Special offers for facial rejuvenation are the perfect way to reduce wrinkles and sagging skin, keep your facelift results looking their best, or enhance the results of a recent face lift. Contact the office of double board certified Atlanta plastic surgeon, Dr. John LeRoy today!
Special offers for facial rejuvenation are the perfect way to reduce wrinkles and sagging skin, keep your facelift results looking their best, or enhance the results of a recent face lift. Contact the office of double board certified Atlanta plastic surgeon, Dr. John LeRoy today!
Researchers in the field of cosmetic medicine have created so many new products, treatments and techniques lately that it’s challenging to even keep up. For a patient, this seems like a dream come true because there are a variety of choices to treat nearly any cosmetic concern. However, it’s important not to get swept up in the excitement of all the new developments. One procedure I often hear questions about is Kybella®, a non-surgical alternative to liposuction for the “double chin.” Today, I’m discussing the procedure in more detail and examining how it compares to liposuction.
Fat Reduction Injections vs. Liposuction: How Do They Work?
Both of these treatments are rather simple. During liposuction, I use a small, narrow tube to break up and remove unwanted fat from precise areas, contouring the area based on your desired results. The surgery only requires a few tiny incisions. In some cases (and for most of my patients who are receiving liposuction for the “double chin”), I can perform the procedure in-office using gentle numbing rather than local anesthesia, which dramatically reduces the recovery time as well as the cost.
Kybella® injections, on the other hand, use a material called deoxycholic acid. Deoxycholic acid is a natural substance your body uses to digest dietary fats. When it’s injected into stored fat (like excess fat under your chin), it breaks down a percentage of the fat cells and allows your body to remove them over the course of several weeks. Ultimately, this reduces the fat in the area for a slimmer look. There are other non-surgical fat reduction treatments as well, and while they each use different methods, they all find ways to break down a certain percentage of fat cells and wait for your body to gradually remove them.
Why I Choose Only Liposuction in My Plastic Surgery Practice
The primary advantage that attracts patients to Kybella® is that it’s non-surgical. Most people assume that there is a dramatic difference between the experience they’ll have with a non-surgical series of injections compared to a surgery. However, based on my 24 years as a double board-certified plastic surgeon, I stand behind liposuction for a number of reasons.
Non-surgical fat reduction does reduce the overall amount of fat in the area, but the results vary from patient to patient. Liposuction produces much more predictable results because a knowledgeable, experienced surgeon has the ability to directly control which fat cells are removed and to contour the area strategically.
Another issue few patients consider is how long it takes to see results from non-surgical methods. Kybella® and other non-surgical fat reduction treatments rely on your body’s natural healing process to remove the fat, so it can take several weeks or months before the full results are visible. It’s also important to note that for many patients, the skin of the “double chin” doesn’t retract fully after the fat is reduced, leaving some sagging skin. This means that you may need cosmetic surgery regardless to get the results you want, and if you choose liposuction instead, the liposuction and skin lift can be performed at the same time.
Finally, few patients realize how brief and mild the recovery from liposuction under the chin actually is. Most of my patients who want to treat this area are candidates for my Band Aid Liposuction – the unique in-office surgery I developed. Patients are typically back to work just a few days after this procedure.
New advancements in medicine and technology have allowed countless patients to achieve the look they want with less recovery time. But it’s important to remember that “new” isn’t always “better.” Ultimately, my goal is to give every patient the best way to achieve the look they want and become their most confident, beautiful self, and this is why I stand behind surgical liposuction. To find out if you’re a candidate, schedule a liposuction consultation with me, Dr. John L. LeRoy. For more helpful cosmetic surgery information, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
There’s no mistaking the look of newfound confidence and excitement on a patient’s face when they start to see their facelift results – it’s one of my favorite parts of my job as a board-certified plastic surgeon. And while new signs of aging will eventually appear, the good news is that you can still get that joy back. There are a variety of ways to reduce new signs of aging and help you reclaim the confidence you felt right after your initial facelift.
Cosmetic Facial Injections
Facial rejuvenation injections like Botox® and facial filler injections are primarily used to treat individual fine lines and wrinkles. Because facelifts focus primarily on aging in the structure of your face rather than on the surface, these injections are often used to complement a facelift even in the first months after surgery. However, some facial fillers can also be used to restore youthful volume in various areas of the face. When you start to notice new facial hollows in the years after your facelift, adding volume with facial fillers can be a quick and convenient way to treat them.
Band Aid Skin Tightening
It used to be that the only way to noticeably tighten aging skin was with surgery, but that’s no longer the case. In my Band Aid Skin Tightening procedure, I used advanced technology to send targeted warmth into the deeper layers of your skin. This tells your body to produce more collagen, a natural protein that makes the skin firmer and smoother. For early hints of newly sagging skin, this non-surgical, non-invasive procedure can give you a subtle touch-up with no recovery time or incisions.
Band Aid Laser Skin Resurfacing
If the new signs of aging you’re noticing include fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, and skin texture issues, Band Aid Laser Skin Resurfacing is probably your best bet. This treatment uses a unique laser that hits your skin in a patter of tiny dots. The procedure breaks down unwanted pigment from sun damage while also enhancing your skin-firming, wrinkle-reducing collagen, all with minimal downtime.
Band Aid Micro Mini Facelift
The Band Aid Micro Mini Facelift is an in-office procedure I developed specifically for patients who are 3-4 years out from their last facelift and who want to simply lift the mild sagging skin that has developed since their surgery. It only requires local anesthesia and the downtime is minimal, but for many patients, it’s the perfect balance of surgical results and convenience.
Band Aid Facelift or Another Band Aid Procedure
If you have too much sagging skin or other new aging to benefit from the treatments above, it may be time for a new Band Aid Facelift. This time often comes 8-10 years after the first facelift, although every patient ages at a different pace. It’s also common for patients to come in to treat aging in a different area than the area their original surgery treated. For instance, you may have had a Band Aid Mini Facelift on your lower face in the past, but now you’re seeing more pronounced aging around your eyes. In this case, Band Aid Eyelid Surgery may be the right fit. Regardless of what area you want to treat, all of my Band Aid procedures are performed in-office using gentle numbing rather than general anesthesia and involve about half as much downtime as a traditional surgery.
Aging is a continuous process, so facial rejuvenation needs to be continuous as well. But fortunately, between living a healthy lifestyle, protecting your skin from the sun, and keeping up with intermittent facial rejuvenation treatments can help you maintain a youthful and refreshed look for decades to come. To discuss your own cosmetic needs, schedule a consultation with me, Dr. John LeRoy. For more helpful facial rejuvenation tips, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+ as well.
As successful as the latest non-surgical treatments are for reducing wrinkles and helping people look younger, there are some signs of aging and cosmetic issues that still need to be corrected surgically. Cosmetic eyelid surgery is one procedure that doesn’t have a non-surgical alternative. Technically, there are two types of eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty: upper eyelid surgery, which removes excess sagging skin above the eyes, and lower eyelid surgery, which removes “bags under the eyes.” But like most plastic surgeries, there are plenty of misconceptions and misunderstandings about these procedures. As a double board-certified plastic surgeon with over 30 years of experience, I’ve heard nearly every myth around, so in today’s blog, I’m explaining the facts behind several common eyelid surgery myths.
Myth #1: Eyelid surgery will leave a noticeable scar.
Some patients are intimidated by having surgery on a very visible area (like the eyelids) because they worry that they will have a prominent scar. But the reality is quite the opposite. In fact, the scarring from eyelid surgery is very minimal. For upper eyelid surgery, the subtle scar is typically within the natural folds of the eyelid. For lower eyelid surgery, the incision is made either within the lash line or, if you don’t need any skin removed, on the inside of the lower eyelid so there is no visible scar at all.
Myth #2: Eyelid surgery can fix dark circles under the eyes.
Both “bags under the eyes” and dark circles under the eyes are common cosmetic complaints, but eyelid surgery is not typically an effective treatment for dark circles. While they vary from person to person, temporary dark circles can be caused by allergies, lack of sleep, and other factors, while long-term dark circles are typically caused by either shadowing from a lack of volume or from thinning skin due to aging. Depending on the culprit (which can be determined in a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon), either facial filler injections or minimally invasive laser treatments are generally the best treatments.
Myth #3: Eyelid surgery can give you chronic dry eye.
While this is a potential side effect of eyelid surgery, it happens when a surgeon overcorrects by removing too much skin and it’s extremely rare when your surgery is performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon who is highly experienced in eyelid surgery specifically. If you choose the right cosmetic surgeon, the chances that you’ll experience this issue are very small.
Myth #4: Eyelid surgery is unnecessary because you can get rid of bags under your eyes naturally.
Not all bags under the eyes are the same. Temporary bags can be caused by lack of sleep, water retention, and other short-term causes. Long-term bags under the eyes, on the other hand, are caused when natural fat deposits under the eyes move forward with age and the skin loses its firmness. While those temporary bags can often be reduced with home remedies and lifestyle changes, permanent bags can only be treated effectively with lower blepharoplasty.
As with any plastic surgery, learning about eyelid surgery can help you be more informed about what to expect and whether it may be the right fit for your cosmetic goals. To find out if you’re a candidate for blepharoplasty or to ask any other questions you may have about the procedure, schedule an eyelid surgery consultation. For more helpful tips and facts about cosmetic surgery, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.