Archive for June, 2010
|July 2010 Newsletter
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
Lifestyle Lift vs. other Facelifts
Every week someone asks me about the “Lifestyle Lift”. This is a trademarked name and as far as anyone knows it is not a new procedure. The reason I mention as far as anyone knows, is because those that do it, are sworn to secrecy, which is a red flag. Most ethical discussions of operations include none that are secret, and all are open to peer review and discussion. Please note many of those that perform the Lifestyle Lift are not surgeons.
I believe it to be a variation of the S Lift which has been around for many years. It is a mini face lift that excises skin in front of the ear, and a few additional deep sutures; in addition, the neck is liposuctioned. Generally mini lift means mini results. Shorter recovery means shorter lasting when it comes to facelifts. There are a few people who do well with this procedure and their pictures are the ones shown.
Last year, New York’s Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo came to a settlement with the cosmetic surgery firm Lifestyle Lift, after the firm allegedly published fake consumer reviews across the Web. This case brings questions of ethical business to light at a time when the Federal Trade Commission is already investigating the use of word-of-mouth marketing online.
How to decide which face lift is for you. If you are over 50, and have extra skin and fat under the neck, plus jowls, a lower facelift will be the better treatment. You will look more natural, and get better correction. Without the correction of the jowls you might get the “lollipop” effect where the neck looks good but the lower face does not.
I have had patients with lower facelifts that returned to work in as little as a few days, but it depends on the individual. Some take weeks and some, with makeup, look good in a week or so.
A person under 35 with just a double chin may only need liposuction. Loose skin and fat, and jowls in a 55 year old usually are best corrected with a lower facelift. An S Lift may be needed for someone in between, either by the amount of skin laxity, and age. A consultation will help determine which procedure is best for you.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
Newest Product from Jane Iredale!
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June 2010 Newsletter
Monday, June 7th, 2010
Breast Augmentation and Incision Placement
Today, women are choosing breast augmentation to enhance their profile and improve the appearance of breasts that show signs of aging or changes after child bearing. Today’s innovative breast augmentation procedures are designed to deliver natural-looking results with minimal pain and downtime.
Many concerns of patients when they come in for a consultation for a breast augmentation is where the scar/incision will be. Breast augmentation is surgery and it is impossible to avoid scarring with any surgery. Scars occur with any operation and take time to fade. In most patients the scars are thin and fade but rarely patients will form hypertrophic or raised, red scars.
The incisions can be made in a variety of locations. The most suitable location will be up to the discretion of the physician performing the breast augmentation procedure and the patient. Incisions can be one of the following:
- Trans Axillary – Under Arm Incision. Our most popular incision for women with no breast droop. Fades very well in the armpit and no incision on the breast. Dr. Van Raalte has been using this incision for over 20 years.
- Inframammary – Breast Fold Incision. Our most common incision when there is mild breast droop or ptosis as it allows us to correct the mild droop better.
- Periareolar – Areola – Nipple Incision or the Trans-Umbilical Endoscopic – Belly Button Incision. We rarely recommend because we feel the complication rate is much higher.
Saline implant incisions may be as little as 2 cm or less than an inch. Gel implants do require a larger incision, about 2 inches.
See our photo gallery and patient information sheet on our website.
If you would like to make an appointment for a consultation please call Christina at 322-8877.
Plastic Surgery Hot Topics… Fraxel®.
A couple words from Dr. Van Raalte about Fraxel®.
In plastic surgery there is something new advertised every week. In fact, concerns are that the marketing and hype precede the research.
Lately, I became concerned when I saw a number of patients that had Fraxel® treatments. I had not adopted this treatment because my investigations had shown it took four Fraxel® treatments to get the result of one TCA peel. In addition, each Fraxel® treatment took at least four days to recover and the cost was twice as much. True a TCA peel took about two weeks to heal but one two week period was better than four 4 day periods.
Since then the patients I have seen that had Fraxel® elsewhere tell me it took at least a week to recover from each treatment. And there were still complications like discoloration and scarring, and the results seemed limited, and cost more.
I am sure there are some cases where Fraxel® is better. But for most a TCA peel is better, cheaper, and one recovery. There is no expensive laser to pay for.
However, the companies that make the lasers have to sell and market these devices and therefore the hype.
Dr. Van Raalte and the Midwestern Association
Dr. Van Raalte was elected Vice President of the Midwestern Association of Plastic Surgeons on May 16th in Chicago. The association hosts a yearly meeting for scientific papers and presentation on basic science, reconstructive, and plastic surgery research. CONGRATULATIONS!
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