New Hampshire Plastic Surgeon Dr. Zeff Discusses ASAPS Stats

The most recent statistics from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) show the three most performed cosmetic plastic surgery procedures in 2010 were breast augmentation, liposuction, and blepharoplasty. At his New Hampshire plastic surgery practice, Dr. Richard Zeff adds tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty to this list of most popular procedures for his patients.

In a year that saw a 9% increase in the overall number of cosmetic surgery procedures performed, the latest report from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) lists breast augmentation, liposuction, and blepharoplasty as the three most common procedures in 2010. As Dr. Richard Zeff returns from the annual ASAPS meeting in Boston, he discusses the increase in cosmetic enhancement procedures, and the correlation between national statistics and the number of procedures he performs as a board-certified plastic surgeon in New Hampshire.

The total number of procedures performed in 2010 totaled more than 9.3 million, which Dr. Zeff says should come as no surprise considering the fact that over half of all Americans now approve of cosmetic surgery. After attending the annual ASAPS meeting, he adds that he expects this approval rating to continue to increase, as new procedures are developed to meet the growing demand.

Since 1997, the number of cosmetic procedures performed has increased more than 155%, due mainly to the surge in popularity of nonsurgical cosmetic procedures. However, Dr. Zeff points out that in the last year nonsurgical procedures performed declined, while surgical procedures such as liposuction and breast augmentation continued to increase at a steady rate. Regardless of the rate at which the plastic surgery industry expands, he says the dedication to patient safety and technological innovation highlighted at this year’s ASAPS conference should continue to support this type of steady growth and overall approval of cosmetic plastic surgery.

About Richard Zeff, MD

Dr. Richard Zeff earned his medical degree from the University of Miami. He then completed his general surgery residency in Des Moines, IA after completing his surgical internship at New York University Bellevue Hospital, followed by a plastic surgery residency at Loyola University Medical Center. Dr. Zeff is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and the New Hampshire Medical Society.

Dr. Zeff’s Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery practice is located at 137 Portsmouth Ave. in Stratham, NH 03885, and can be reached at (603) 684-2339 as well as online online at drzeff.com or the Plastic Surgery New Hampshire – Dr. Richard Zeff Facebook page.

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Q: I want to rejuvenate my face and look less tired. How can I tell if injectable fillers will help me or if I need to undergo a full facelift?

In the last few years the public has been inundated with miraculous solutions to help ward off the aging process. This is rapidly growing industry and as such can be confusing and even sometimes deceptive. Injectables? BOTOX®? Facelift? Minifacelift? Short Scar Facelift? It’s pretty overwhelming. It would take hours and an extensive consultation with a plastic surgeon to sort this all out and identify what’s really best for you. But, let’s try to give you a head start.

• BOTOX® paralyzes (temporarily) only those muscles which have been identified as causing undesirable wrinkles. It can make lines softer or disappear completely if they aren’t too deep.
• Injectables can be one of a number of different substances, but they are all used to fill in lines, hollows, creases or other deficiencies. They can also be used to augment or sculpt areas of the face such as the lips, cheeks or cheekbones. This can restore a youthful fullness of the face and sometimes offer a subtle lift of surrounding tissues.

Choosing between injectables and surgery can be a daunting task, but the differences are straightforward. Surgery (facelift etc.) is more expensive (in the short term) but will provide a more lasting effect. It also provides a substantial tightening of the jawline and neck that injectables cannot provide. There is also recovery which can require up to two weeks. Injectables, on the other hand, provide very little actual tightening of sagging skin and may need to be repeated annually or sometimes even more often. They can, however, offer specific wrinkle correction or volume replacement with virtually no down time and at less expense.

That’s the “keep it simple” answer. Visit your plastic surgeon for the details and for what really meets your needs.

Well, my staff, my daughter and I have have just returned from Haiti, and we have all been moved beyond words. The medical/surgical aspect of the trip was rewarding.  By closing limb threatening wounds, we have certainly touched many individuals and hopefully changed their lives a little, but the close-up view of Port au Prince has had a far more profound effect on me.  Our daily commute to and from the hospital was a full 2-3 hours which I spent in the bed of a pickup getting a truly panoramic feel (and smell) of the city and culture. I appreciate so much more now that the needs of this entire culture are monumental.  I spent hours struggling with how to help these people in a more lasting way than simply patching the residual physical wounds of the earthquake.  I  realized that no form of aid can provide a lasting benefit until the Haitian people know how to use it. Education is the clear and obvious solution.  As a surgeon, I have always been victim of the immediate gratification syndrome, so it took a great deal of processing to realize that changing Haiti will take years, probably generations to achieve.  Clearly, the only hope is to educate the future teachers, politicians, etc who can eventually make a difference.  Through their school, my children have been involved with Life and Hope Haiti ( www.lifeandhopehaiti.org), an organization which will undoubtedly make a difference over time.  My family and I hope to continue our efforts to make a difference.  We’re sponsoring a child and hope to visit as family again this year. – Dr. Richard Zeff

Below we have posted a sampling of photos from the trip.  To view more, we invite you to visit our practice Facebook page.

As we posted in our blog last month, Dr. Zeff and members of our surgical team are traveling to Haiti on May 23rd. Local Exeter News-Letter interviewed our staff regarding the upcoming trip which can be seen by following this link: Stratham plastic surgeon, staff to help in Haiti

Despite Haiti no longer being front page news, the Haitian people continue to face overwhelming health challenges as they try and recover from the catastrophic earthquake that struck their homeland on January 12, 2010. The human loss and suffering has been tragic and is ongoing, which is why we are excited to announce that six of us will be travelling as a surgical team to provide much needed specialized plastic and reconstructive procedures to the victims of the quake. Our travel has been facilitated through The LEAP Foundation (a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization) which has provided a continued surgical presence since the first relief planes were allowed to land in Haiti. Although LEAP has made the arrangements for this trip, there is a cost associated. Each team is responsible for their expenses of airfare, housing, and transportation in Haiti, as well as the supplies and medications to cover 50 cases for their week.

Like most of you, we have always wanted to help when disasters like this occur but often wonder how much of our contribution actually goes to the suffering. Now we have the opportunity to assure that any donations go directly to the needs of the Haitians. We are donating our time and skills and team members will bring limited personal affects as carry-ons, allowing each of us to check 100 pounds of desperately needed medical equipment.

Here’s how you can help. If you would like to help support us financially (no amount is too small), 100% of donations will be applied towards funding medical equipment and supplies for our team’s trip. Donations can be made directly to the LEAP foundation via their website: www.leap-foundation.org, or via mail to: The Leap Foundation, P.O. Box 7452, Dallas TX 75209. It is important to reference “Dr. Zeff” and “May 23″ in the comments or memo section. Checks can also be given to our front office and we will forward them to LEAP.

We are grateful for this opportunity, and want to thank you in advance for your support!

Sincerely,
Dr. Richard Zeff’s Team

The practice is very excited to introduce our latest acquisition, the Quadralase Laser from Candela! Now the search for excellent results with far less down time is here. This fractional laser is based on the principle of resurfacing the skin in an almost pixel-like fashion rather than the entire skin surface. This allows the skin to heal much more quickly with a shorter recovery. Significant improvement can be seen with wrinkles, fine lines, problems with pigment, and scarring. Depending on both the patient and the areas of the face being lasered, this procedure can be done under local,topical, or general anesthesia. We’re very excited about how much easier this is on our patients, and the results have been impressive.