Click on the following links for excerpts from the book "Beauty in Balance"
CHAPTER 10 - THE WAVES OF THE FUTURE
How you feel about the way you look sends a signal to the outside world that you are confident, successful, and content in your own skin. Many people who come to see us view having cosmetic surgery as something to make them look as good as they feel. They are taking better care of themselves and view cosmetic surgery as a way to improve something about their appearance that they are unhappy about.
This eternal pursuit for cosmetic procedures that offer less downtime has led to a whole new generation of minimally invasive devices and techniques. What they want most is a natural result, without the telltale signs of surgery. The results tend to be more subtle and don't elicit remarks like, "Oh my God, what have you done!"
Combining Procedures
One of the biggest trends in aesthetic medicine is the advent of combination therapies. It is rare today that we see a person who is only interested in one procedure. Most of the people we see will have several chief concerns for which a combination of treatments may be recommended that produce a synergistic effect to maximize longevity and the outcome.
The most common example is the combination of botulinum toxin with Restylane® or other fillers. In this case, the botulinum toxin serves to relax the muscle and the filler smoothes the line. Botulinum toxin is often the first line of defense for dynamic wrinkles; wrinkles caused by facial muscle contractions. If the wrinkles are particularly deep, these may require treatment with a dermal filler to fill in the remaining imprint of the line after the botulinum toxin does its job. Another example is the combination of resurfacing agents and devices with botulinum toxin. The results of lasers and peels will last longer if there is less muscle movement in the facial areas.
We customize the procedures and treatment plan for each patient, instead of simply performing the same treatment in the exact same way for everyone. People appreciate and deserve an individualized approach.
The Youth Window
The trend is definitely leaning towards "maintenance" cosmetic enhancements. This philosophy involves making small changes and adjustments at younger ages than in the past, to avoid having procedures that will result in sudden drastic changes when you are older. The general rule is: the less severe the problem, the less dramatic the result following surgery.
It is not uncommon for a woman in her thirties to consider having a conservative eyelidplasty if she has some excess skin or fat deposits that make her look tired By having surgery done before the results will be obvious to everyone, you are in fact maintaining your youthful appearance. If you wait to have a blepharoplasty when your upper lids are very droopy, the change will be more visible, and thus, harder to conceal from family and friends. So there are windows of opportunity as you age to make small subtle changes to stay one step ahead of the aging process.
Most people usually start with smaller treatments and procedures such as injections with BOTOX® or soft tissue fillers and then progress to eyelid surgery, neck recontouring or a mini-facelift. Five to ten years later they may be "ready" for a full facelift. And with the advent of less invasive techniques such as the Contour Threadlift™, we are able to make subtle changes periodically to allow people to keep up with the aging process instead of waiting until everything has fallen.
Surgery with Less Scarring
Endoscopic surgery has been used in plastic surgery since the 1990's. We first started doing endoscopic browlifts at that time, and over the years, the technique has improved greatly. By incorporating new methods of fixation into our procedure, we are able to offer a longer lasting result that patients enjoy. The chief advantages of using the endoscope while lifting the brow and upper face area is the quick recovery and minimal incisions required that can be hidden in the hairline.
Endoscopy is also used in breast enhancement surgery. A small incision is made in the armpit area where the endoscope is introduced to create the pocket where the implant is placed. The implant is inserted through the same opening and is then positioned. Even through there is a similar amount of tissue manipulation needed compared to other methods of breast augmentation, the endoscopic approach results in a scar that is not located on the breast.
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