Special offers for facial rejuvenation are the perfect way to reduce wrinkles and sagging skin, keep your facelift results looking their best, or enhance the results of a recent face lift. Contact the office of double board certified Atlanta plastic surgeon, Dr. John LeRoy today!
According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, cosmetic botulinum toxin injections (such as Botox® and Dysport®) are the most popular procedures performed by plastic surgeons in the US year after year. As common and minimally invasive as they are, these injections are still medical procedures that have risks and side effects, so as a patient, it’s a good idea to educate yourself about your procedure. To help your research process, I’m answering some of the most common questions I’ve been asked throughout my more than 20 years as a board-certified plastic surgeon specializing in facial rejuvenation.
What wrinkles can I treat with Botox® and Dysport®?
While some patients think all wrinkles can be treated with Botox® or Dysport®, this isn’t accurate. Because they work by relaxing (and therefore smoothing) facial muscles, these injections are most effective for wrinkles that are caused by tensed muscles due to repeated facial expressions. These include crow’s feet, frown lines between the eyebrows, and forehead creases.
How long will my Botox®/Dysport® treatment take and how much recovery time will I need?
One of my patients’ favorite aspects of Botox® and Dysport® injections is how convenient they are for facial rejuvenation. The treatment only takes 10-15 minutes to perform, and it doesn’t require any downtime. Many patients find it easy to have their procedure during one of their lunch breaks.
When and for how long will I see my Botox® or Dysport® results?
Because the injections are working with your body’s natural processes, it takes about 24-48 hours for the results to begin appearing, and they should reach their full effect within a week of your treatment. The results will generally last 3-4 months, though this will vary from patient to patient.
What’s the difference between Botox® and Dysport®?
Botox® and Dysport® are two companies’ versions of the same product. However, Dysport® is more highly purified, and in my own experience, it tends to have a longer-lasting effect and to be more effective in preventing the muscle contractions that cause future wrinkles to develop.
Are Botox® and Dysport® injections safe?
While there is a risk of potential side effects like temporary muscle weakness, bruising, or a headache from Botox® and Dysport®, the risk is very low. It’s important to note, though, that this risk increases dramatically when your injections are performed by someone who is less experienced and poorly trained. To ensure that your injections are as safe as possible, only get your treatment from a board-certified plastic surgeon with extensive experience and, ideally, with a specialty in facial rejuvenation.
I’ve heard Botox® and Dysport® are cheaper in other countries. Can I buy it elsewhere and then bring it to a plastic surgeon to inject?
This is very unsafe, and I do not administer injections with any product that has not come through the proper channels: to my office directly from the product’s manufacturer. Botox® and Dysport® are prescription-only products that are only sold to select medical professionals, so if you buy the products from any other source, there is a high likelihood that they are counterfeit and there is no way to know if it contains extremely dangerous ingredients.
There is a reason why Botox® and Dysport® are so enormously popular – because they treat such a common cosmetic issue and because they work very well. But as a patient, you still want to understand the procedure you’re receiving and ensure that it’s the best way to get the results you want. To find out if you’re a candidate, schedule an appointment with me, Dr. John LeRoy. For more helpful tips about cosmetic treatments, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
After a facelift (or any surgery for that matter), many patients are eager to get back to their workouts. On top of trying to keep their health and physique in shape, most people enjoy the stress relief and refreshed feeling that comes from exercise. But it’s a difficult balance to strike because, while some exercise can help your recovery, too much exertion too soon will have the opposite effect and could cause dangerous complications or a less than ideal cosmetic result. The tips below can guide you back into your workout regimen.
Listen to your surgeon’s recommendations.
First and foremost, it’s important to understand that everyone’s health, surgery, and healing rates are unique, so there’s no set timeline – it will vary with each person and with the extensiveness of their procedure. Before your facelift, you should discuss the surgeon’s post-surgery activity recommendations because these are tailored to your facelift recovery. You should also discuss this during your follow-up appointments, and I make sure my patients know that they can call me any time with questions.
Start with light exercise as early as possible.
You should begin light walking (like wandering around the house) as soon as possible after your surgery. This enhances your circulation, reducing the risk of a blood clot, without raising your heard rate or blood pressure (which can put you at risk for complications).
Expect to wait at least a month before engaging in any strenuous activity.
Keep in mind that this is only a general guideline, but sometimes it’s helpful for patients to have an idea of what to expect.
Start slow and gradually work up to your regular workout.
When you are well enough to start exercising, don’t try to “make up for lost time.” Start slow and gradually increase the difficulty and duration until you’re back to your regular routine. Many patients start with walking, then advance to light workouts on the elliptical machine before working up to running or other types of cardio, and finally weight-lifting.
Try stretching and/or yoga.
If you need some physical activity other than walking, stretching or sometimes yoga can be helpful. They can enhance your circulation and be a healthy part of your facelift healing process, but there are a few important rules to keep in mind. First, don’t strain yourself enough to raise your heart rate or blood pressure until your surgeon has found that you can do this safely. Second, don’t do any poses or stretches that lower your head below your heart, as this can increase swelling.
Listen to your body.
You know what exercise is supposed to feel like, and if you’re feeling pain when you work out after surgery (especially if it’s around the treatment area), your body is telling you to stop. Pushing yourself too hard will just slow down your recovery and make it take longer before you can be back to your full exercise regimen, or worse, it can lead to dangerous complications.
Use the same exertion rules for non-workout activities.
If your surgeon says you should avoid exercise that raises your heartrate or blood pressure, this doesn’t just apply to the gym. You also need to avoid any housework, errands, or other activities that stress your body until you’ve healed further.
Get in optimal shape before surgery.
Being strong and healthy before your facelift has a number of advantages. First, the healthier you are, the more likely you are to have a smooth and successful surgery and recovery. Second, if you’re just trying to maintain a healthy weight rather than lose weight, you’ll be less tempted to jump back into the gym too soon. Third, the more in-shape your body is before surgery, the easier it will be to get back to physical activity after you’ve healed.
All the tips above can be helpful guidelines, but rule #1 is to always listen to your surgeon’s specific recommendations. As a plastic surgeon, my job is far from over when my patient is done with surgery, so feel free to call my office with any questions you may have during your recovery. For more tips for cosmetic surgery patients, explore my blog and follow me, Dr. John LeRoy on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
Like anything else, plastic surgery moves in trends. Certain procedures will be more popular than others at different times, more people will opt for non-surgical instead of surgical options and vice versa, etc. We can learn a lot about our world by examining plastic surgery statistics and how they change over time. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery recently released their comprehensive statistics for 2017 and there are several interesting points that give us insight into modern cosmetic surgery.
Of the six surgeries that increased the most in 2017, four of them treat facial aging.
Eyelid surgery, facelifts, facial fat transfer, and neck lifts each increased by more than 20% between 2016 and 2017. This tells us a few things. First, it tells us that looking younger is an increasingly high priority for patients. And second, it demonstrates how many different ways there are to help patients look younger. Every person ages at their own speed and in their own way, so there’s a wide range of cosmetic treatments and surgeries available to address each person’s individual needs. Keep in mind that for these statistics, the category of “facelifts” also includes minimally invasive surgeries similar to my Band Aid Mini Facelift, so it’s likely that these less invasive surgeries have increased as well.
Fractionated laser skin resurfacing nearly doubled in 2017 – the highest increase of any treatment.
This extremely versatile type of treatment, which includes my Band Aid Laser Skin Resurfacing, uses tiny columns of laser light to help your body remove damaged surface skin and rebuild skin-firming collagen, all with much less recovery time than traditional laser skin resurfacing. The procedure can treat fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, acne scars or other scars, mildly sagging skin, and overall texture which can produce natural-looking results.
More men are taking advantage of non-surgical treatments.
In 2016, 8.9% of the country’s non-surgical cosmetic treatments (like laser treatments, Botox® injections, facial filler injections, etc.) were performed on men. In 2017, this increased to 9.2%. While it isn’t a huge jump, it’s still a marker of a growing trend. This is consistent with what I see in my own practice – men want to keep their procedures discrete so they tend to choose minimally invasive or non-surgical options that will leave them with less recovery time and less (if any) scarring.
Both surgical and non-surgical procedures are increasingly common among people over 65.
In 2017, 9.1% of cosmetic surgeries and 12.6% of non-surgical cosmetic treatments were performed for patients 65 and older – and both of these percentages were higher in 2017 than they were in 2016. While 35-50 is still the largest age group for cosmetic treatments, it’s encouraging to see patients of all ages taking control of their confidence.
As a plastic surgeon, I enjoy the opportunity to meet with each patient at their consultation and to get to know them and what their goals are. In the case of my Band Aid Mini Facelift and other in-office Band Aid plastic surgeries that let patients remain awake, I also get to become better acquainted with my patients throughout their procedure. Still, looking at larger trends like the ones above can also be a helpful way to learn about plastic surgery patients as a whole. To find out how you fit into this picture and discover what cosmetic treatments could do for you, schedule a consultation with me, Dr. John LeRoy. For more fun facts and helpful tips about plastic surgery, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ as well.
If you’ve been following me and my work for a while, you probably know about my charity contests already. Each season, I host a social media charity contest, getting my followers’ input on local charities who could make great use of a $1,000 donation from my office. With your nominations and votes, I’ve been touched by some fantastic Georgia charities I’ve learned about, and I’ve been honored to be able to assist many of them and their causes. To make a difference in more lives throughout the Atlanta area, I recently started giving each contest a category (like pet-related charities, or organizations that help kids). This has helped me discover many smaller, more specialized charities. So, for my spring 2018 contest, I’m continuing this tradition and looking for organizations in a specific category: homelessness/poverty.
How the Charity Contest Works:
My social media charity contests have two stages: nomination and voting. From April 12th-April 27th, 2018, we invited our patients, friends, and followers to the John L. LeRoy Facebook page to nominate their favorite Georgia organizations that are dedicated to ending homelessness and poverty. We’ve now evaluated this list and chosen four finalists.
Those finalists have now been announced, and the final voting is open to everyone. Simply visit our Facebook page before May 11th, 2018, find the post at the top of the timeline that invites you to cast your vote, and comment with the name of the charity you feel should win the donation. Finally, we’ll announce the winner of the donation on Monday, May 14th, 2018.
I’m passionate about finding joy in every part of life and in helping others do the same, and while I’m able to do that every day at my plastic surgery office, these charity contests let me take it one step further. This spring, I would be honored to have your help in finding local charities that make a difference in Georgians’ lives every day, and I look forward to working with you to make our community a better place for all.