A Declining Economy Taking Its Toll On Popular Plastic Surgery Procedures

With the current economy money is tight and many people are cutting back on their spending, which in turn affects nearly every industry in the United States, and in some cases, the world. The cosmetic surgery industry has hit harder than other industries. This is most likely due tot he fact that most every plastic or cosmetic surgery procedure performed today is considered an elective surgery- or in other words- not a necessary surgery procedure required to maintain life.

Over the past few years, the plastic and cosmetic surgery industry has experienced a steep decline in the number of all procedures performed, but especially the very popular procedures such as Breast enhancement, Body contouring procedures such as liposuction and Abdominoplasty. In reality, it is no real secret why these ever-popular surgical procedures have suddenly become less popular. elective surgeries such as these can cost thousands of dollars, and most people are looking for less expensive solutions for looking younger.

Is A Chemical Peel Right For You?

A Chemical peel procedure consists of a chemical solution applied tot eh skin in order to to improve the appearance and create a smoothing effect to the skin's texture. The Chemical solution will "strip away" the skin's damaged outer layers. In many cases a chemical peel procedure can be combined with a face lift surgery procedure.

It is important to note that a chemical peel procedure is not a substitute for face lift surgery and a chemical peel will not slow or stop the natural aging process Your plastic surgeon will provide information about certain types of chemical peel treatments and the results you might expect. It won't answer all your questions, since a lot depends on your individual circumstances. Once you and your plastic surgeon have decided on a specific peel program, be sure to ask about any details that you do not understand.

BOTOX Cosmetic in Hawaii

"If you keep making that face, it is going to stay that way permanently."

I remember my mom used to tell us kids that frequently, especially when one of us would make a frustrated face or dare to shoot mom an angry glance. Little did I realize that as I got older, Mom's wisdom would become more fact than fiction.

Every year we grow older, our skin also ages. Our aging skin along with the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles are the result of what could be the combination of a multitude of various factors. In addition to the normal changes to our skin cells, the loss of hormones and decreased collagen production, we also experience changes to areas surrounding the face such as the brow/forehead area caused by muscle contractions.

We have all seen the effects that muscle contractions have on the skin. Are you familiar with those vertical lines that appear between your brows? Those are commonly referred to as "11's" and are the result from repeated muscle contractions. every time you concentrate, squint, or frown, the muscles that control your brow movement contract. Over time, this will cause the brow skin to furrow and fold. After years of repeated brow contractions, those 11's can begin to stay prominent, even after your brow muscles are relaxed. Gee, maybe Mom was right after all.

BOTOX® Cosmetic is a purified protein that temporarily treats the fine lines and wrinkles caused by aging and muscle contractions by blocking nerve signals to the muscles in the treatment area. BOTOX® cosmetic achieves this by "stunning" the muscles, thereby reducing the muscle activity that is causing the prominent lines to form between the brows. A BOTOX treatment session consists of a few injection administered by your plastic surgeon. The procedure only takes a few minutes, and there is no down time.

Beautiful Skin Is Obtainable By Everyone

Your skin is the one organ you can have hands on care. Beautiful skin is obtainable by everyone. There are now revolutionary Skin Care procedures out that will strip away the dead layers of skin and rejuvenate the underlying supporting structures of your skin to give you that fresh new look you had in your youth. Your Plastic Surgeon recommend to you the right brand of skin treatment for your individual skin type to achieve the ultimate results.

Chemical peel utilizes a chemical solution designed to provide improvement and a smoother facial skin texture by removing its damaged outer layers. This procedure is also useful for treating facial blemishes, wrinkles and uneven skin pigmentation. Although a chemical peel procedure may be performed in conjunction with a facelift, it is not a substitute for such surgery, nor will it prevent or slow the aging process.

Dermabrasion is a procedure that can enhance your appearance and provide a boost to your your self-confidence, but remember that this procedure will not remove all scars, skin flaws nor will it prevent aging. Before you decide to have a skin-refinishing treatment, carefully consider your expectations and discuss them with your surgeon. Men and women of all ages can experience a benefit from a dermabrasion procedure. Although older people heal more slowly, more important factors are your skin type, coloring, and medical history. For example, black skin, Asian skin, and other dark complexions may become permanently discolored or blotchy after a skin-refinishing treatment. People who develop allergic rashes or other skin reactions, or who get frequent fever blisters or cold sores, may experience a flare-up. If you have freckles, they may disappear in the treated area.

Facelift Surgery Can Correct Sagging Facial Skin

As we grow older, our individual genetic history, exposure / over exposure to the elements such as the sun and wind, and other factors such as the use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs can actually alter our skin, thereby causing a loss of skin tone and elasticity as well as assisting in the development of wrinkles, fine lines and sagging skin around the neck, mouth, eyes and forehead. Folds in the skin become prominent around areas of the face such as the chin, and neck. Face lift surgery can correct these conditions by a plastic surgeon tightening the facial muscles and 'lifting' the facial skin.

What is Asian Eyelid Surgery?

Asian Eyelid Surgery is a specialized cosmetic surgery procedure performed to add a crease to the upper eyelids in Asian patients. This procedure will not to erase the ethnic features of the patient.

The Asian Eyelid procedure is performed under local anesthesia by a qualified plastic surgeon. this procedure is normally done on an outpatient basis, but a hospital stay will most likely be required if this procedure is combined with an other procedure. During the procedure, the surgeon makes small incisions across the upper eyelid to remove excess fat and reposition the fold of the eyelid.

After the procedure, any bruising and swelling is expected to last for about 7 can be up to 10 days) and most patients will return to normal daily activities in approximately 10 to 14 days.

Breast Lift Surgery Explained

Breast lift surgery, or mastopexy, restores a more youthful appearance to a woman's breasts. Over the years breasts can lose their shape and firmness due to pregnancy, nursing and loss of skin elasticity, causing them to sag. Mastopexy will raise and reshape breasts — slowing the effects of aging and gravity. This procedure can reduce the size of the areola, the darker skin surrounding the nipple.

Mastopexy is commonly performed in conjunction with breast augmentation (implants) to increase breast firmness and size. This may appeal to women who have lost breast volume after pregnancy. Pregnancy and nursing often result in stretched skin and therefore decreased volume. If you are planning a future pregnancy, it is advisable to postpone your breast lift as additional pregnancies will likely cause further stretching. As with all cosmetic surgery, realistic expectations and emotional stability are important. Though breasts of any size can be lifted, women with smaller breasts enjoy longer lasting results.

As with any surgical procedure, it is important that anyone considering a plastic or cosmetic procedure do their research and consult with a qualified and skilled Plastic Surgeon. Be sure to have all your questions answered and you fully understand the chosen procedure prior to having the surgery. There are numerous websites out there that provide good information about cosmetic surgery. The best one I have found is lookingyourbest.com. This free website offers a wealth of detailed and accurate plastic surgery information and even offers a free service to help those desiring plastic surgery locate an experienced and qualified specialist in their area.

Breast Augmentation Surgery Explained

Breast augmentation is a procedure used to enlarge small breasts and create a balance for breasts of different size or proportion. Breast implants are used to add fullness to breasts that have decreased in size or begun to sag due to age or pregnancy.

Breast implant options basically can be narrowed down to two types: silicone gel and saline (or salt water) filled. Most breast enlargement procedures use saline-filled implants; although some situations still warrant the use of silicone gel implants for best results. Recent advantages in implant technologies offer options that create a more natural look than ever before.

It remains that with any elective cosmetic surgery, it is very important for women considering this procedure to be given informed consent. This means that anyone considering having permanent implantation of a medical device is made aware not only of the risks of the operation itself, but also of the lifelong risks of having implants.

Be sure to consult with a plastic surgeon, and do your research to ensure you fully understand the procedure, its risks and what to expect from the surgery. There are many excellent websites offering up information on breast augmentation. The best website I have found in my research is Lookingyourbest.com - a free to use website that provides a great amount of in depth plastic surgery information and there is even a free service to help anyone considering breast augmentation locate a skilled , experienced and qualified plastic surgeon in their area.

Tattoo Removal Has Never Been More Popular

As tattoos are gaining popularity, so has the need for tattoo removal as many people want to remove an old tattoo that no longer fits their personal image. Fortunately for those who have made the decision to have a tattoo removed, advances in modern lasers offer the safe removal of a tattoo, with a reduced risk of scarring.

Modern lasers use specific wavelengths of light that are absorbed by the ink in a tattoo essentially vaporizing the ink in the tattoo. The body then removes the remaining ink through the body's own cleansing, leaving the skin intact. Because the body takes responsibility for cleansing itself of the debris and fragments left behind by the laser, the removal treatment sessions are performed weeks apart and most tattoos, especially larger tattoos, will require several treatment sessions. Of Course, the number of treatments required differ and are based on the size, colors used, location and age of the tattoo being removed. Because professional tattoos tend to be deeper, and darker than tattoos by an amateur, professional tattoos usually require a higher number of treatments to achieve complete removal.

Also, because tattoo removal is gaining popularity, there are many clinics, cosmetic surgeons and 'specialists' offering tattoo removal services. When one makes the decision to have a tattoo removed, that person should make sure they he/she understands that tattoo removal process, and locate a skilled, experienced and properly trained specialist or cosmetic surgeon to perform the tattoo removal. Just as it is easy to find yourself on the receiving end of a bad tattoo from an inexperienced tattoo artist, one can also find him or herself under going removal treatments from a specialist that is under-qualified and inexperienced. This can cause problems resulting in excess scarring, damage to skin in the location of removal, and incomplete removal, resulting in a faded tattoo that does not fully disappear.

Non Invasive Procedures Are Becoming More Popular

With economy in its current state, many are reducing their spending, which affects almost every industry in the United States. The Cosmetic and plastic surgery industry has seen a bigger drop off than most other industries and this is due to the fact that most every plastic or cosmetic procedure available is to be considered an elective surgical procedure, and are not deemed necessary to a healthy lifestyle.

Recent trends have shown a quite noticeable reduction of the most popular plastic surgery procedures - Breast Augmentation surgery, Body contouring procedures such as liposuction and tummy tuck surgery, and face lift surgery have all seen a decline in the overall number of these procedures performed. Of Course is no secret why these popular procedures have recently become less popular. All of these elective surgery procedures can cost thousands of dollars, and most people interested in finding beauty through cosmetic surgery are now looking for less expensive solutions for looking younger.

Experts in the cosmetic surgery profession, such as Hawaii Plastic surgeon Dr de los Reyes, recommend less invasive procedures to achieve that youthful look without breaking the bank. These procedures include the ever popular BOTOX treatments, Chemical peels, and other facial rejuvenation procedures such as microdermabrasion, and laser skin resurfacing.

The Latest on Plastic Surgery from around the web

While surfing the web looking for information about plastic surgery, I came across a few items I thought I would share...


Whitlock Plastic Surgery and Tulsa Oklahoma Plastic Surgeon Dr Brian Whitlock have chosen and named the "Busted By Whitlock" Calendar Cover Girl. Ashley Brown was chosen out of a pool of over 200 hundred applicants. According to Dr Whitlock "We had a great time and had over two hundred applicants enter. Calendars are on sale at Whitlock Plastic Surgery and proceeds benefit Miss Darlin' Society, a Tulsa non-profit group."

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New breast implants are about to be introduced into the North American market -- they are called cohesive breast implants.. Allergan - a breast implant manufacturer is anxious to launch the Natrelle 410 breast implant. These new breast implants are being called the gummy bear breast implants because of the type of silicone gel being used inside the breast implant. What does this mean for you?? It means that if the breast implant breaks - the silicone will not leak like today silicone.

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BOTOX® is the most common minimally invasive cosmetic procedure with 3.8 million treatments in the U.S. in 2005. Botox works by improving the appearance of wrinkles in the face that are caused by muscle contraction. There is no down time required for a Botox injection. It is relatively painless and results are apparent within a few days. The effects of Botox typically last approximately four months.

The Latest News from the World of Plastic Surgery

While surfing the internet and reading news stories, I found these plastic surgery news items and thought I would discuss them a bit here:

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery has just recently released statistics that show Breast Augmentation Surgery has surpassed Liposuction becoming the most popular plastic surgery procedure in the U.S. More than 350,000 Breast Implant surgeries were performed in 2008. The gain in popularity is no doubt related to the the FDA allowing Doctors and surgeons to use silicone implants in breast surgery.

As more and more women are losing significant amounts of weight, many of these women are also electing to have Breast Enlargement Surgery. This trend seems to be strong in Houston Texas. After massive weight loss, it is common to see women having breast implant surgery to restore lost breast volume. Houston Plastic Surgeon Dr Bruce Smith is also seeing this trend with his patients.

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BOTOX® is the most common minimally invasive cosmetic procedure with 3.8 million treatments in the U.S. in 2005. Botox works by improving the appearance of wrinkles in the face that are caused by muscle contraction. There is no down time required for a Botox injection. It is relatively painless and results are apparent within a few days. The effects of Botox typically last approximately four months.

Restoring a Youthful Look to Your Face - Myth or Reality?

As I get older, I worry about the effects that gravity and aging will have upon my face. At 38 I have already begun to see the fine lines, wrinkles and crows feet that goes along with getting older. As an entertainer, my face is important to me - after all it is my face people see in the media.

I know that invasive facelift surgery is not required, my gut feeling tells me there is something more I could do to restore the youthful look to my face. I did some research on the Internet and discovered the Obagi Skin Care System. After searching for more information, I found a Cosmetic surgeon in Honolulu, Hawaii who took the time to help me understand how this skin care system works and what results I can expect from using this system. He even showed me the proper way to use Obagi.

I noticed my face was smoother and the fine lines and wrinkles are disappearing just a hew short weeks after I began to use the Obagi Skin Care System. For those of you out there who are looking for a similar solution- I highly recommend you check out Obagi.
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BOTOX® is the most common minimally invasive cosmetic procedure with 3.8 million treatments in the U.S. in 2005. Botox works by improving the appearance of wrinkles in the face that are caused by muscle contraction. There is no down time required for a Botox injection. It is relatively painless and results are apparent within a few days. The effects of Botox typically last approximately four months.