even better than the original system. Treatment with Thermage CPT is completely painless, whereas the old technology wasn’t quite as comfortable.

Thermage is a non-invasive procedure to tighten and contour the skin. It uses radiofrequencies to heat the deep layers and cool the surface of your skin. Thermage can be used on the face to achieve a non-surgical face lift result, but I’ve also had success treating areas such as the hands, legs and abdominal area. I’ve been performing Thermage treatments at my practice for many years and even receive them myself because the cosmetic benefits are so significant.

Thermage is often a good choice for women interested in Mommy Makeovers – combined procedures that often include a breast lift, a face lift, and a tummy tuck in Los Angeles. The general goal of the total makeover is to help women look younger and slimmer, the way they did before their pregnancies. Skin tightening can play an important role in turning back the clock and providing that “pre-baby” appearance.

I’ve spent a lot of time discussing Thermage but I should also point out that my practice offers Fraxel skin resurfacing as well. Both of these laser therapies are delivering satisfying results for my patients and it is encouraging that the company making these devices is taking the time to spread the word and educate people about professional, laser-based skin care.

A Look Inside Endoscopic Surgery

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
endoscopic surgery beverly hills

I’m always looking for ways to make my Beverly Hills cosmetic surgery procedures safer, less invasive, and more effective for my patients. One of the recent advancements that are revolutionizing the medical field (not just plastic surgery) is the use of endoscopic technology. We’ve already found ways to use this technology for cosmetic and reconstructive surgery procedures and will probably continue to find new applications.

There’s a good chance that, if you’re considering surgery, you may be told that your procedure could be endoscopic, so I thought I’d give you a little background.

What Is An Endoscope?

An endoscope is a medical instrument that uses a light and tiny camera to transmit video images from inside the human body. The term literally means to see (“scope”) inside (“endo”).

Examples of Endoscopic Plastic Surgery

While endoscopy has many applications in other areas of medicine, here are some examples of plastic surgery procedures that may be performed with an endoscope:

  • Facelift
  • Forehead Lift
  • Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck)
  • Breast augmentation
  • Breast reconstruction (for flap procedures and the placement of tissue expanders)

Advantages of Endoscopic Plastic Surgery

Endoscopy does not lend itself to every procedure, but when it can be used, it has definite benefits. Endoscopic procedures allow surgeons to make fewer and smaller incisions. The use of an endoscope may allow for quicker recovery and, in many cases, less pain. In fact, the final results of your surgery could ultimately be better if you choose an endoscopic method.