The alternative face-lift, eyebrow lift or eyelift

Unlike the traditional cosmetic surgery involved when giving a face-lift, eyebrow lift or eyelift which all require a general anaesthetic you can gain the same benefits from these procedures with a combination of botox cosmetic injection and fillers. This procedure will normally take around an hour to complete and is virtually painless and depending on the type of filler used, the results can last for up to two years depending on the type of filler used in the injection.

Alternative chin and cheek augmentation

This type of alternative to the chin and cheek surgery involves the use of an injectable material that stimulates the body to produce more collagen, the area in which the injection is given thickens and softens which increases the volume and smoothes out creases and wrinkles.

Skin products to help reduce wrinkles due to aging

There are many different skin treatments which are cream based and can be bought over the counter at drug stores and chemists or online, these all claim to help with anti-aging to some degree or other.

Skin care products in this category range from

• Anti-aging face serum – this is said to help reduce wrinkles and fine lines due to the natural aging process.
• 3d lifting serums – these are used to help tone and firm the skin.
• Re-sculpting lift cream – these products lift and firm the skin giving it a much younger appearance.
• Anti wrinkle pens – these are used to help decrease wrinkles and some are said to start working in as little as one week.
• Facial emollient – this is said to work overnight and helps with achieving a healthier brighter younger looking skin.
• Face firming activators – this is said to be a unique anti-aging product which tones, Lifts and firms the skin.
• Facial contour creams – this is a cream which claims to lifts, firms and contours the skin.
• Lifting cosmetic treatment – this treatment is said to reduce wrinkles by up to 25% in just one hour.
• Botox substitute gel – this is an injection free alternative to botox and claims to do what a botox treatment does which is to fill wrinkles and imperfections on the skin.

Sometimes after pregnancy the women’s breasts can lose volume, if this is the case the surgeon might suggest implants along with the mastopexy as a way of increasing size or volume and also firmness.

Who is mastopexy suitable for?

Excellent results are seen in women who have small breasts which have sagged though any size breast can be lifted the results don’t usually last as long in the woman who has larger and heavier breasts. Many women who seek this type of surgery do so after having children and breast-feeding has left them with stretched skin and lack of volume.

It is usually advisable to wait until you have finished child bearing before having the surgery as even though the surgery doesn’t affect breast-feeding or pregnancy, future pregnancies can undo the surgery in that the breasts may droop or lose volume again.

What to expect from the surgery and recovery time

Usually before the surgery, the surgeon will ask you to take a mammogram test once this has been done and the surgeon has the results the surgery can be performed on an outpatient basis under general anaesthesia.

The surgery will take around one and a half to three hours depending on the amount of work and the technique the surgeon chooses to use. The most common procedure involves making an anchor shaped incision around the underneath of the breast and up to the nipple.

During the surgery excess skin will be removed which tightens the breast and the nipple is relocated with the stitches usually being made around the areola. If your surgeon has suggested that you have an implant then this will be inserted directly under the breast tissue in a pocket.

After the surgery an elastic bandage or special surgical bra must be worn to cover the gauze, the breasts will feel sore and probably will be swollen for a few days after the surgery.

The elastic or surgical bra will be exchanged after a few days for a softer support bra and you will need to wear this bra for 24 hours a day for around four weeks.

Some numbness and tingling may be felt in the breasts and nipples for around six weeks and this is only natural and is caused by the swelling, however a very few women find that this feeling does last longer and for some it is even permanent.

You should feel fit enough to return to work after the first week but you shouldn’t lift anything above your head for about a month after surgery.

You should always talk it over with the surgeon at the initial consultation and they should make you fully aware of how the surgery could affect you and give you realistic expectations that the procedure could bring.

The tummy-tuck

This procedure removes excess fat and can lead to a flatter, trimmer stomach and tighter abdominal walls. The length of the surgery is roughly around 2 hours and a general or local anaesthetic can be used during the procedure. Side effects can be bruising, swelling, pain, soreness and general tiredness for some months after the surgery.

Breast enlargement

This procedure can enhance the breast size using implants filled with a salt water based saline solution and takes around 1 to 2 hours to complete. It is performed either using a local or general anaesthetic and there can be temporary soreness, swelling, changes in nipple sensation, tingling and numbness and bruising for a couple of weeks after the surgery.

Breast lift

This procedure raises and reshapes sagging breasts and it usually takes around 1 to 2 hours to complete. Both a local or general anaesthetic can be used and swelling, general discomfort, numbness, dry breast skin and temporary bruising can all be felt for up to a month after the surgery.

Chemical peel

This procedure helps to restore blemished, uneven, wrinkled or sun damaged skin and usually takes around 1 to 1 ½ hours and can be performed just using a sedative. Temporary swelling, tingling, redness and acute sensitivity to the sun can all be side effects.

Dermabrasion

This type of procedure requires the surgeon to scrape off the top layer of skin using a rotary wheel; it is used to soften the edges of scars, surface irregularities, fine wrinkles and acne scars. It can take anything from a few minutes to an hour depending on the work needed and usually a local anaesthetic or numbing spray will be used. Side effects following the surgery can include redness, itching, swelling, burning and extreme sensitivity to the sun.

Face-lift

This type of surgery helps to improve facial sagging, loose jowl and neck skin and can take several hours depending on the area to be treated. Surgery is usually performed with a general or local anaesthetic depending on the extent of the surgery and side effects can be swelling, bruising, numbness, pain and general tenderness of the skin.

Forehead-lift

The forehead-lift is used to help minimize forehead creases, drooping eyebrows, frown lines and forehead furrows by removing excess tissue. The surgery is normally done under local anaesthetic with some sedation for relaxation and can take around 1 to 2 hours to complete. Temporary swelling, numbness, headaches and bruising are all common side effects.

Resurfacing

This type of surgery is used to smooth fine wrinkles from the face using a laser device that only treats the damaged areas of skin. It can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or more to complete depending on the area to be treated and more than one treatment may be necessary.

Local anaesthetic with sedation is normal though if the treatment is over a large area then the surgeon might suggest a general anaesthetic. Side effects are temporary swelling and discomfort, pain, pinkness or redness of the skin for several months following the surgery and acute sensitivity to the sun.

Liposuction

This type of surgery removes fatty deposits by way of a vacuum type device which sucks the fatty deposits from small insertions made into the skin. The surgery will take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours or more and can be performed using either local, general or epidural anaesthetic. Side effects common after the procedure are bruising, numbness, soreness, swelling and a burning sensation.

Nose surgery

This type of surgery can be used to reshape the nose, making it bigger or smaller or change virtually any other aspect of it. The surgery can vary from 1 to 2 hours or more depending on the work involved and is usually performed under general or local anaesthetic with sedation. Common side effects are heavy bruising around and under the eyes, soreness and tenderness, headaches and bleeding from the nose.

It is also sometimes used to remove pre-cancerous growths and is more commonly used in the treatment of deep acne scars. This type of surgery can be done on single areas of the skin or larger areas and used in conjunction with various other forms of cosmetic surgery such as face-lifts and chemical peels.

Who is a suitable candidate for Dermabrasion or dermaplaning?

This type of surgery can be performed on anyone at any age although older people tend to heal more slowly than do younger ones, people with dark skin may also find that the skin becomes discoloured or takes on a blotchy appearance after Dermabrasion or dermaplaning and this will of course be discussed at the initial consultation. If the treatment is being given due to acne then you will have to wait for any flair up in the acne to reside before having treatment for it, as there is a greater risk of infection at this time.

Surgery and recovery times

Dermabrasion is generally performed under a general anaesthetic which will numb the area and will normally last from around a few minutes to roughly an hour and a half depending on how big an area is being treated. Sometimes and in some cases, the surgery may have to be repeated more than once for it to be successful, this is usually true of scarring that is deep or when there are large areas to be treated.

During the procedure, the surgeon will scrape away the outer most layer of skin with a wire brush or use what is called a burr which contains diamond particles. In Dermabrasion, this is continued for as deep as the surgeon feels comfortable without doing damage to the underlying skin.

When using dermaplaning the surgeon will use a hand held instrument called a dermatome, this has an oscillating blade rather like a razor which evenly skims off the surface skin, this treatment is continued until the lowest part of the scar becomes even with the surrounding area.

Immediately after the treatment the skin will be inflamed and sore, you could also feel some tingling to the area or a burning sensation and this is treated with pain medication. Just as with any type of scrape or cut, the areas which have been treated will form a scab or crust as the skin beneath begins to heal.

Once healing has taken place the scab will fall off and reveal new pink skin beneath, when this happens the skin may itch, try to refrain from scratching it and the surgeon will have given you cream to apply at this stage.

Your skin might remain swollen, sore and itchy for several weeks but you can expect to return to work after around a couple of weeks. However it is important that you protect your skin from the sun until the pigmentation has returned and this could take anywhere from around 6 to 12 months.

However if you are having the surgery due to medical reasons this is another story and while the decision will be a little easier to make you will probably still wonder if you are doing the right thing by having it. Anyone who is thinking of having cosmetic surgery should ask themselves a few questions before taking the drastic step.

Questions you should ask are

• How will the surgery change my life, will it make a difference to how I feel about myself?
• Am I only considering surgery for reasons of vanity?
• Can I afford to have the surgery?
• Where does cosmetic surgery fit on my priority scale?
• Do I have realistic expectations of the change the surgery can make to my life?
• Will I be able to stop with just the one procedure?
• Am I aiming for perfection due to vanity?
• Will the surgery give me what I need?

Of course even after having asked and answered these questions you still might be unsure if you should have cosmetic surgery or not, listed below is a questionnaire that you can take. There is no right or wrong answers and you will only benefit from taking the questionnaire by being absolutely honest with your answers.

1. What do I actually dislike about my appearance?
2. Why does this particularly bother me and does it bother me at times more than others?
3. Do my feelings about my appearance stop me from taking part in a normal healthy relationship?
4. Do my feelings stop me from taking part in normal activities?
5. Do I hide the feature I dislike from others?
6. Why have I decided to have the surgery now?
7. What expectations do I have for the surgery?
8. How do I see my life changing after the surgery?
9. Can I think of any disadvantage to the surgery?
10. Do I think people will act differently to me after the surgery?
11. What have my friends and families reactions been to my surgery?
12. What problems does your dislike cause you now?

It is worth taking time going over the questionnaire and answering as honestly as you can, if you have a close friend or family member then you could discuss it with them too. You should certainly talk over any concerns you have with the cosmetic surgeon at the initial consultation and talk with them about your expectations for the outcome of the surgery.

The prices of cosmetic surgery vary from procedure to procedure and from clinic to clinic which will offers the surgery, what you will pay will depend on several things such as:

• The surgeons fee – charges for the surgeons fee will vary considerable depending upon factors such as their experience and the facility in which they work.
• The hospital of facilities fee – it doesn’t matter if you have your surgery in the surgeons clinic or a hospital you will still have to pay a fee and depending on whether the surgery requires a stay in the facility or hospital there may be an additional fee for that.
• The aesthesia fee – if you have to have a general or local anaesthetic then you will be required to pay the fee for the aesthesia.

Will the surgery be covered by my health insurance policy?

Normally most health insurance policies don’t cover cosmetic surgery, however if the surgery is for medical reasons then it would be worth asking if your insurance would cover this before going ahead with the surgery. If cosmetic surgery is listed on your policy then you should get all the details as to what this exactly means as definitions for “medical” and “cosmetic” reasons vary from company to company.

How do I know if the cosmetic surgeon is qualified?

Choosing a well-qualified cosmetic surgeon is the most important decision you will have to make with regards to your surgery and should be chosen very carefully, there are several ways you can go about finding an experienced qualified cosmetic surgeon and these include:

• Checking for board certification – this is a board that only certifies a fully trained, experienced cosmetic surgeon who has several years training.
• Do they have professional membership? – this is usually a professional society which promotes standards and education in the profession of cosmetic surgery.
• Look for hospital accreditation – check to make sure the cosmetic surgeon is on the staff at an accredited hospital.

Will my cosmetic surgery be obvious to family and friends?

Cosmetic surgeons are continually striving to ensure that procedures are carried out to give the end result which is as natural as possible. Of course the whole point of having surgery in the first place will have either been to correct a medical condition to make you more self confident or make you look younger, so it would be pointless if nobody noticed the difference after having gone through the surgery.

How long will the effects of the surgery last?

This of course will depend greatly on the type of surgery you had and the reasons for having it done, if you had surgery to correct a problem such as nose reshaping or cheek or chin enhancements then of course the surgery will be permanent.

How does the process work?

The principle of the surgery works virtually identical to that of using lasers in cosmetic surgery, the light energy is converted to heat energy and this heat causes damage to the specific targeted area of the skin. The main difference between the laser and IPL is that there are many wavelengths instead of just one in laser therapy, with most systems relying on the refining of the energy output for the treatment of specific areas.

This type of surgery is called a non-ablative resurfacing technique, which means that is specifically targets the lower layers of skin without touching the top layers in any way. There are a wide range of IPL machines and they are used for certain problems and many patients can have this type of procedure done in their lunch break and return to work immediately afterward.

What does the treatment involve and are there any side effects?

The surgeon or doctor should have outlined the procedure to you at your initial consultation and you should have discussed your expectations of the procedure with them. The surgeon or doctor should have explained that the treatment is fairly straightforward but there are however certain precautions that you should take after the procedure.

• Avoid skin exposure to the sun before and after the treatment.
• Although an anaesthetic usually isn’t needed a topical one may be used.
• Sessions normally last around 20 minutes with 4 to 6 sessions being needed every 3 to 6 weeks to achieve the desired effects.
• Most patients can return to work straight after the treatment.

The side effects of the procedure are usually minimal but can include

• Slight pain during the treatment.
• Skin may be a little sore and pink after the treatment.
• You could have the sensation of mild sunburn after the treatment.
• Very rarely slight blistering can occur.
• Slight bruising occurs in roughly 10% of those treated.
• Hair loss can occur in rare cases.

Who can benefit from liposuction?

The best candidates for liposuction are those people who are of normal weight but who have problem areas of fat which dieting and exercising doesn’t respond to, greater effects are seen when the skin should have elasticity and you should be in good overall physical health to be considered for surgery of this type.

The treatment and recovery

Depending on the type and amount of liposuction needed the surgery can be done on an outpatient basis or it may require a short hospital stay, liposuction is normally performed using a local anaesthetic where only the area being treated is numbed. However if the liposuction is extensive and several body parts are going to benefit then a general anaesthetic will be used.

The time for the procedure will vary greatly depending on the areas that are to be covered and the amount of excess body fat to be removed. The procedure involves using a tube or cannula through a very small insertion made into the body, a vacuum is then used to suction out the fat which lies deep under the skin.

If other areas of the body are to receive the treatment then the surgeon will progress over the body making a small insertion and then sucking out the body fat beneath. Along with the fat, some fluid is also lost and so during and immediately after the surgery you will be given fluids via an intravenous drip, some surgeons use a relatively new advancement and inject fluid into the fatty areas before the fat is removed.

The fluid is made up of a salt solution, an anaesthetic and a solution that helps the blood vessels to contract and this also helps the fat to be removed more easily and can help with the prevention of bruising.

The scars from the liposuction will only be small and will be barely noticeable but you are likely to notice some fluid drainage from them for a short while after the procedure. Very occasionally, the surgeon might insert a drainage tube beneath the skin for a couple of days to assist with any fluid drainage.

Your surgeon may also have you fitted with a snug elastic garment which they will ask you to wear for a couple of weeks; you may also have to take a course of antibiotics to help prevent infection. It will be quite normal for you to experience some pain, swelling, numbness or tingling during the first week and you will probably feel a little stiff and sore.

Many people find that they are fit and well enough to return to work after around a week or so and most of the bruising and swelling will have gone after three weeks or so but some minor swelling can occur for up to six months depending on the extent of the surgery.

Who can benefit from this type of surgery?

People who have mild lax and loose skin are the best candidates for this type of surgery and those patients with thinner skin have more success than those with thicker skin. The treatment is most suitable for areas such as the brow area, the cheeks, and the melolabial folds, the jowls and the neck, with other uses of the surgery being in the treatment of wrinkles, acne and cellulite reduction, and lifting the breast and buttocks. However, surgery using the radio frequency in these areas is still experimental and not much research has been made available.

The surgeries pros and cons

The radio frequency surgery can give great results giving a permanent way of tightening the skin and is the only proven method which gives you a quicker recovery time meaning less time taken off from work. However, this type of procedure once caused extreme discomfort during the actual procedure and in most cases a general anaesthesia was given.

The cool tip procedure was then introduced and this reduces the pain felt greatly, it has been found that by using a local anaesthetic and using a setting where the patient can feel the heat without causing too much discomfort is the most appropriate way to go with the procedure.

How is the surgery performed?

A grid will be drawn on the are that the surgery is going to be performed on, this ensure that the treatment will be even and thorough, during the surgery the patient will feel heat, cold then heat again and it is imperative that the patient remains absolutely still during the cooling cycle to prevent thermal injury to the skin.

Each application to a square on the grid will last for 2 seconds and then the surgery will move along to the next square, the typical treatment will take around one hour. Around 80% of the people treated with this type of surgery will notice an immediate tightening of the skin but for optimal results, the treatment should be repeated.

After the surgery most people will notice a mild swelling and redness with some lumpiness seen in areas where the skin is thinner than others, most symptoms will subside over a few weeks. Occasionally itching, numbness and intermittent pains may be felt for as long as two months after the surgery especially along the jaw line and cheekbones.

• Abnormal heart rhythm.
• Obstruction to the airways.
• Blood clots developing.
• Brain damage.
• Heart attack.
• Death.
• Malignant hyperthermia.
• Damage to the nerves.
• Temporary paralysis.
• Stroke.

Obstructed airways

Anaesthetic can sometimes cause problems with the airways and this can then lead to the vocal chords going into spasms and can then block the airways.

Brain damage

If blood vessels are depressed at dangerous levels then the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen and brain damage can then occur.

Malignant hyperthermia

Although this is very rare it does happen and it occurs when the body temperature, blood pressure and the heart rate all rise to hyperactive levels, it is a condition which can be inherited and if it isn’t recognised early then it can lead to death.

Temporary paralysis

This is easily detectable and treatable and can occur if the muscle relaxants haven’t completely worn off after surgery.

Aspiration

If you vomit during surgery then the vomit can enter your lungs, it can then cause problems such as mild discomfort, lead to infections; cause a chronic cough and cause an obstruction in the lungs.

Blood loss

Excessive blood loss during surgery can cause major complications; during surgery, this will be noticeable by pooling blood or by a drop in the blood pressure. If it occurs after the surgery, it can accumulate under the skin and it might require additional surgery.

Complications typically associated with cosmetic surgery

Necrosis

This will usually follow an infection and those who smoke are more at risk from this, the skin will be surgically removed and this may have an effect on the cosmetic outcome.

Slow healing

This can be due to age, failure to follow the doctor or surgeon’s advice or your skin type.

Numbness and tingling

This can either be only temporary or it can be a permanent loss of sensation or tingling and numbness, this results from damage to the sensory or motor nerves.

Dimples, puckers or divots

These can occur due to error made by the surgeon or from healing irregularities or problems during the healing process.

Seroma

This can usually occur after breasts augmentation, tummy-tucks or liposuction and occurs when fluid collects under the skin.

While there can be complications cosmetic surgery is a relatively safe process, figures have shown that:

• The rate of serious complications is less than half of 1 percent.
• The mortality rate is very low only one in 57,000 cases.

If you are at all concerned over any type of procedure, you should ask your plastic surgeon to fully explain any risks or complications of that surgery before you commit yourself it. Your surgeon will be happy to talk over any aspect of the surgery including methods used and the type of anaesthesia that will be used for the surgery and complications associated with it.