Lifestyle Blog

Caulk is for bathtubs not buttocks!

caulk You may have heard about the news story where several women were hospitalized after having bathtub caulk injected into their buttocks. These women wanted to enhance their appearance and feel better about themselves. However, they fell victim to someone claiming to help them but was really putting their lives in danger.

These women were injected with toxic and non-sterile caulk from the hardware store, without being aware of what was happening or how they were in danger. Something so neglegent and tragic can be easily avoided, if you know how to get the information you need.

With more and more procedure gone wrong stories surfacing, it's important to remember to use only board certified plastic surgeons for your procedures. After all, we only use surgeons certified by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. So should you. Contact us today and see how we can provide safe ways to get you the natural looking results you want.

Botox vs. Fillers

BOTOX:
When you lift your eyebrows and cause wrinkling of the forehead, frown to get the wrinkles between the eyes (glabella), and smile intensely and get wrinkles around the eyes, the resultant “lines” eventually become evident and even more prominent with time and at rest as well. Snappel factoid states that it takes 200,000 frowns to make one wrinkle.    Regardless, the purpose of Botox is to relax these muscles and to minimize and in some cases to eliminate the muscle effect toward these frown lines. Deeper wrinkles (furrows) that remain after treatment with Botox can be improved with fillers.
 
FILLERS:
Fine lines (wrinkles) which  do not respond to Botox, deeper furrows, nasolabial folds (the fold between the nose and the corner of the mouth), depressed areas of scar tissue (as with acne), post-operative areas of depression (such as minor defects after a rhinoplasty), thin lips , deeper folds beneath the lower lids, etc., can all be treated with fillers which are designed to lift up or fill in wrinkled or depressed areas and to plump up the lips and/or the lines that develop around them. There are many different types of fillers with different safety profiles and longevity. Some fillers can last as long as 15 months and help to lengthen the effective time for Botox. Many patients use a combination of Botox and fillers to meet their needs.
 
LASER FACIAL REJUVENATION:

For more extensive wrinkles, skin discolorations, enlarged pores, depressed scars and some skin laxity or sagging, various lasers especially Fraxel Re:store , Fraxel Re:pair and SmartLipo are very effective and longer lasting. More and more patients are opting for some combination of the above three treatments to achieve a “non-surgical facelift” so they can see significant improvement without undergoing a more extensive surgical procedure (facelift or neck lift) with it’s inherent higher risks and downtime

Is fat transfer to the breasts a good choice?

Until more studies are done about the efficacy, safety and longevity of fat transfers to the breasts, I would recommend avoiding this approach.  The unpredictability of improvement and symmetry as well as potential interference with mammographic diagnosis are important negatives, not to mention the potential risks at the donor site as you have seen.  Go with a more predictable and safe procedure of augmentation with either saline or silicone implants.  Be sure to get a thorough consultation as to the potential risks of these procedure as well as the long term effects.  And certainly see a board certified plastic surgeon.

What is an alar base reduction?

When the nostrils are wide or "flared", then a reduction of the opening can be performed with the incisions and resultant scars well hidden in the groove of the base of the ala.  Be sure to see a board certified plastic or facial plastic surgeon with experience in this procedure as there are different techniques and you want someone with experience to pick the one that will best achieve your goals with the least risks.

Silicone breast implants on women with autoimmune disorders?

The big concern of the role of silicone and autoimmune diseases is really one of the concerns that generated the "moratorium" on breast implants in the United States for almost 13 years. The studies to date have not shown any increased risks in patients with autoimmune diseases and hundreds of thousands of women are now collectively in these studies. Unfortunately, the legal climate in the United States makes us put the usual disclaimer: Drive at your own risk! In almost thirty years of practice I have yet to see a patient where an autoimmune response was directly correlated with the silicone implants.