Archive | Injectable Fillers

Looking in a mirror one day and saying to oneself, “My face looks so much older than I feel. How can I do something about it?” triggers a process of self analysis, investigation of (many) surgical and non-surgical options, and several difficult decisions. Not the least of these is deciding how best to spend your resources to best effect. It’s important to determine which of your facial features currently draw the most attention to your face and how those features could be improved.

Ask yourself:

• Were your eyes once your most attractive feature but now they appear tired or drawn?
• Were your cheeks once firm and rosy but now sag and appear hollow?
• When once your smile lifted at the corners, does it now struggle against folds of skin at each side of your mouth?
• Does your once smooth and defined jawline appear soft and droopy?

Pull out the family albums and examine photographs of your face over the past ten years (or more) to help you decide what you can gracefully accept in the aging process and what bothers you the most.
Set Goals and Find a Partner

Whether you decide it’s your facial lines and wrinkles, forehead and brow, eyes, nose, jaw or chin, set some priorities or goals before you schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon. That will enable you to target your questions and make the best use of the information your surgeon will give you. Take your photographs with you.

Be prepared to learn about an amazing array of surgical and non-surgical procedures and products to choose from. Make your surgeon your partner in deciding what would best achieve your objectives.

Yes, but it will depend entirely on variables unique to your situation. The extent of the wrinkling will play a factor, as well as your age and the results you are looking for. The best course of action is to schedule a consult to discuss your options and decide the best treatment options for your situation.

Treatment options range from Botox, chemical peels, Thermage skin tightening, Juvederm or Dysport fillers, or even, depending on the severity of lines lower eyelid surgery.

Cosmetic surgery enhancement has been around for a long time – but like the pace of modern life in the Bay Area, treatment times keep getting faster and faster. So fast that a number of procedures can even be completed over your lunch break.

Unwanted hair, uneven skin tone, fine lines and even wrinkles can be erased in hour or less with almost no downtime. Below we’ve identified four of the most popular “lunch-break” procedures:

Botox
Frown lines, crow’s feet and forehead wrinkles can all be remedied through Botox. Botox is a trade name for botulinum toxin A, a neurotoxin that blocks the signals that normally tell your muscles to contract. The result is wrinkle-free skin for three to six months.

Prior to treatment, the skin is cleansed and the injection sites are marked. In cosmetic surgery, a thin needle is then used to inject Botox beneath the surface of the skin. The results will begin to appear gradually over the course of a week. Repeat treatments will be needed to maintain results long term.

Dermal Fillers
Restylane, Juvederm, Sculptra and other dermal fillers popular in the Bay Area can effectively treat contour irregularities, thin lips, hollow cheeks and facial wrinkles. The results are only temporary, but some dermal fillers provide results for more than year.

Similar to Botox, treatment begins after the face has been cleansed and injection sites have been marked. In some cosmetic surgery cases, a topical anesthetic may be used to minimize injection pain. Immediately following treatment, the skin may be a little swollen, but results should be visible right away.

Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion is a powerful form of mechanical exfoliation gaining popularity in the Bay Area. Fine lines, wrinkles, uneven skin tone, age spots and superficial acne scarring can all see improvements from microdermabrasion.

A certified practitioner uses a diamond-tipped wand during cosmetic surgery to carefully remove the uppermost layer of dead skin cells from the face, chest and hands. Results can be seen after a single treatment – however a series of treatments is generally recommended. A typical treatment protocol will include six sessions spaced 10-14 days apart.

IPL Photofacial
Intense pulse therapy – otherwise known as an IPL Photofacial – can rejuvenate the skin by reducing signs of sun damage, fine wrinkles, age spots, broken capillaries and skin redness common in the Bay Area. Treatments are especially effective for evening out skin tone on the face, chest, neck and hands.

During treatment, a surgeon will use a handheld device to apply pulses of light to the treatment area. The light penetrates through the surface of the skin to target problem areas. A cooling mask is then applied to the skin, followed by high-quality sunblock. Optimal results are achieved over the course of three to five treatments spaced three weeks apart.

Learn More About Lunch-Time Cosmetic Surgery Treatments
Before you choose to undergo a procedure in the Bay Area, make sure to consult with a board certified plastic surgeon. During your consultation, you’ll have to opportunity to discuss your goals, the procedure’s risks and benefits and the type of results you can expect.