Archive for the ‘Awake procedures’ Category
Recovering from Eyelid Surgery
Tuesday, June 7th, 2011
Eyelid surgery can have a dramatic impact on restoring a more youthful appearance to your eyes, removing the bags and the droopy eyelid tired look. One of the first questions we get from patients considering eyelid surgery performed by our board certified plastic surgeons at The Peer Group in northern New Jersey is about the recovery process. Given the sensitivity of the eyes, and how important our vision is, people considering eyelid surgery want to know about the level of discomfort and how long it will take until they’ve recovered from having “work done” on the eyelids. To be sure, you will require time to heal, but the recovery is fairly quick and not unduly uncomfortable. You will experience swelling and bruising as a result of the surgery. The swelling usually peaks the morning after the plastic surgery procedure was performed., while bruising begins to fade in a few days. A mild aching or burning sensation is also not unusual, but this discomfort is easily controlled with non-prescription pain relievers and application of cold compresses.
Swelling usually subsides within ten days while bruising is gone within two weeks.
Normal activities can be resumed within two days of your plastic surgery, but strenuous activities should be avoided for two to three weeks after the procedure. Your cosmetic plastic surgeon will review the recovery process and advise you when you are healed sufficiently for various activities. A small amount of puffiness around the eyes may persist for several months after eyelid surgery, but these aftereffects will eventually disappear, leaving your eyes with a more youthful and vigorous appearance.
Fat Transfer Versus BOTOX
Thursday, February 24th, 2011
The new generation of injectable fillers – cosmeceuticals like Juvederm, Restylane and Radiesse, along with BOTOX – is helping to revolutionize cosmetic surgery and providing new options for men and women who want to keep looking their best. But one of the newest injectable treatments uses a filler that comes directly from the patient. This plastic surgery procedure is called fat transfer, also known as fat grafting or liposculpture. More and more of our patients at The Peer Group in northern New Jersey are asking for the fat transfer procedure, and our board certified plastic surgeons have lots of experience with this technique. In the fat transfer procedure, the physician takes the patient’s own fat – usually drawn from the abdomen or thighs – and uses it to restore lost volume in the face. Performed under local anesthesia to minimize any discomfort, fat is taken from the donor area using a cannula, as is done with liposuction. The fat is purified, then injected into the facial area being treated. Fat transfer is great for treating sunken cheeks, facial lines and even acne scars. Fat transfer has the added benefit of eliminating possible allergic reactions, because the filler material comes from the patient’s own body. Another plus is that the beneficial effects of the fat transfer treatment last longer than when using synthetic fillers.
BOTOX benefits
There are a variety of aspects to the fat transfer procedure, such as where the fat will be taken from, and how much to use to fill in features that have lost underlying fat over time. For that reason, treatment time can vary significantly from patient to patient. But as with any cosmetic or plastic surgery operation, one of the keys to a successful outcome is working with a plastic surgeon who has experience with this technique. If you’ve been considering an injectable filler because your face has lost its volume and fullness, add fat transfer to the potential treatments you should ask about.
Facts About BOTOX
Thursday, February 10th, 2011
BOTOX benefits
There are good reasons BOTOX Cosmetic is the most popular cosmetic procedure in the country. Performed as a simple out-patient procedure, BOTOX can erase lines, reduce wrinkles, and reverse other signs of aging skin, and give you results previously only plastic surgery could produce. Moreover, results are immediate, the side effects of BOTOX are minimal, and you can resume normal activities with minimal downtime right after the procedure. BOTOX treatments are one of the most popular procedures our board certified plastic surgeons perform at The Peer Group in northern New Jersey, too, so we’ve had an opportunity to see the results many times over. If you’re thinking of getting BOTOX injections, here are some things to keep in mind to ensure you get the best results. First, have realistic expectations about the procedure and what it can accomplish. An excellent way to do that is to view photographs of patients taken before and after BOTOX treatment. Physicians should have pictures of their patients – of course their features are blocked so you can’t identify the person, for privacy’s sake. But these BOTOX before and after photos show you not only what can be achieved, but also the quality of the work performed by the physician. In fact, determining the qualifications of the specialist performing a BOTOX treatment is also important. Performing a BOTOX procedure, like any cosmetic procedure, is an art as well as a science. For best results, work with cosmetic medicine specialists, who are trained in plastic surgery and have significant experience with these procedures, not a physician who performs BOTOX treatments as a sideline.
BOTOX has revolutionized plastic surgery, and now there are additional injectable fillers that can smooth skin and remove wrinkles, so effective the procedures are often called “liquid face lifts.” If you’re in Morristown, Bernardsville, or anywhere in the northern New Jersey region, make an appointment at The Peer Group and talk to one of our certified plastic surgeons to find out more about what BOTOX Cosmetic or injectable fillers can do for you!
Concerns About Awake Procedures
Wednesday, January 19th, 2011
Cosmetic surgery procedures are simpler and more effective than ever. At our clinic here in northern New Jersey, we use advanced techniques for breast augmentation, liposuction, tummy tucks and other cosmetic procedures. But not all the new “miracle” cosmetic surgeries are as good or problem free as are claimed – and not all physicians who offer them are board certified plastic surgeons, the specialists best qualified to perform cosmetic surgery.
“Awake” procedures are among new types of cosmetic surgery that may not deliver the results you should expect from a cosmetic plastic surgeon. They are called “awake” procedures because only local anesthetics are used – the patient stays awake. These cosmetic surgeries are promoted with the pitch that only local anesthetic is needed – and the price is relatively low – because these procedures are so simple. But in reality, the local anesthetics are used to eliminate the cost of using an anesthesiologist – and that’s not always best for the patient. Some patients may have a low threshold for pain, and unlike surgeries where a drip is applied so the level of sedation can be adjusted, once the procedure is underway and a limit of local anesthesia is reached, nothing can be done to lower the pain.
Also, these procedures are often performed by physicians with no background in cosmetic surgery, and who simply attend a short course in how to perform the procedure – and this isn’t a medical area for beginners. For example, physicians performing Awake procedures may tell patients they are board certified, without disclosing that their certification may be for another discipline – for example, a board certified radiologist, or internist – not a certified plastic surgeon. You need to check the qualifications of any physician who performs this or other procedure you are considering.
The good news is that there are many procedures that can be performed safely and effectively on an outpatient basis without general anesthesia. But you need to carefully look into the procedure, and the background of the physician who is going to perform it.
Subscribe
