Benefits of Fat Injections

Fat has long been used as a soft tissue filler to add volume to the face and lips. Many patients like the idea of using their own fat, rather than a pharmaceutical filler, to restore volume that has been lost through the aging process or to “plump up” areas that lack dramatic contours. One of the benefits of fat injections is that because fat is removed from your own body, there is no possibility of an allergic reaction. There is also evidence that stem cells are abundantly present in the fat. These stem cells may have a rejuvenated skin ability beyond volume enhancement alone.

Fat can be safely injected into the face by a skilled plastic surgeon. It can also be injected in other areas of the body to fill in dents or depressions. Recent evidence also shows that fat can be injected into the breasts, both for volume and to enhance the healing qualities of radiated or damaged tissue. This appears to be a new and exciting area of fat injections.

Recovery from fat injection is much longer than recovery following injection of most pharmaceutical soft tissue fillers. Following fat injections there will be significant bruising and swelling that may last several days to several weeks. The size and location of treat areas will determine the severity of post-treatment symptoms and the time needed for complete recovery.

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 19th, 2012 at 5:55 pm and is filed under Body Procedures, Breast Enhancement, Fat Transfer.

Temporal Hooding, Upper Blepharoplasty, Browlift

Many people develop droopiness to the lateral upper aspect of their eyelids. This is referred to as temporal hooding. The common procedure of upper blephoplasty (removing excess upper eyelid skin) does not correct this problem since it will only pull the eyebrow down. The procedure to correct this is called a temporal lift or browlift. By pulling up the forehead and eyebrow, this extra skin is brought back to its normal position. The small scars for this are hidden within the hairline. This is usually performed by using small endoscopes and done under sedation.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 15th, 2012 at 11:02 am and is filed under Eyelid Surgery.

Minimal Scar Facelift Under Local Anesthesia

Over the last 2 years, I have been performing a minimal scar facelift under local anesthesia.  Prior to this time, I had performed this surgery under general anesthesia or heavy intravenous sedation.  I started performing this surgery  in this manner after a number of my patients were requesting less anesthesia.  The patient is given Valium by mouth 1 hour prior to surgery.  Even though the patient is awake, I have found that the patient experiences minimal discomfort.

Following surgery, there is some bruising and swelling.  Most of my patients can return to work in 1 week.  The pain following this surgery is minimal since the sensory nerves of the face are bruised and don’t return for several weeks.  The patient must sleep upright with the head elevated for 1 week.  No heavy exercise can be done for  3 weeks following the surgery.

Unfortunately, none of us are getting younger.  While fillers and Botox are good temporary ways to enhance our appearance, nothing works better for facial rejuvenation then surgery.  When considering the excellent results and the minimal downtime with this procedure, I highly suggest to patients that they consider this type of surgery under local anesthetic.

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 6th, 2012 at 7:09 pm and is filed under Facelifts.

Non Surgical Facial Rejuvenation

Lasers generate a concentrated stream of bright, pulsed light that can be used to help correct a variety of skin conditions. While some laser treatments result in complete skin resurfacing, others only help diminish fine wrinkles and discoloration. Lasers can penetrate deeply into the skin and promote reorganization of collagen, which helps diminish wrinkles and improve skin tone. They also have somewhat of a tightening effect, which can aid skin tone and appearance.
Although lasers are an effective method of facial rejuvenation, laser treatments are not a substitute for surgical procedures such as a facelift.  Laser peels can provide significant and long lasting improvement of sun damaged, unevenly pigmented or coarsely wrinkled facial skin. Peels can be performed with superficial or deep lasers. They may be used on the entire face or on a limited area, such as the vertical wrinkles around the mouth. Carbon dioxide lasers are generally the strongest and may be recommended for fair skin, severe sun damage, and deep wrinkles.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 21st, 2012 at 8:15 pm and is filed under Facelifts, Skin Care.

Non-Surgical Facelift Using Fillers and Botox

When a woman does not want to undergo surgery, fillers (Restylane, Juvaderm, fat) and Botox in combination can produce a youthful improvement to the face. Fillers can be used to add volume to the periorbital area, temporal area,  nasolabial folds, and jawline. Botox is used to remove the wrinkles in the forehead, upper nose and eyelid By combining these products at one time, a distinctive improvement in facial appearance occurs. A patient must realize these effects are not permanent and re-injections will be required every six to twelve months depending on the product used.

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 3rd, 2012 at 7:22 pm and is filed under BOTOX® Cosmetic, Facelifts, Wrinkle Reduction.