March 10, 2011
Lift Off!
David Andrusia
The new face of anti-aging procedures
Once upon a time, it was easy. You arrived at a certain age and–if you had the funds and gumption–you got a facelift. Today, the range of elective anti-aging procedures has never been wider. Baffled? You’re not alone. We debunk the anti-aging myths and present the best new procedures from SoCal’s top docs.
Selecting a Specialty
First, define your terms. Cosmetic surgery is concerned with improving the aesthetic appearance of a person, while plastic surgery may include this, or just the reconstruction angle.
Second, find out what a doc does best. Some are known for lifts, others for Botox brilliance and one is a master of butts.
Third, ascertain the doctor’s level of training and expertise. Michael Niccole, M.D., founder and medical director of CosmetiCare Plastic Surgery Center & Med Spa in Newport Beach, advises, “Determine a surgeon’s board certification and be sure which board she or he is certified by. There are a number of pseudo-boards, which provide a false sense of security to consumers; in fact, these boards are not monitored by the government, as one would expect.”
Many dermatologists (if not most) offer injectables and lasers to their patients. But it’s not all they do. Dr. Niccole recommends asking what percentage of a doctor’s practice is devoted to cosmetic procedures, as well as the range of modalities offered. (If a doctor does only one kind of laser or injectable, that’s what s/he is going to offer.)
Surgery–or Not?
Before taking more drastic measures–yes, sugery–determine if a “Lunch Hour Facelift”–a customized procedure consisting of fillers, Botox and lasers done in one sitting–can achieve the results you want. (It depends on your age and the condition of your skin.) When selecting a physician, listen to his/her evaluation and compare to your own “issues.” This said, “The midface is almost universally an important area in terms of early aging. Under-eye hollows and a loss of fullness in the front of the cheeks can be assuaged by Juvederm and Radiesse, respectively,” advises Westwood cosmetic surgeon Alexander Rivkin, M.D.
The newest–and most promising–trend? Fat stem cell transfers. While not yet FDA-approved (and presently only in use by board-certified plastic surgeons), some physicians, such as Dr. Niccole, have used this process to correct defects and irregularities, such as botched breast augmentations, for over 20 years. “For deeper folds, and in older patients, this technique achieves far better results than do other injectables–and lasts five to seven years, as opposed to a few short months.”
Lasers have also entered the “face age.” The latest? The e-Prime radio frequency penetrates beyond the pigmented epidermis and actually stimulates the production of collagen and hyaluronic acid for more dramatic results than previous lasers. According to Dr. Niccole, “After one session you will see the removal of age spots and sun spots, the tightening of wrinkles and fine lines and it will promote collagen in the skin for months to come. Your skin will look fresh, new and have more elasticity, $700 to $4,500. “Someone who is 70 will clearly need a more aggressive treatment than someone half that age,” says Dr. Niccole.
Lovely Lunch
Patients as young as 30 and as old as 70 make good candidates for a Lunch Hour Facelift. This procedure combines Botox, fillers and lasers in one session, takes about 60-90 minutes and is especially effective for those who have extreme sun damage. (Under-eye hollows and the dreaded “marionette” lines between nose and mouth can also be assuaged.) In your 30s, it can serve as a preventative measure, helping to avoid a traditional facelift later on in life. If you’re older, the Lunch Hour Facelift can help shave 10-15 years off your age, depending on the condition of your skin, modalities used and the practitioner’s skill. Prices vary; Dr. Niccole, for example, charges $3,500.
Making the Cut
There comes a time when all the Botox in the world won’t lift our spirits–or our faces. Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Nicholas Nikolov, M.D., advises, “Age is not the determining factor; the level of unhappiness a patient may have about some aspects of his appearance is.” Dr. Nikolov advises those considering a facelift to ask prospective surgeons, “Are the risks worth the rewards?” (This is surgery, and anesthesia is required.) Are my aesthetic issues correctable, and if so, how?
Here, Dr. Nikolov advises, “A reputable plastic surgeon should present more than one surgical option; he or she should be capable in more than one technique. ‘Facelift’ is a general term, and there are various surgical modalities; I use the one best suited to a patient’s facial type, age, skin type and ultimate goals. If a surgeon presents only one technique as a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, I would strongly advise talking to another surgeon.”
The Newest Trends: Only in L.A.
Dr. Alexander Rivkin’s 15-Minute Nose Job
A 15-minute nose job? Dr. Rivkin is the man. Administered with a topical anesthetic, this procedure uses Radiesse ($1000, for short-term effects) or Artefill ($2000, which is permanent) with resounding results. “The nose can give our age away,” Dr. Rivkin advises. “As we age, the tip becomes droopier. By strategic placement of these injectables, I can lift and straighten the nose without invasive surgery.” This is also an excellent remedy for badly executed nose jobs, “especially those done in the ’60s and ’70s. But even good rhinoplasty can result in a pinched look as the patient ages, and this nearly painless procedure provides a pleasing, youthful look.”
Dr. Constantino Mendieta’s Butt Lift
Sign us up for “booty camp!” Dr. Constantino Mendieta, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, actually asks patients to gain 15 pounds before performing his signature butt lift. Why? So he can remove fat from unwanted areas (your love handles, typically) and use it to augment and reshape the buttocks. (If you’re averse to gaining weight, he can also use implants to add posterior heft.) Butt wait, there’s more: Dr. Mendieta is offering a recession special: $10,000 to $14,000 for the grafts and implants, respectively–and you’re back to work in as little as 10 days with a beauteous bum. Kim Kardashian, watch out!
Dr. Marc Mani’s Harmonic Lift
The new Harmonic lift is only performed by one West Coast plastic surgeon, Dr. Marc Mani. (You may have seen him on Plastic Surgery Beverly Hills on Fit TV.) Uniquely, this ultrasonic technique allows Dr. Mani to view a patient’s anatomy more accurately–and work more precisely–than with traditional tools, as it seals blood vessels to minimize bleeding as he operates. Patients enjoy faster healing time and are back at work in as little as one week. The technology also permits superior results on our necks–and what guy doesn’t want the jawline of his youth?
Dr. Nicholas Nikolov’s Follicular Unit Extraction
Hair do: Follicular Unit Extraction. Forget those icky ’70s hair plugs; this new European technology uses a .8 millimeter punch to “harvest” hair from the back of your head. According to Dr. Nikolov, one of only two surgeons in all of SoCal to perform this procedure, “This is a huge advance from the technique where flaps of skin and hair were cut and replaced in balding areas; with this technique virtually no scar is left from where the grafts were harvested and patients can be back at work in just a few days. Also, this revolutionary technique limits the chance of persistent pain but doesn’t limit the choice of hairstyles.” The full-day procedure costs from $10,000-$20,000, but hair-challenged patients will see solid growth in one to nine months.
Finally, don’t let your hands give you away: besides diminishing fine lines and wrinkles, Fraxel DUAL treatment is the gold standard in ridding those embarrassing age lines on our hands, face and chest. To find a doctor near you, visit Fraxel.com.
– http://www.frontiersweb.com/Features/Highlights/Story.aspx?ID=1370971
