What are the best alternatives to a face lift?

Generally, there are no equal substitutes.  Every alternative does something different. A facelift tightens the skin of the face and neck as you might do with your fingers by gently pulling back towards your ears. This takes away excess skin and most wrinkles but doesn’t alter the actual texture of the skin. Injectable fillers can fill out indentations or creases but can’t compete with facelift with regard to tightening or restoring more youthful lines. BOTOX® Cosmetic simply stops the undesirable creases associated with some facial expressions.

What is the best treatment for under eye wrinkles?

When very subtle, these lines might respond to topical creams. For more severe lines especially when associated with bulging and excess skin, surgical options include blepharoplasty and laser skin resurfacing.

What’s the difference between popular wrinkle fillers? There are so may “wrinkle fillers” like Restylane, Juvederm, etc.  How can I pick the right one?

Restylane and JUVÉDERM™ are very similar products manufactured by two different companies. It’s generally a question of personal preference. Fillers can differ in how long they last and how effective they are for different areas.  What’s effective for lip enlargement might not be best for a crease.

1. What should I ask my doctor during a liposuction consultation?

• Is there a safe limit to how much can be removed?
• How well will my skin respond to the procedure?
• What are reasonable expectations?

2. Is traditional liposuction outdated? With all of the new lipo procedures out there – tumescent, laser-assisted, ultrasound-assisted, and even fat-dissolving injections – is there still a place for traditional liposuction?

Traditional liposuction is still the gold standard.  Most of the newer techniques  are a variation of or an adjunct to traditional liposuction.  Tumescent simply refers to the amount of numbing fluid that is injected prior to the actual liposuction.  Laser and ultrasonic are enhancements that in most cases don’t alter the final result to any significant degree.  Your choice of surgeon is definitely more important than your choice of technique. His or her results should speak for themselves.

3.  Does liposuction in one body area make another get fatter?The Mayo clinic posted the statement that “It’s possible that if you remove fat cells from one area with liposuction, you may gain less weight in that area, but you’ll gain more in another area of your body.” Have you seen this with your patients? Please explain!!

Fat cells don’t move around.  They simply get larger or smaller with your body’s fluctuations.  The distribution or number of fat cells in different areas of your body give you your shape.  By removing fat (cells) from specific areas, we are deliberately altering your shape.  Weight gain following liposuction means that fat cells enlarge according to this new (hopefully better) distribution.

1. Is there a recommended target weight for a tummy tuck?

The most important issue is minimizing complications. What is removed during abdominoplasty is less important than what remains.  The less fat remaining, the lower the complication rate.  There is no precise target weight, as everyone’s different. Visit our Tummy Tuck surgery page to learn more  or visit our gallery of before and after photographs.

2. How long should I wait to get a tummy tuck after pregnancy?

First, it’s important that this is most likely your final pregnancy.  Once the condition of your abdomen has stabilized (or is no longer changing noticeably), tummy tuck can be considered.

3.  Who should consider a tummy tuck?  How do I know if this is a good option for me?  Should l consider liposuction instead?

Some people need tummy tuck because the problem is purely excess skin.  Others need both tummy tuck and liposuction, because they have both excess skin in the lower abdomen and fat in the upper abdomen and the hips.  Still others have good skin tone and really only need liposuction.  Only a full evaluation can give the right answer.

4. What procedures can help with excess skin after baby and weight loss?

The most common corrective operations are tummy tuck and breast lift, which address the excess skin remaining following pregnancy and/or  significant weight.