Yes, your reflection in the morning mirror still resembles you, but the subtle (or sometimes not so subtle) changes you’re seeing are less and less appealing. Because your face is the most fragile and exposed part of your body, it’s likely to be the first place to betray your age.
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“Body Contouring” is a term that refers to any procedure that reshapes and perfects the contours of the body. At Southern Surgical Arts, we offer a variety of surgical and non-invasive body contouring options, including traditional liposuction, liposculpture, and surgery. Sometimes we use a combination of approaches to achieve a patient’s aesthetic goals. Below are 15 reasons we love body contouring.
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Many of us are very careful about our skin these days. We are constantly reminded about the importance of sunblock for preserving a youthful look and preventing skin cancer and so we slather up our faceswith expensive products.
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At one point or another, perhaps in an old TV show from the 80s, we’ve all seen a “bad” face lift. This is a face lift that is obvious to even the untrained eye, leaving an unnaturally plastic, stretched look to the skin, the eyes tugged back harshly—and the result is anything but enviable.
Images like this can stay with us for a long time, making us cringe at the thought of ever pursuing that kind of surgical intervention for ourselves. But today’s reality could not be more different!
Not Your Mother’s Face Lift
Dimples are adorable—when the dimples in question are in a baby’s cheeks. Dimples on our own thighs, bottom, or stomach…not so much.
The lumpy, bumpy skin caused by cellulite is as common as it is unsightly—upwards of 85% of women have it somewhere. Yet knowing it’s a common problem, doesn’t make it easier come swimsuit season!
Words like Belotero, Restylane, CO2 and “fat transfer” may not be in your everyday vocabulary, but you’ve probably heard about one problem that they are each excellent at addressing: hollow eyes.
Hollow eyes result when fat loss due to aging, genetics, or even extreme weight loss causes the area around the eyes to look bony, sunken and “hollowed out.” This can make dark shadows and wrinkles look more prominent, causing you to appear fatigued and older than you really are.
Because eyes are so important to first impressions, many are distressed when they start to see these changes. However, there are several non-surgical alternatives to help you rejuvenate the eye area, creating a more rested, youthful appearance.
Belotero can be an excellent solution to adding volume back to the delicate area around the eyes. A hyaluronic acid, Belotero provides subtle, natural-looking results with minimal swelling, no downtime and often immediate results. Because it is a thin, light product, Belotero can be used closer to the surface than other products without causing discoloration. Best of all, your Belotero treatment can last from 6-12 months.
Restylane is a hyaluronic acid product commonly referred to as a “dermal filler.” When Restylane is injected into the under eye area, also known as the “tear trough,” it smooths out and softens the hollow look. Results can last up to 9 months, with minimal bruising that typically resolves within one week. Restylane is a good option for someone with moderate to severe hollowing who is not yet ready for a surgical solution but who desires an immediate improvement.
Belotero and Restylane are very similar products, both safe and effective at filling in the tear troughs.
CO2 laser resurfacing is another excellent, non-surgical way to achieve immediate results in creating a more youthful looking eye area. CO2 therapy improves skin tone and texture, and tightens the skin around the eyes to diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
The fractional CO2 laser is considered the “gold standard” of resurfacing lasers, with a typical recovery time of a week to ten days, during which the skin will be reddened and slightly swollen. Patients can opt to be lightly sedated during the procedure for a more comfortable experience.
Finally, fat transfer is an excellent, natural approach to improving hollow eyes. During a fat transfer, Dr. Deal or Dr. Nease will harvest your body’s own fat from other areas via an incision so tiny it does not even require a suture. After the fat has been filtered for impurities, it will be injected into targeted areas around your eyes. Because the fat comes from your own body, this is a very safe, well-tolerated procedure and an excellent way to improve the contours of your eyes. Additionally, fat transfer combined with CO2 laser resurfacing is a highly effective method for rejuvenating the lower eyelid and surrounding area.
While more expensive than fillers, fat transfer is actually a more affordable option when you consider that the results can last for years.
If you’re “eyeing” any of these procedures to help you look more youthful and rested, please give us a call at 423-266-3331! Both Dr. Nease and Dr. Deal are award-winning, board-certified surgeons who have performed more than 10,000 cosmetic surgery procedures in the last seven years. Their commitment to safe, quality, and cutting-edge care is one of the reasons that Southern Surgical Arts is consistently recognized as Best of the Best.
Aging is a natural process that cannot be stopped. However, you can definitely minimize the signs of aging by opting for facial plastic surgery. This also is a great way to eliminate imperfections and other flaws that may bother you. At Southern Surgical Arts, we use a variety of facial plastic surgery techniques to offer results that you will love. Our spa-like environment offers comfortable, relaxed and friendly environment to have all types of cosmetic procedures to improve your features as well as mask visible signs of aging.
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Hollow appearing eyes is a common problem in both men and women. As you age, the areas around your eyes become hollow, which makes you look tired and older. Facial rejuvenation procedures that address this problem can help you look younger and feel better about your appearance.
There are a few options to correct this problem. However, it is important to seek out a well-trained, experienced cosmetic surgeon who deals with problems like hollow eyes on a regular basis. Often times it is the loss of fat from the mid face and around the upper and lower eyelids and even the brow that contributes to the sunken or shallow appearance. Most hollowing eyes can be treated with synthetic fillers or even better, your body's own fat cells. Lower eyelid surgery (lower blepharoplasty) may also be needed if the problem is a deep tear trough with an overlying protruding lower eyelid fat pad.
The most simple solution is often using fillers to fill the tear trough area with a hyaluronic acid product such as Restylane or Juvederm®, which can soften or smooth out hollows. Although the results are not as natural as fat with these fillers, this is an option for patients not ready for surgery. The procedure is non-surgical and is injected along the tear trough region. Results typically last 6-9 months. There can be minor bruising that will usually resolve in less than a week.
Many surgeons, however, will often recommend eyelid surgery to try to correct hollowness under the eyes. "Most of the time, surgery alone does not solve the problem," said Dr. Nease. "Adding fat back to the face eliminates the problem in about 80% of the patients I see, which is less invasive than having eyelid surgery where skin and/or fat is removed. And the fat transfer procedure achieves a much more natural, youthful result."
In cases where there is significant excess eyelid skin or bulging fat pads, we recommend lower eyelid surgery. This is less commonly recommended than other treatments yet still has less than a week's downtime. The technique at Southern Surgical Arts includes minimal scarring as well, often done without any scarring or sutures.
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There are a few options to correct this problem. However, it is important to seek out a well-trained, experienced cosmetic surgeon who deals with problems like hollow eyes on a regular basis. Often times it is the loss of fat from the mid face and around the upper and lower eyelids and even the brow that contributes to the sunken or shallow appearance. Most hollowing eyes can be treated with synthetic fillers or even better, your body's own fat cells. Lower eyelid surgery (lower blepharoplasty) may also be needed if the problem is a deep tear trough with an overlying protruding lower eyelid fat pad.
The most simple solution is often using fillers to fill the tear trough area with a hyaluronic acid product such as Restylane or Juvederm®, which can soften or smooth out hollows. Although the results are not as natural as fat with these fillers, this is an option for patients not ready for surgery. The procedure is non-surgical and is injected along the tear trough region. Results typically last 6-9 months. There can be minor bruising that will usually resolve in less than a week.
Many surgeons, however, will often recommend eyelid surgery to try to correct hollowness under the eyes. "Most of the time, surgery alone does not solve the problem," said Dr. Nease. "Adding fat back to the face eliminates the problem in about 80% of the patients I see, which is less invasive than having eyelid surgery where skin and/or fat is removed. And the fat transfer procedure achieves a much more natural, youthful result."
In cases where there is significant excess eyelid skin or bulging fat pads, we recommend lower eyelid surgery. This is less commonly recommended than other treatments yet still has less than a week's downtime. The technique at Southern Surgical Arts includes minimal scarring as well, often done without any scarring or sutures.
In 2011, more than 1.6 million Americans elected to undergo cosmetic surgery, also known as plastic surgery, while upwards of 8 million opted for nonsurgical cosmetic procedures, according to the Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. And it’s not just young Hollywood starlets looking to augment their chests and Botox away hardly noticeable lines around the eyes and mouth. The New York Times recently ran an article about men and women in their golden years who are getting a new lease on life, primarily by re-sculpting their eyes, a procedure that the American Society of Plastic Surgeons ranked the fourth most popular cosmetic surgery in the U.S.
About Cosmetic Eye and Brow Lifts
Eyelid surgery, also called blepharoplasty, is a very safe procedure that eliminates saggy, droopy eyelids and under-eye bags. With an average recovery time of just three to four days, it’s one of the most rewarding procedures offered by Dr. Carey Nease and Dr. Chad Deal, both board certified cosmetic surgeons at Southern Surgical Arts in Tennessee and North Georgia.