December 5, 2011
Tighten Your Face Before The Holidays
It’s the time of year when you see family and friends that you only see once a year. We all want to look our best so we get our hair and nails done and buy new dresses. But what about those new wrinkles? There are some simple plastic surgery procedures you can do to “tweak” your look just in time to see that third cousin who always looks perfect.
Here’s 5 procedures that Nicholas R. Nikolov, M.D., F.A.C.S. recommends to do before the holidays since they require minimal or no recovery time:
- Fillers. Restylane and Juvederm are great to lift and sculpt the face which some call the “liquid facelift”.
- Botox. It will smooth out the wrinkles of the face. In addition to being used in the forehead, frown lines and crow’s feet, Botox can be used to lift the mouth, reduce the platysmal banding in the neck, and reduce sweating which can be embarrassing during this time of year when you are wearing holiday fabrics such as silk. There have been recent studies which also show that Botox can be used similar to Propecia in helping with hair loss.
- Ulthera treatment. This face treatment is becoming very popular for tightening the loose skin and underlying tissue to lift the face. The treatment takes only about an hour and you can see immediate results. There is no bruising or downtime with this treatment and it continues to get better over the following 3 to 6 months. Ulthera is the first and only ultrasound energy-based device for aesthetics cleared by the FDA for a non-invasive face “lift” indication.
- SmartLipo. Doing this under the chin can, in some cases, postpone a facelift for a few years. It is a laser liposuction procedure that melts away the fat as it tightens the skin. This procedure can be done under local anesthesia with sedation and has a relatively low downtime. You can do it on a Friday and go back to work in some cases on Monday. There may be minimal bruising depending on the person but this treatment is ideal for patients who have some fat in addition to sagging skin under the chin.
- Smooth Shapes. This treatment reduces cellulite so your legs can have the smooth, toned texture without having to cover them up with stockings or leggings.Even though the weather is colder, most women prefer to wear short skirts and dresses for holiday parties. This revolutionary treatment has massaging effects with a laser that breaks down the herniated fat cells which get flushed out through the lymphatic system providing results that patients can see and feel. To get optimal results we recommend at least 8 treatments 48 hours apart. There is no recovery time and patients actually enjoy the feeling describing it as a warm massage.
