Spring Into a More Beautiful Year Ahead

When Spring is in the air, everything starts to look and feel new. As you reflect on your image, is there something that you would like to renew? According to statistics, thousands of adults in our country have been doing a lot of self-reflecting. What they see in the mirror or on those Zoom meetings has prompted them to seek professional treatment. Contrary to what was expected at the onset of lockdowns to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus, interest in facial plastic surgery actually increased. That increase in interest has not slowed down even now that we are getting into a new normal. If you are considering how you may want to look as you go through the next year and beyond, we have some suggested treatment options you may want to explore.

Enjoy a Quick Fix

It can be difficult to jump right into a decision to have plastic surgery. Fortunately, you don’t have to. A number of the common issues once corrected only with plastic surgery can now be addressed through other modalities. For example, a low, descending brow line can be lifted with Botox. Undereye puffiness or hollows can be diminished or hidden with dermal filler injections. A double-chin can be eliminated with CoolSculpting or Kybella instead of liposuction. The benefit of these quick-fixes is that there is little if any downtime associated with them. The results achieved with injectables and other nonsurgical treatments can build quickly and last at least several months, if not indefinitely (in the case of CoolSculpting and Kybella). The only real downside to these treatments is that they may require touch-ups from time to time and do not tend to achieve the same degree of improvement as surgery.

If a quick-fix treatment sounds appealing but you also wish you could get longer-lasting results, consider some of the minimally-invasive, conservative approaches to facial rejuvenation that exist today. Blepharoplasty is one example. This outpatient procedure is so conservative that it is often performed in the office using a local anesthetic. Patients go home immediately and rest for about 10 days, gradually resuming normal activities as bruising and swelling subside (an easy thing to do in a work-from-home situation). Another example is fat injections, a two-phase treatment in which the doctor harvests fat cells from one area of the body and injects the pure cells into areas of the face in which more contouring is needed.

Turn Back Time with a Facelift

Even in light of the variety of nonsurgical modalities available, the surgical facelift has retained its relevance. This procedure restores youthful shape and angles to the lower face, including the jawline and under the chin, by repositioning fatty tissue and tightening the layer of tissue called the superficial musculoaponeurotic system, SMAS. Loose, sagging, or wrinkled skin is trimmed to restore a smooth, firm surface. Like blepharoplasty, the recovery period after a facelift requires about 10 to 14 days. Patients tend to feel quite good within a few days but prefer to recover at home where they can easily disguise bruising and swelling.

Combine Treatments for Optimal Results

Aging doesn’t occur only on the upper face, the eyes, or only on the lower face. It occurs everywhere. For this reason, patients often consider how they can combine treatments to achieve their best results. Combinations can include both surgical and nonsurgical techniques as needed to address the unique concerns each patient has. Some examples include brow lift and blepharoplasty. The brow lift aspect of this combination may involve surgery to reposition the brow or injections of Botox to do so in a more temporary manner.

Looking younger never looked better. To schedule your Springtime pick-me-up, contact our Reno office at (775) 826-4477.