Style is not just for NY!

This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to read the style section of the NY Times and came across an interesting article- "The Case for Laugh Lines by Dominique Browning". She gives an entertaining review of the growing interest in non surgical, injectable fillers and agents like Botox and Dysport. On first review, as a plastic surgeon, you may think this is an article downing the growing industry, but you have to look a bit deeper (a point that applies to beauty in general - it is more than skin deep!). As she puts it, "This is not an essay about why I am categorically against cosmetic surgery. I am supportive as the next......", she simply makes a colorful plea for BALANCE!! None of us want to see people walking around with their lips 4 times the normal size or overfilled face, we should all strive for balance in life and that clearly relates to cosmetic medicine. I was proud to participate in the recent FDA panel in order to see a new indication for filler injection to the lips. This is so important for reasons illustrated in this article - a need for universal education and shared best practice. This is an exciting time, but more is not always better. One needs to find an aesthetic minded plastic surgeon that believes in good taste and has an approach that is focused on balance. Fortunately, there are many good ones to choose from and balance should be emphasized. For the reasons, I have focused the past 3 years on blending of minimally invasive cosmetic surgery with non surgical treatments, such as injection treatment and lasers, to achieve a result that offers a tasteful way to look at healthy aging and focuses on minimizing disruption to ones natural look or lifestyle. This is the essence of her article and I really enjoyed seeing such a colorful view. The moral of the story, moderation is the key to a happy life and looking as good as you feel is a key part of the story!!

Non Surgical Facial Rejuvenation: A Sum of Parts

Yesterday, after finishing a busy clinic, I was reviewing our experience with Ulthera-focused high energy ultrasonic energy- for non surgical facial rejuvenation. What we, Elizabeth/Crescent/Andrea/LaNesha, realized is that the most amazing results came from a combination of fillers, Botox/Dysport, and Ulthera combined. This gave an amazing refreshed look without looking "Plastic". In addition, the patients simply looked globally better, in a way that required close inspection to understand exactly what happened. There were a series of subtle highlights that made the look very appealing but no so drastic as to make people say when did you get plastic surgery.  I should not be surprised by this realization, as  we have seen the same idea with facelifting surgery. Often, facelifting alone is inadequate to achieve the most desirable result and we find that fat injection or other supporting procedures are needed to achieve the most natural outcome. This is very exciting to me and I feel closer to the idea that we can offer real, viable, alternatives to cosmetic surgery in the right person. I concluded that Ulthera alone may have its limitations, the combination of techniques is very powerful and exciting!