facial rejuvenation procedures While a facelift used to be the only cosmetic surgery option to combat facial aging, now there are many procedures, devices and techniques for facial rejuvenation, reports the Miami Herald.

Here is an overview of some of the facial rejuvenation procedures available today.

Facelifts

Targeting the signs of aging in the lower part of the face, a facelift can erase imperfections through lifting and removing excess skin.

Even the facelift itself has evolved. For instance, the Contour Thread Lift is less invasive than a traditional facelift, and therefore has a shorter recovery.

Injectables

It is hard to imagine a time when dermal fillers, such as Restylane and Juvederm, and botulinum toxins, such as Botox and Dysport, weren’t an option for filling lines and smoothing wrinkles on the face.

The options for injectables continue to grow. Fat grafting and stem cells are the latest innovations. With fat grafting, fat is removed from one area of the patient’s body and is then used as an injectable to add volume to areas such as the lips, nasolabial folds or hollows under the eyes.

Lasers & Ultrasound

For tightening up facial skin, lasers, such as Refirme, are now a popular option. The laser heats the collagen underneath the skin, making the skin tighten and stimulating the growth of new collagen.

Devices using ultrasound waves are another new technology for tightening. The ultrasound waves shrink collagen, making the skin tighter.

The Future of Facial Rejuvenation

Dr. Leslie Baumann, chief executive of a cosmetic institute in Miami, says there are more new facial rejuvenation procedures on the horizon in the next few years, including new injectables, lights and lasers.

Your cosmetic surgeon can help determine which facial rejuvenation procedures will give you the results you desire. For more information on facial rejuvenation, contact Inland Cosmetic Surgery with offices in Victorville and Chino Hills, CA.

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“Bro-tox” is the name for the latest cosmetic surgery trend, which has seen an increase in men getting Botox injections, according to ABC News.

Actor Johnny Markoudakis told ABC that he got Botox injections in his forehead and around his eyes, and a week later people told him he looked more refreshed.

But Bro-tox patients include more than just actors, models and metrosexuals, according to ABC.

For instance, Marc from Detroit is 38 and works at a chemical company. “I do a lot of industrial type work, getting dirty. … And I restore old cars,” Marc told ABC.

When he started noticing that he had some wrinkles and that he was looking older, his wife decided to get him Botox for Christmas.

“The card was very nice,” Marc said. “But then there was a little note that said … ‘Botox’ on it, and I was a little shocked. … It’s just not anything I thought I would do for myself.”

Marc used the gift and now has less noticeable crow’s feet thanks to Botox.

Cosmetic Procedures Becoming More Popular for Men

ABC News reports that over 300,000 men got Botox last year, a 10% increase from the previous year. Men are getting more cosmetic procedures in general — one in eight cosmetic surgery procedures is now performed on men.

According to the report, from 2010 to 2011, eyelid surgeries increased by 15% for men, facelifts by 14% and liposuction by 7%.

The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS) says the five most popular procedures among men are Botox, hair transplantation/restoration, laser hair removal, microdermabrasion and liposuction.

A consumer survey by the AACS found that 12% of men plan to have cosmetic surgery at some point in the future and that 83% of men believe that personal appearance plays a role in their professional success and advancement.

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multiple cosmetic proceduresThe breast and buttock are two areas of the body where it is becoming more common to have multiple cosmetic procedures in one surgery session, reports Cosmetic Surgery Times.

Dr. Samir Pancholi, a Las Vegas cosmetic surgeon, says that he often performs breast augmentation and breast lift surgery in the same session and liposuction with fat grafting techniques when performing the Brazilian butt lift.

Breast Surgeries

Patients who have lost the shape and fullness of their breasts, such as massive weight loss patients and postpartum women, are often good candidates for a combination of a breast lift and breast implants.

The breast lift, also known as mastopexy, results in a more ideal positioning of the nipple and breast, but it does not adequately address the lack of fullness of the breast in those patients, Dr. Pancholi says.

“In order to achieve a more voluptuous-looking breast…I often combine a mastopexy with breast implant surgery. The breasts are not only higher up but also have a fullness to them because of the implant,” he says.

Buttock Enhancements

By combining liposuction with fat grafting techniques when performing a Brazilian butt lift, the rounded shape of the buttocks can become more enhanced.

Dr. Pancholi says he typically performs liposuction to remove fat at the waist and upper and lower back, which causes a slight hollowing of the area and results in an accentuated curve of the buttocks. Then for a more enhanced curving effect, he takes the fat harvested during liposuction and injects it into the buttocks.

Benefits of Combination Procedures

In the past, patients might have had one breast surgery and then had the other six months later, but combining them can have benefits.

“Combining the two makes much more sense in terms of having one surgery, one recovery, reduced cost and achieving the final result without a second surgery,” according to Dr. Pancholi.

There are other areas of the body where surgeons are performing multiple procedures at one time. The New York Times recently reported that a California surgeon has combined eyelid surgery and a brow lift to create an “All-in-One Eye Lid and Brow.”

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safety of silicone breast implants In the wake of a French breast implant scandal, Allergan reassured consumers about the safety of its silicone breast implants. Allergan’s products are not part of the recent investigation.

Allergan released a statement after France’s health minister recommended French women have their Poly Implant Prosthese (PIP) silicone gel implants removed.

PIP used cheaper industrial silicone instead of medical silicone for the implants to save money, according to investigators. The PIP implants were removed from the market last year and have never been used in the United States.

Estimates say that around 30,000 women in France have the PIP implants. Tens of thousands more women in Britain, Italy, Spain and other countries in Europe and South America also have had PIP implants.

Allergan’s breast implant devices, including Natrelle, were not part of the investigation. Just last year, the FDA reaffirmed the safety of silicone breast implants in the U.S.

“All Allergan implants are manufactured at our state-of-the-art facility using silicone and saline that is approved for use in medical devices and are designed to meet all relevant national and international Quality Control Standards and Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP),” stated Allergan’s press release.

Allergan also offered specifics on the manufacturing of its implants: from start to finish, it can take up to 12 days to manufacture an Allergan breast implant, which undergoes almost 100 quality control tests.

Allergan’s breast implants have been used for almost 50 years. Their gel-filled breast implants have been available in Europe since 1997 and received U.S. FDA approval in 2006.

According to Allergan, silicone gel-filled breast implants are among the most studied medical devices, with more than 3,000 studies supporting their safe use.

In addition to Allergan, Johnson & Johnson’s Mentor also makes a silicone breast implant approved by the FDA.

Patients should recognize that while breast implants are safe, they are not lifetime devices. It’s possible that at some point a patient may need to have an implant removed or replaced.

Learn more about breast augmentation in Rancho Cucamonga.

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body contouring after weight lossA new study found 75% of women and 68% of men wanted body contouring procedures after weight loss following bariatric surgery.

Post weight loss surgery is often a last and necessary step in a patient’s weight loss surgery journey.

Medically-assisted weight loss often results in loose and hanging skin on the upper arms, breasts, abdomen and thighs. Because of this, one or more body contouring procedures — such as a tummy tuck, breast lift, body lift, arm lift, liposuction or thigh lift — may be desired.

The Austrian study, published in Obesity Surgery journal, examined patients’ expectations of body contouring after massive weight loss. A questionnaire on body image, quality of life and expectations of body contouring surgery was answered by 252 patients who had gastric bypass surgery between 2003 and 2009.

While 90% of women and 88% of men surveyed said their appearance after weight loss was “satisfactory, good, or very good,” 96% reported having surplus skin that caused itching. Some also said they had problems playing sports and finding clothing that fit well.

A majority of men and women surveyed expressed a desire for body contouring, and the top three expectations of the surgery were:

  • Improved appearance
  • Improved self–confidence
  • Improved quality of life

Both men and women ranked the abdominal area as most in need of contouring, followed by the breasts, thighs, upper arms and buttocks.

The researchers concluded that the success of using weight loss surgery to treat obese patients can’t be judged on weight loss alone. “Patients’ expectations for body contouring surgery are very precise and high,” so it is important that patients are given realistic expectations from their cosmetic surgeon before surgery, according to the authors.

For more information, view the full text of the study.

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