How Fat Grafting has Revolutionized Facial Aging Treatments?

Fat grafting has revolutionized facial rejuvenation by providing a solution for filling areas of depression and volume loss in the face. Board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr.Tim Marten explains the three broad categories of facial aging and the best treatment approaches for the respective category.

“The first category of facial aging is when the surface of the skin develops age spots, broken blood vessels, and wrinkles. These can be treated with laser surfacing. The second category is when the skin begins to sag, droop and become loose; here our traditional surgical lifts of the forehead, eyes, face and neck are performed,” explains Dr. Marten. “The third category is when the skin shows signs of atrophy which is known as the shrinking and hollowing of the face, so fat grafting is performed for this type of aging.”

A fat grafting procedure transfers fat from areas in which you have excess fat, such as the outer thighs, and injects it into areas that may be lacking in volume, such as your face, hands, breasts or buttocks. “We can now treat this aging change more comprehensively. With fat grafting we can create a softer, more natural healthy looking face as opposed to a lifted tight one,” he notes.

“Historically, patients wanted their fat removed and in some cases plastic surgeons removed too much fat. But we have come to realize that a young face is soft not hard or ill-appearing,” notes Dr. Marten.

Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMqjGduHOyU

Angela: Laser Hair Removal Works

Due to her fair complexion, Angela found laser hair removal far more effective at getting rid of her dark hair than shaving or waxing. Shaving left the root of her hair visible on her skin and waxing was both painful and tedious. As more of her friends had success with laser hair removal, Angela thought it might be a good option for her.

The process was quick and was able to be done on her lunch break. For Angela, she did not know what to expect, so her first treatment was the most uncomfortable. Once she adjusted to the process, she found that she was more able to tolerate the discomfort, which felt like a rubber band snapping against your skin. It also became less painful since each treatment reduces the amount of hair in the area. Overall, it was much less painful than the traditional waxing process and the results are permanent.

Angela saw results 10 days after her treatment, with the hair falling right out. Her underarm hair was completely gone after 6 laser hair removal treatments, and she now only needs occasional shaving to keep her underarms completely hair-free. The cost of the laser hair removal was much less than the ongoing costs of continual waxing or shaving. For Angela, the experience and results of her laser hair removal were so positive, she is considering doing other parts of her body as well.

Watch the link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PfPOjkyC0k&feature=youtu.be

The Next Trend in Plastic Surgery

There are plenty of unconventional body-modification procedures out there—you really can have your nipples reduced or your cheeks fixed up with dimples. But ever since a study was published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal last year, one type of surgery seems to be increasing in popularity. And it's probably not what you're expecting.

Yep: We're talking about calf augmentation. "Fat grafting has been used by plastic surgeons for a long time, however it has not been used regularly on the calf," says study author James Vogel, an associate professor of plastic surgery at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. "Many people are self-conscious about their lower leg appearance and…my study has helped the procedure become more widely known."

Here's the basic rundown of how calf augmentation works: A doctor performs liposuction on an area of the body containing unwanted fat. Then the fat is grafted onto the calves to make them larger. Silicone implants have been the most traditional method of calf augmentation, but as Vogel notes in his article, they also come with the risks of hyperpigmentation, infection, protrusion through the skin, and therapeutic seromas (pockets of fluid). Fat transfers, on the other hand, offer smaller scars, the ability to increase size with future procedures, lack of foreign body rejection, and more precise patient adjustment. "Patients can expect a natural-looking calf that looks more muscular and shapely," says Vogel. "Just as important, the results improve people's self-esteem."

White House ink: 58% of Americans approve a president with visible tattoo, 23% regret their own.

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

Tattoos have become such a cultural fixture that pollsters now track the trends of those who favor the ink. The Harris Poll, in fact, interviewed 3,300 people about their tattoo sentiments to find that three in ten Americans have tattoos – and there’s no partisan divide here. Equal numbers of Republicans, Democrats and independents – about 28 percent of them – have one or more tattoos.

And most of the public is just fine with that. Tattoos are so mainstream now that few are bothered with the permanent designs, even on the skins of authority figures: 58 percent would not mind a U.S. President or presidential candidate with a visible tattoo. And equal numbers felt that way about a tattooed primary school teacher, judge or doctor.

Those with the highest approval ratings are athletes, of course: 86 percent of us are very comfy with a tattooed sports hero. Next come IT technicians (78 percent) chefs (78 percent), police officers (70 percent) and bankers (64 percent). Among parents in the survey, 71 percent were comfortable with their child interacting with a pediatrician who had a tattoo.

But alas, there’s regret out there too – and it’s increasing. Some rue the tattoo.

“With tattoos on the rise, regrets have risen as well; though a strong majority still has no regrets, nearly one fourth (23 percent) of those with tattoos say they regret getting one – up from 14 percent in 2012,” the poll analysis notes.

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reports the real numbers on this disappearing ink: about 46,000 people a year opt for the pricey laser removal procedure, which can stretch into three or four treatments and leave scars. Women account for 72 percent of the business.

The respondents in the Harris Poll were also asked to name their own reasons for tattoo regret. The No. 1 reason that was cited: They were just “too young” when they got the tattoo. In second place: the design no longer fit their personality or present lifestyle, followed by “I got someone’s name that I’m no longer with.” At the end of the list: Complaints that the design was poorly done or looked unprofessional, and last but not least, the tattoo “isn’t meaningful.”

To tattoo, or not to tattoo? There is still a big age difference among the inked and the non-inked. About half of those under 35 are tattooed compared to 13 percent of the Baby Boomer set. Parents, for the most part, were not eager to allow their kids under 18 to get a tattoo: only 8 percent would agree to that, compared to 76 percent who would allow their child to get pierced ears.

Motivations vary. Overall, a third of those with tattooed admitted their skin ink made them feel more sexy and attractive, 19 percent said they felt more “spiritual” with a tattoo.

The Harris Poll was conducted October 14-19, 2015 among 2,225 U.S. adults, and among an additional 1,093 parents November 6-16, and released Monday.

FUTURE OF AESTHETICS

A recent survey of facial cosmetic surgeons found that 64% of reporting surgeons found an increase in the number of injectables in patients younger than 30.  Why?  Social media and reality TV shows are a big reason.  83% of responding facial plastic surgeons said Hollywood celebrities were a big reason behind the surge.

Another driver is the Groupon craze sweeping the nation with all of their “special deals”.  We certainly are dealing with a more informed consumer due to the internet.  The primary focus of potential patients is finding a qualified practitioner, followed by cost and visible results.  Young millennials need to be cautious in going forward as do practitioners.

NEW ROLE FOR SILICONE BREAST IMPLANTS

Silicone implants have certainly been popular and over the course of time somewhat controversial.  There have been reports that breast cancer rates in women WITH silicone implants is LESS.

I recently came across a synopsis of an article that appeared in The Journal of Environmental International. The study was done by scientists at Oregon State University.  They studied removed silicone implants from patients bodies and found they contained in 5 out of 8 implants P.P. DDE a carcinogenic by product from the banned insecticide DDT.  They then placed silicone discs in some mice and found some sequestration of toxins in that silicone.  Perhaps this is why in part women with silicone implants have a lower incidence of breast cancer.  The researchers have suggested perhaps doing more toxicology studies.

COSMETIC PROCEDURES – WHAT’S COMING NEXT

The onslaught of new technology in cosmetic medicine just keeps coming.  Many of the machines cost in excess of $100,000 and promise new and exciting results only to fall short of anticipated expectations.  One that has not is MiraDry for excessive underarm sweating.  It is a home run – it delivers great results.  So a big part of what I need to do is to sift through all the “new” devices to see what may offer good results for my patients.  New technology will fuse 2 modalities together.  Micro needling with PRP is becoming more popular due to good success.  There are a couple of new devices that build on the concept of micro needling and combine it with radio frequency.  Two such devices are Profound and Infini.  I  always wonder where they get these names.

Jason Pozner, a plastic surgeon in Boca Raton predicts SculpSure will be a big hit and winner in 2016.  This device will melt fat with a laser and takes only 23 minutes and is done as an outpatient with NO sedation.  We plan to incorporate SculpSure into our practice some time in February!  Also popular and moving up the chart is vaginal rejuvenation with new laser technology.  One thing to keep in mind is that many of these “new devices” are long on promise and fall way  short of expectations.  They cost patients thousands of dollars but only deliver disappointment.  So again, buyer/consumer beware.