Yearly Archives: 2014

An Endoscopic Forehead Lift Minimizes Pain and Recovery

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While good things often take time, there are certain aspects of life—healing after a forehead lift at my Toronto practice, for instance—that should wrap up as quickly as possible.

Many cosmetic surgery procedures, including a forehead lift, have multiple possible techniques available to allow a doctor to choose a method most suited to each specific patient. I choose which method to use based on a variety of factors, including the patient’s general health, the current state of the body feature under consideration, the desired result, and more. I also factor in recovery time, because I want my patients to get the safest, best results possible—and then get back to everyday life as soon as possible. After all, everyone’s time is valuable.

To continue with the forehead lift example: Some doctors choose to use what’s known as a coronal incision, which runs from ear to ear across the top of the head, where a crown would sit. This is a very long incision, and can be intimidating. While it is a very effective approach to expose muscle and tissue to be altered during a forehead lift, recuperating patients will likely experience some soreness and numbness along the length of the coronal incision site.

I prefer an endoscopic forehead lift, which involves only a few small incisions. Using three to five access points just behind the hairline with each one about half an inch long, I use a small camera to look at the underlying tissue, assess the situation, and trim the necessary muscles to achieve that tight, smooth look.

The endoscopic approach to forehead lift causes less pain and scarring than do other similar open procedures, and the recovery period is quicker. Patients are back to their normal day-to-day life within two weeks or less. No forehead lift procedure is without the need for some recovery time, but the use of several shorter incisions means less soreness and swelling and a faster, easier recovery.

No matter which procedure one considers—forehead lift to breast augmentation—I take time to personally meet with each patient to discuss and develop an individualized surgical plan. During the consultation visit, patients can (and should) ask any questions they might have about why I choose the methods I have recommended and what other options may or may not be available. Careful planning of plastic surgery procedures is time is well spent.

Rhinoplasty and Sports—An Odd Combination?

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The World Cup has been a popular event this summer, but what does rhinoplasty have to do with soccer? Generally not too much, unless a player takes a header full on and ends up with a facial injury. Our noses were not designed to stop a soccer ball travelling at 80 mph! Correcting the damage from such a mishap is one indication for rhinoplasty surgery.

Summer is a time for sports of all kinds, but with an increase in physical activity comes an increase in potential injuries—for world-class footballers and amateur athletes alike. Many mishaps on the field require only that the sufferer shake it off and walk away to keep playing. But some injuries may require medical attention. Nasal injuries are very common with contact sports and can lead to significant breathing problems as well as cosmetic deformities.

There are many reasons a person may want to reshape their nose with a rhinoplasty, including genetics, injury, and even prior surgery. The goal in a rhinoplasty is often twofold: to give the nose a more symmetric, proportionate shape and to correct any obstructions or problem areas in the breathing passage.

A rhinoplasty can correct the overall size of a patient’s nose, the width and position of the bridge, the nose’s contour and profile, the size of the nostrils, the shape and angle of the end of the nose, and deviation from the midline of the face.

During a consultation visit, patients will describe the kind of change they are seeking and together we will determine the best way of achieving that look.

There are a number of different rhinoplasty methods—ranging from small incisions within the nose to a more complex approach that separates the skin from the underlying cartilage and bone. During the assessment visit, the pros and cons of various surgical methods are discussed, and an ideal plan is developed for each individual patient.

Whether you sacrificed your face in order to block a game-changing goal or simply want to make a change to what you were born with, a rhinoplasty is a proven means of getting the nose you want.

Liposuction and Other Procedures for Men

General, Liposuction, Plastic Surgery, , , , , ,

Women are the majority of plastic surgery patients, but that doesn’t mean men are out of the picture. In light of Father’s Day on the third Sunday in June, let’s take a look at some of the most popular procedures that appeal to men. Why can’t dads make a change to their appearance and feel good about themselves, too?

Plastic surgeons who study trends in the industry have reported that the three most common procedures sought by men are liposuction, rhinoplasty, and eyelid surgery.

Liposuction is the surgical removal of fat-usually from the face or torso. Liposuction can also remove fat from the chest area (and gynecomastia, which is male breast reduction surgery, is the fourth most popular procedure for men). Facial liposuction reduces jowls and that flabby, double-chin look, creating a more defined jawline that carries an air of distinction. Torso liposuction can be very dramatic, giving men a new body shape that shows off masculine contours with a narrower waist and no more “love handles.”

Rhinoplasty is the technical name for a nose job. The procedure involves sculpting nasal bone and cartilage for a new look. This can be a reduction or a re-shaping, giving men who choose rhinoplasty a profile that better suits their character. The nose is the most prominent feature of the face, and can be the first thing someone else notices about you.

Like liposuction, eyelid surgery can also involve removing fat—but on a much smaller scale. The puffy pads that give eyes an exhausted, bleary look can be removed, and drooping, sagging skin and muscle that pulls down on the eyelids can be excised. The ultimate effect will be one of both youthfulness and attentiveness.

And while it isn’t surgery, Botox® is also a popular option for men, as an estimated 313,714 males use it each year. Dads (or anyone, really) looking for information regarding Botox can find it at my practice. I personally administer the prescription-only drug at my Toronto clinic.

Please feel free to contact my office to arrange a personal consultation. Our topic of discussion might be one of the procedures I have described, or it could be something entirely different. My goal is to present ideas to make a positive change. Dads are definitely welcome.

Breast Augmentation Incisions and More: Hiding in Plain Sight

Breast Augmentation, General, Liposuction, Plastic Surgery, , , ,

It may seem obvious, but the surgical procedures available at my Toronto clinic, The Cosmetic Surgery Institute, require some type of skin incision. In the case of a breast lift, the incision allows for skin to be removed and reshaped. For liposuction, the incision allows for the insertion of a cannula to remove fat from unwanted areas. An incision in a breast augmentation is necessary for the implantation of saline or gel-filled implants to enhance breast volume.

Surgical techniques have come a long way in recent years, but even the most skilled doctors using the best methods can’t avoid some sort of a skin incision the results in a surgical scar. For that reason, incisions are often hidden in inconspicuous areas where their visual impact is minimized. I also make efforts to keep the incisions as small as possible.

An endoscopic forehead lift, for instance, involves a few short incisions on the scalp. The small incision size combined with an inconspicuous location makes for a very favourable result. In a tummy tuck, I hide the surgical incision in the bikini line. In a breast lift, the incision follows the natural contour of the breasts.

For a breast augmentation, the incision can be placed in a crease beneath the breast, under the areola, or, most favourably, high up in the underarm. Not every breast augmentation patient is a candidate for every incision, but every patient will benefit from an incision placed in the most advantageous location possible for her body type.

The areolar incision makes use of the border between the areola and the rest of the breast, where the skin changes color and texture. The under-breast incision is best for women who have a distinct fold beneath the breasts. In my opinion, the underarm incision is the most desirable because it avoids marks on the breasts altogether. Each of these locations acts to camouflage the incision site, making the surgical scar as inconspicuous as possible.

I personally consult with all of my patients to develop the best surgical plan to meet their goals—incision placement is just one of many important details covered in our pre-op discussion.

Lip Enhancement Has Come a Long Way

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A common question when it comes to such procedures as lip enhancement involves longevity. How long will the results from this treatment last?

While some injection techniques provide temporary improvement and require regular maintenance or repeat visits in order to preserve the desired look, I’m happy to report that my approach to lip enhancement yields permanent results.

The lip enhancement procedure I recommend involves microfat injections using your own body fat—usually taken from tummy or hips. The fat is centrifuged to concentrate it and remove unneeded fluids. It is then strategically inserted it into your lips, to give them a natural, fuller, rounded look.

Fat injection procedures practiced in the past tended to produce more unpredictable results, because a person’s body would reabsorb the injected fat over time. This could create an uneven look and the eventual disappearance of any change.

The procedure I use involves removing fat via liposuction, then spinning it in a centrifuge, which isolates the living fat and concentrates the naturally occurring stem cells. When it’s time to inject the fat for a lip enhancement, I do so in small increments as advised by Dr. Sydney Coleman of New York , who pioneered the modern approach to fat injection. The extreme care we use in manipulating the fat cells ensures that the introduced fat is healthy and gains access to a new blood supply. This is the single most important detail ensuring that the injected fat lives in its new location, giving a permanent result.

The best part of this story is that because it’s your own fat, your body will not treat it as a foreign substance and try to reject it, nor is there any risk of an allergic reaction. It is the most ideal filler that we have for adding volume and enhancing lip contour giving a soft, natural, long lasting result.

Liposuction Pairs Well with a Tummy Tuck

General, Liposuction, Tummy Tuck, ,

In a previous post about tummy tuck procedures, I mentioned liposuction as another method that Toronto residents may use to get rid of unwanted fat before having their abdominal skin and muscles tightened. That method deserves a little more exploration here.

Since an abdominoplasty isn’t a weight-loss procedure—though it does involve some fat removal—patients coming in for the surgery need to have their weight at a reasonably ideal level in relation to their height and body shape. Liposuction can be the solution to get tummy tuck candidates down to their ideal weight in preparation for the tummy tuck procedure, especially if a few stubborn pounds have become an insurmountable hurdle to reaching that goal.

The cannula used in a liposuction procedure is a very small, thin tube that can fit through a tiny incision less than a centimeter long. Since fat is soft and malleable, a lot of it can be removed safely and efficiently without damaging the nearby muscle or other tissue. It’s best to target specific body areas to achieve ideal results.

In some cases, patients may find that liposuction alone is sufficient to give them the body they’re hoping for, especially if the fat removal reveals the desired contour beneath. For others, liposuction can also uncover weakened and loose abdominal muscles, which no amount of weight loss alone can remedy. For these patients, a tummy tuck then becomes the next part of the plan.

I have a long experience in performing both liposuction and tummy tuck procedures and have found that the two procedures complement each other well. The surgical plan that best suits each individual is something that we determine at the consultation visit where all options are explored and specific details reviewed.

Exploring Age and Face Lift Procedures

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We’re now firmly into 2014, the year that one of the last batches of Baby Boomers—born in 1964, in the prosperous years following the end of World War II—is turning 50. At my Toronto practice, I believe that the ideal face lift candidates are roughly in their 50s or 60s, though there’s some wiggle room there, of course. I see patients in their 40s who are good face lift candidates, and healthy patients in their 70s and beyond may benefit from the procedure as well.

We have a large population of Baby Boomers in Canada. It’s the largest demographic in the country. In fact, Canada had a larger baby boom than did France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, or even the Unites States. As this massive population continues to age, many will be looking for ways to combat the signs of that aging. Since a face lift focuses on the part of the body that pretty much everyone sees every day, it’s a highly sought-after procedure, for both men and women.

As we age, our skin can loosen and sag. A face lift tightens that droopy skin, bringing a more youthful appearance to the neck and lower parts of the face—namely, the cheeks and jawline. A face lift can also be combined with eyelid surgery, a forehead lift, and other procedures to bring an alert, streamlined, smooth look to the entire face.

A note to younger patients: I’m happy to discuss what a face lift can do for you, but fat injection and liposuction—each of which is far less involved than a full face lift surgery—can often give you the results you’re hoping for.

Tummy Tuck: Show Off the Body You Worked For

Plastic Surgery, Tummy Tuck,

Thinking of getting a tummy tuck? You’re not alone.

This is one of the most commonly requested procedures at my Toronto practice—and for good reason. The results are dramatic and obvious, bringing immediate change. A tummy tuck improves definition and contour; it’s not intended to be a weight loss procedure. That’s why ideal candidates for what’s also known as an abdominoplasty should be around the average weight for their height.

Diet and exercise are great ways to shed pounds. Liposuction may work, too. But even the most rigorous of routines will not be able to tighten loose skin, remove stretch marks or compensate for weakened muscle structure.

That’s where a tummy tuck comes in. The procedure will flatten out your abdomen so you can better show off the body you worked so hard to get. A positive self image—helped along by a smoother, sleeker middle—can be a great motivator to continue on a healthy track and stay fit.

You’ll have to rest immediately after the surgery, of course, and gradually work your way back up to your typical activity level over a period of weeks. But after everything you did and accomplished to get to this point, that shouldn’t be too difficult. And once you’re up and about again, you’ll likely find that your trim appearance inspires you to continue with the healthy changes you made to get down to an ideal weight in the first place.

The difference might even inspire further changes for the better in your life. The only way to find out for sure is to start.