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Eyelid surgery atlanta

Common Myths and Facts about Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery

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As successful as the latest non-surgical treatments are for reducing wrinkles and helping people look younger, there are some signs of aging and cosmetic issues that still need to be corrected surgically. Cosmetic eyelid surgery is one procedure that doesn’t have a non-surgical alternative. Technically, there are two types of eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty: upper eyelid surgery, which removes excess sagging skin above the eyes, and lower eyelid surgery, which removes “bags under the eyes.” But like most plastic surgeries, there are plenty of misconceptions and misunderstandings about these procedures. As a double board-certified plastic surgeon with over 30 years of experience, I’ve heard nearly every myth around, so in today’s blog, I’m explaining the facts behind several common eyelid surgery myths.

Common Myths and Facts about Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery

Myth #1: Eyelid surgery will leave a noticeable scar.

Some patients are intimidated by having surgery on a very visible area (like the eyelids) because they worry that they will have a prominent scar. But the reality is quite the opposite. In fact, the scarring from eyelid surgery is very minimal. For upper eyelid surgery, the subtle scar is typically within the natural folds of the eyelid. For lower eyelid surgery, the incision is made either within the lash line or, if you don’t need any skin removed, on the inside of the lower eyelid so there is no visible scar at all.

Myth #2: Eyelid surgery can fix dark circles under the eyes.

Both “bags under the eyes” and dark circles under the eyes are common cosmetic complaints, but eyelid surgery is not typically an effective treatment for dark circles. While they vary from person to person, temporary dark circles can be caused by allergies, lack of sleep, and other factors, while long-term dark circles are typically caused by either shadowing from a lack of volume or from thinning skin due to aging. Depending on the culprit (which can be determined in a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon), either facial filler injections or minimally invasive laser treatments are generally the best treatments.

Myth #3: Eyelid surgery can give you chronic dry eye.

While this is a potential side effect of eyelid surgery, it happens when a surgeon overcorrects by removing too much skin and it’s extremely rare when your surgery is performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon who is highly experienced in eyelid surgery specifically. If you choose the right cosmetic surgeon, the chances that you’ll experience this issue are very small.

Myth #4: Eyelid surgery is unnecessary because you can get rid of bags under your eyes naturally.

Not all bags under the eyes are the same. Temporary bags can be caused by lack of sleep, water retention, and other short-term causes. Long-term bags under the eyes, on the other hand, are caused when natural fat deposits under the eyes move forward with age and the skin loses its firmness. While those temporary bags can often be reduced with home remedies and lifestyle changes, permanent bags can only be treated effectively with lower blepharoplasty.

As with any plastic surgery, learning about eyelid surgery can help you be more informed about what to expect and whether it may be the right fit for your cosmetic goals. To find out if you’re a candidate for blepharoplasty or to ask any other questions you may have about the procedure, schedule an eyelid surgery consultation. For more helpful tips and facts about cosmetic surgery, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

The Latest Trends in Plastic Surgery

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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.

The Latest Trends in Plastic 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.

Ask Dr. LeRoy: Is it Okay to Have a Facelift and Eyelid Surgery at the Same Time?

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It goes without saying that some people are more bothered by aging than others. For those who feel best when they look more youthful, keeping a young look can feel like a war with multiple fronts, because aging impacts your skin, your facial structure, your eyes, and more, all at the same time. For patients who truly want to make the most of their facial rejuvenation efforts, combining multiple procedures that they can benefit from (like a facelift and eyelid surgery) into one surgery can offer them more comprehensive results and an easier road than having each procedure separately. But to some, the idea of having two or more cosmetic surgeries at once sounds like a dangerous extreme. So, truthfully, is it safe?

TAsk Dr. LeRoy Is it Okay to Have a Facelift and Eyelid Surgery at the Same Timehe short answer is yes—combining most procedures can offer numerous benefits without compromising your safety. But the key word is can. It’s always best to use a board-certified plastic surgeon (as opposed to a “cosmetic surgeon,” a title doctors often use when they have not been board-certified in plastic surgery). But the more complex your cosmetic surgery gets, the more important your surgeon’s abilities are, so look for someone who also has ample experience in the type of procedure you’re considering. Some surgeons specialize in body contouring, others in breast surgery, others in all types of cosmetic surgery, so if you want to focus on your face and eyes, look for a plastic surgeon who specializes in facial rejuvenation.

An important part of making sure you can safely have your facelift and eyelid surgery at the same time is evaluating your health. Before any plastic surgery, you will undergo a medical exam with blood tests and potentially other tests to make sure you’re healthy enough to undergo surgery and recover well. Rest assured that as a plastic surgeon, I’m focused on your health and safety just as much as I’m focused on your appearance, so this medical evaluation will allow me to make sure that your health does not put you at a higher risk of complications.

Ultimately, the bottom line is that if you do your homework and find an experienced board-certified plastic surgeon you can trust, he or she will be able to make an accurate recommendation about how to provide the results you want in a safe way. In many cases, having your face lift and eyelid surgery at the same time can cut down on total recovery time and cost, while giving you the end result you truly want in a shorter period of time. To discuss whether you may be a candidate for this popular combination, schedule a consultation with me, Dr. John L. LeRoy. Or, for more plastic surgery tips and helpful information, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

Ask Dr. LeRoy Why Do So Many Patients Have Eyelid Surgery with a Facelift

Ask Dr. LeRoy: Why Do So Many Patients Have Eyelid Surgery with a Facelift?

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Aging isn’t a straightforward process. It happens to each man and woman at different rates and in different ways. For instance, as a double board-certified plastic surgeon for over twenty years, I see some patients who have primarily aged around their jawline, others around their eyebrows, etc. However, people don’t age solely in one area. That’s why every plastic surgery procedure I perform is tailored to the patient’s individual needs. In many cases, this means combining multiple procedures into one to produce comprehensive yet natural-looking results, and one of the most popular combinations includes eyelid surgery and a facelift (or minimally invasive alternatives).

Ask Dr. LeRoy Why Do So Many Patients Have Eyelid Surgery with a FaceliftWhile both eyelid surgery (called blepharoplasty) and a facelift have the goal of making a patient look younger and more refreshed, they complement each other so well because they each focus on different areas. Blepharoplasty can be performed on the lower eyelids (to remove “bags under the eyes”), the upper eyelids (to address “hooded” eyelids caused by sagging skin under the eyebrow), or both. A face lift, on the other hand, is designed to address skin laxity and other aging facial tissue throughout the lower half of the face, such as the cheeks, jawline, and in some cases, under the chin. The areas around the eyes and throughout the mid and lower face are both highly common problem areas, so for many patients, combining eyelid surgery with a facelift can address their two primary concerns in one surgery. This offers them more comprehensive results as well as less recovery time than if the procedures were completed on two separate occasions, because they can heal from both at the same time.

If you want to improve the appearance of both your eyelids and your mid or lower face but are concerned that undergoing both surgeries may be more than you need, you might be a candidate for a less invasive version combining a Band Aid Mini Facelift and Band Aid Blepharoplasty. I developed the Band Aid Facelift and other Band Aid cosmetic surgeries specifically for patients who want a lighter way to achieve more natural-looking results. These procedures use minimally-invasive techniques to produce skillful surgical results with half the cost and half the recovery time of traditional plastic surgeries, all performed in my comfortable office setting using gentle numbing (and conscious sedation if desired) rather than general anesthesia.

Whether the combination of eyelid surgery and a facelift sounds like an ideal remedy for you, or you’re looking for a way to address other concerns like a sagging brow line or excess fat under the chin, schedule a plastic surgery consultation with me, Dr. John L. LeRoy. Or, for more helpful cosmetic surgery information and health news, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

Challenge Aging the Minimally-Invasive, Surgical Way!

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Ever wish that you could erase the signs of aging as easily as you could hit the backspace button to delete a spelling error on the computer?  In an idyllic world the fountain of youth would be bottled up in pretty packaging and keep us looking vital no matter what our age.  As a double board-certified plastic surgeon who created an extensive menu of Band Aid Facial Procedures, renewing glowing radiance is attainable for men and women alike.  There is some solace that can be found in knowing that there are actually minimally-invasive cosmetic treatments on today’s market that can keep you looking young, even if this mythical elixir doesn’t actually exist!

facial plastic surgery atlanta gaThe December issue of Atlanta Magazine includes a feature showcasing the benefits of my popular treatments including Band Aid Facelift, Band Aid Blepharoplasty and Band Aid Browlift.  No matter what particular area of concern on the face you’re addressing there are a few constants that remain tried and true throughout all of my Band Aid procedures:

  • Mild to moderate signs of aging will become a thing of the past.
  • Your natural beauty is enhanced.
  • You’ll look more rejuvenated; almost like you’ve had a decade of sleep and have just woken up.
  • In-office Band Aid procedures that only require gentle numbing. That means you’ll be in and out of the office in a jiff – no extensive downtime or hospital stays!
  • Regain the confidence of youth.

I realize that this time of year is busy for everyone and perhaps taking the time to actually have a cosmetic plastic surgery procedure isn’t high on your list of priority; however, it will still be here when you’re ready.  Taking time to do something that makes you truly happy should be a priority on your list no matter what that is.  If you’re not sure what the next step is and even if you just have questions, I always encourage past, present and future patients to contact my office.  There’s nothing that I love more than sharing information on what I enjoy doing on a daily basis with new and familiar faces.

As you embark on your plastic surgery journey, I encourage you to reach out to others who have familiarity with the procedure you’re interested in.  Doing your background research on a surgeon’s credentials is important but sometimes you just need to get an opinion of someone who has been there as their advice can be invaluable in helping achieve the plastic surgery results you desire.  Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+ are great resources for finding additional information in additional to expanding your network of plastic surgery patients.  We are here for you and look forward to helping you every step of the way!

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