October 26th, 2008 Kenneth M. Rose MD
Radiesse and Restylane of the most popular facial fillers. Patients often get them confused. Now that the economy has taken a downward turn, a lot of people are looking for cheaper ways to look better. Facial fillers are one the ways this can be achieved. Allow me to explain the difference.
Radiesse is a longer lasting filler that the manufacturer says will last “up to” a year. It is used for deeper lines on the face such as the “laugh lines” and for Non Surgical Nose Jobs. It is FDA approved and is made of natural materials with little chance of allergic reaction.
Restylane, on the other hand, is a shorter lasting filler (3 to 6 months) and is used for fine lines and for filler in superficial scars. Also FDA approved.
Just so you understand, BOTOX is not a filler. It is a safe “paralyzing” agent which helps get rid of wrinkles on the forehead, neck and “anger lines” between the eyes. It can also used to reduce excessive sweating on the palms and in the armpits. In my opinion it is an exceptional product. It lasts about 4 to 6 months.
So now that you know the difference, you can make a better judgement about which product is best for you. To be sure, call for a free consultation, 212-888-7773
Posted in BOTOX, Fillers, Non Surgical Nose Job, Nose Jobs | Comments Off
September 24th, 2008 Kenneth M. Rose MD
As patients begin to grow older and endure instances such as stress, many times, their true age may begin to be revealed through the eyes, causing patients to experience imperfections such as sagging skin, “bags,” drooping, and wrinkling throughout the upper and lower eyelids.
Eyelid surgery (“blepharoplasty”) can be a beneficial procedure to assist patients in achieving a more refreshed appearance.
Types of Eyelid Surgery
If needed on the upper eyelids, upper eyelid surgery can performed to help remove pockets of fat and excess skin through an incision located on the natural creases of the upper eyelids.
Commonly performed in conjunction with upper eyelid surgery, lower eyelid surgery can also be used to reduce excess fat from the inside of the lower eyelids through an incision hidden within the lower eyelashes.
Performed at our state-of-the-art surgical center, patients can look forward to receiving excellent care during their stay.
Dedicated to providing patients with optimal results, eyelid surgery could help you attain the refreshed, younger looking appearance you desire. With incisions carefully disguised on the upper and lower eyelids, patients will be able to enjoy long-lasting, natural-looking results.
Posted in Eyelid Surgery, Home | Comments Off
September 8th, 2008 Kenneth M. Rose MD
Many times patients will come into the office and resolutely declare they need liposuction. In reality though they need a tummy tuck. So what’s the difference?
Liposuction is a refining tool. It is designed to remove pockets of fat from unwanted areas like the hips, belly and love handles. A tummy tuck,on the other hand, is a procedure that is used to remove large amounts of excess fat (mostly below the belly button) and tighten the abdominal muscles. Frequently women who have had babies are more in need of a tummy tuck because their pregnancies have stretched out their abdominal walls. Liposuction on these patients would be a complete failure as would it be on an obese person. Also, women who are planning to have more babies in the near future should probably refrain from either procedure until after their pregnancies. This is because the weight gain and the soft tissue stretching associated with child bearing will probably destroy the results of the surgery.
These two blogs on tummy tucks and liposuction by Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery are very good in explaining the difference. To know for sure which procedure is best for you, talk to your surgeon.
Posted in Liposuction, Tummy Tuck | 5 Comments »
September 6th, 2008 Kenneth M. Rose MD
This article in the Los Angeles Times illustrates an interesting point. We all have seen, whether on TV or on the street, terrible facelifts and the like. Yes, some is just terrible surgery. It doesn’t necessarily mean the surgeon is bad, there may have been a complication or maybe the surgeon just had a bad day. (Everyone gets those and surgeons, unfortunately are not exempt.) However another possibility is the patient wanted to look like that.
I have many patients who come to the office and demand, “I want my breasts really big and really fake looking.” Although you might find this a little unbelievable, it happens all the time. Few people ever consider that some patients, and celebrities in particular, crave attention. An outlandish breast augmentation is one way to get it. In my practice, celebrities definitely make the most extreme requests.
So next time you see “bad plastic surgery” don’t be so quick to judge. Maybe that’s just what the patient wanted.
Posted in Bad Plastic Surgery, Facelift, breast augmentation | 1 Comment »
September 4th, 2008 Kenneth M. Rose MD
There was a great article in the New York Times today. It explains the concerns Plastic Surgeons have when choosing patients to operate on. In brief, if you’ve been in practice long enough, you’ve met all of these types. Read it to see life from our side of the exam table.
However, I wish discuss how patients should choose a surgeon. My best advise is to choose someone you feel comfortable with. We all hope your surgery goes well and usually it does. But remember, nothing is ever guaranteed. If something goes wrong your procedure you want someone who you think will help you through your tummy tuck complication with kindness and compassion. Of course there are other normal considerations: board certification, recommendations from friends or other patients, and the overall feeling you get from the office and staff. It is frequently a tough choice and I empathize, but try to understand, the doctor-patient relationship is a two way street. You need to trust us and we need to trust you.
Posted in Choosing a Plastic Surgeon, Tummy Tuck | 2 Comments »
August 31st, 2008 Kenneth M. Rose MD
Many patients come to my office and want a breast lift. That’s OK, but if you are a big breasted women (I would say D cup or larger in this case), a breast lift may not be the correct procedure for you.
A breast lift is a skin only operation. Excess skin is removed to make the breast rise. Women with heavy breasts are not great candidates for this type of surgery. Of course it can be done, but the results will not last that long. How long will they last you ask? In general the bigger the breast the shorter the result will last. Perhaps only a few months. This is because heavy breasts will quickly stretch the tightened skin and the breasts will fall again. So, you may look pretty good for a few months, but after that you’ll be right back down again. Time and money wasted.
A breast reduction, on the other hand, is really the procedure of choice for the bigger breasted woman. It will give you the lift you seek as well as relieve the back, neck and shoulder pains associated with large breasts.
So you large breasted women may now ask, “what happens if I like my current breast size and just want a lift, not a reduction.” The answer is not to have surgery at all. The lift will not last and the reduction will make you smaller than you want to be.
In summary, breast lift is really a procedure for the smaller breasted woman. Otherwise consider a breast reduction-same result, plus less upper body pain.
Posted in Breast Lift, Breast Reduction, Home | 9 Comments »
August 26th, 2008 Kenneth M. Rose MD
This article concerning facelift and smokers that was recently in the New York Times is extremely important for those considering a facelift. I know many surgeons who will turn down a potential facelift patient if he finds out that he or she is even an occasional smoker.The same can be said other cosmetic procedures such as tummy tucks . Smokers normally function using less oxygen in the blood than non-smokers. Smoking deprives the skin of oxygen which is a crucial part of the healing process therefore terrible scarring can result. This video From CNN, Smoking and Plastic Surgery, show what happened to a liposucrion, breast augmentation patient. patient. Something many patients fail to consider is that cessation of smoking is just as important after the surgery is over. Although surgery can be stressful for many people, reaching for a cigarette to calm your nerves (even weeks after the procedure) will ruin your esults. So once you quit, you must quit for good.
As a patient, being less than truthful about your smoking history, sneaking a cigarette either before or after the surgery (even one) can have disastrous results. The best thing about having a facelift and being a smoker is that it can potentially prolong your life. In order to have the procedure you will need to quit for a least a year (no cheating!). Hopefully that will be the end of your smoking habit. A younger look and a longer life will be yours!
Posted in Facelift, Liposuction, Smoking and Plastic Surgery, Tummy Tuck, breast augmentation | 1 Comment »
August 22nd, 2008 Kenneth M. Rose MD
The Non Surgical Nose Job (NSNJ) has become one of the more popular procedures that New York Plastic Surgeons Perform these days. Although much cheaper than standard opertaive nasal surgery, or rhinoplasty, it is a good alternative for patients with minor to moderate defects on their noses.
Essentially a filler material, like Radiesse, is used to plump up the deformity that the patient wishes to disguise. It takes only a few minutes and is a fraction of the cost of what rhinoplasty costs. Of course, it doesn’t last forever either–it will absorb over the course of several months. It is also a way to see if a real nose job is right for you by “trying out” the new look first.
A good overview of Non Surgical Nose Jobs can be found in this blog.
How have you found NSNJ’s? Post your comments below.
Posted in Non Surgical Nose Job | 1 Comment »