Though the term “best cosmetic surgery procedures” may seem subjective, hundreds, if not thousands, of research studies and trials are conducted each year on procedures and non-surgical treatments. Researchers are often on the lookout for treatments that provide optimal results, with minimal side effects for the patient. The better the results of the study, the more likely the product or treatment may be included among the best cosmetic surgery procedures.

In his review of 98 studies, Dr. Murad Alam of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital found the best cosmetic surgery procedures, based on his research.

Botox and other botulinum toxin-based injectables:

Dr. Alam said that based on the two decades of research and findings on Botox-like treatments, they are safe and effective for patients to use.

Tumescent Liposuction:

When tumescent liposuction is performed, special fluids that are used help the surgeon to safely remove fat cells. Dr. Alam added that tumescent liposuction minimizes the chance for excessive bleeding, improving the patient’s comfort and overall health and safety.

Dr. Alam looked into additional treatments, some of which are relatively new on the market. While he found that treatments that freeze fat or shrink it with laser light, and treatments that tighten skin are safe for use, he was not able to confirm the long-term benefits of each treatment.

To find the best cosmetic surgery procedures for you, Alam suggests talking it over with your surgeon and confirming what will best meet your needs.

For more about the best cosmetic surgery procedures in Vancouver, please email Dr. Workman.

The study, which was published in the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, compared two common types of botulinumtoxin—abobotulinumtoxinA and onabotulinumtoxinA. Specifically, researchers at the University of California San Francisco, wanted to determine which of the formulations of the botulinumtoxin provided maximum smoothing of crow’s feet around near the eyes during the botulinumtoxin study.

To complete the botulinumtoxin study, researchers chose 90 participants and treated opposite sides of their faces with abobotulinumtoxinA (30 units) and onabotulinumtoxinA (10 units).  Because of their different compositions, researchers were not able to use the same treatment amounts of each injectable for the botulinumtoxin study.

In intervals of two days after the treatment, both the participant and an investigator examined both treatment sites on the face and evaluated smoothing of the crow’s feet on a 5-point scale. The crow’s feet were assessed both when at rest and when the participant contracted the muscles.

Though no adverse reactions were found to either injectable used in the botulinumtoxin study and both treatments diminished the facial lines, abobotulinumtoxinA was found to have a greater effect in smoothing crow’s feet. Dysport is comprised of abobotulinumtoxinA. The researchers determined that both treatments achieved a “statistically significant” improvement after two days.

To learn more about treatments for crow’s feet with botulinumtoxin, like Dysport in Vancouver, please email plastic surgeon Dr. Workman.

Two sisters, who note that they usually give clothing or personal items for presents, may be exchanging different items this year. Sister Tina’s #1 wish for a gift? Botox.

Though her sister feels she may not need the injectable, Tina is sure about her request for a plastic surgery gift. She says she began getting Botox treatments after a recent break-up and continues to see improvement in the appearance of crow’s feet.

While the 2011 Christmas season may see an uptick in the number of plastic surgery gifts, it’s nothing new for many consumers. In 2010 alone, patients spent more than $10 billion on cosmetic surgeries and treatments.

With the continued acceptance of injection treatments like Botox and Juvederm it may be increasingly common for people to give plastic surgery gifts, which one woman called “injectable youth.”

Though non-surgical options are the most cost-effective way of giving plastic surgery gifts this year, some gift givers may choose to help out with cosmetic surgeries, too. Popular procedures include facial rejuvenation, body contouring and breast surgeries.

To learn more about plastic surgery gifts and specials on Botox in Vancouver, please email plastic surgeon Dr. Workman.

Around the globe, and especially in Spain, the beauty industry is actually growing. While some industries, like construction, are seeing decreases in demand, salon and beauty shop owners are seeing an influx of returning and new customers.

Many people credit a need to feel good about oneself as the reason for a boom in the beauty industry.

Salon manager Patricia Marquez knows the importance of personal care to her clients, saying, “A person needs to feel handsome, to feel comfortable with themselves. If they don’t look good it doesn’t matter what they do.”

Perhaps it is this desire, or even need, for personal upkeep that is causing the beauty industry in Spain to grow by 3% this year.

Even in times when other industries may be struggling, the “Lipstick index” still applies. The “Lipstick index,” as described by Estee Lauder founder Leonard Lauder, shows that even during an economic crisis, his customers bought more lipstick.

It’s safe to assume the “Lipstick index” applies to non-invasive plastic surgery stateside, as well. In an effort to look and feel their best, even if money may be tight, patients often choose non-invasive plastic surgery as a means of beauty upkeep.

Popular Options for Non-invasive Plastic Surgery

Injectable fillers like Restylane and Juvederm can fill lines around the mouth, while Botox treatments can diminish crow’s feet near the eyes.

To learn more about non-invasive plastic surgery and treatments to fit your needs, please email Vancouver plastic surgeon Dr. Workman for our specials.

The new hyaluronic acid dermal filler, which is called Belotero Balance, has been approved to treat moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds. This includes nasolabial folds, the lines that run from your nose to the edges of your mouth.

Belotero Balance joins Merz Aesthetics family of non-surgical injectables, including Radiesse. Radiesse is a popular filler comprised of calcium-based microspheres in a water gel that works to restore lost volume in the face. Though its uses are similar to Belotero Balance, the new hyaluronic acid dermal filler works differently.

Like similar hyaluronic acid dermal fillers, Restylane and Juvederm, Belotero Balance works to restore lost volume to your skin by increasing its hydration. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring hydrating component in your skin and these dermal fillers work to mimic it. When injected into the skin beneath the site of a wrinkle, a hyaluronic acid dermal filler provides a sort of scaffolding for depressed areas of skin, supporting them and improving the appearance of youth on the face.

To test the effectiveness of Belotero Balance, it was compared in a split-face study with a collagen-based filler. Using a scale that rates wrinkle severity, Belotero Balance was shown to provide a greater reduction in the appearance of nasolabial folds over 24 weeks. In fact, at the six-month mark, Belotero Balance still showed a greater correction of the wrinkles than its counterpart.

To learn more about your hyaluronic acid dermal filler options in Vancouver, WA, please email plastic surgeon Dr. Workman.

A study published in Psychology and Aging found that facial expressions play a large role in how people perceive the ages of others. In fact, individuals who were smiling in photos were thought to appear two years younger on average than the person’s real age.

Those with a neutral or angry expression on their face did not have the same perceived lower age.

Researchers thought the fact that the individuals who were smiling in photos were perceived to be younger may be due to facial lines. Though age can bring on smile lines around the eyes and mouth, the fact that these are present when we smile or laugh may mislead the eye. It can be difficult to discern if the wrinkles are permanent or temporary, and simply caused by smiling.

Even if you can’t make it in to your cosmetic surgeon’s office, smiling more often can be a great way to look younger, even if only a couple of years.

The study also found that the age of the person viewing the photos, relative to the subject also played a role in how they perceived the subject’s age. Subjects who were older had an age that was more difficult to discern. Additionally, a subject whose true age was near to the viewer’s age was more easily discerned.

In addition to appearing happier, a simple way to look younger may be a visit to your plastic surgeon for a non-surgical treatment, like Botox.

Email Vancouver plastic surgeon Dr. Workman to find out more about Botox and other treatments.

A new injection treatment called a vampire lift is gaining attention for the youth it may add to the face, according to businessweek.com.

Patients who choose to undergo vampire face lifts may do so to combat signs of aging on the face. Even with proper skin care, time and gravity take hold and wrinkles can begin to appear in places like the nasolabial folds, or laugh lines.

While patients currently may choose injectable fillers to diminish the appearance of wrinkles and lines, some plastic surgeons are looking at vampire face lifts as a means to reverse some aging factors.

The way vampire face lifts work is not actually like a facelift surgery, but a procedure that uses components of the patient’s own blood. Platelets and fibrin in the blood has been shown to increase collagen production and strengthen connective tissues to repair some injuries.

Once the surgeon takes a sample of blood and has separated the platelets and fibrin, they are mixed with calcium chloride and prepared then injected into aged areas of the face.

Weeks after the procedure, it was found that at the treatment site, new collagen and blood vessels had developed. Researchers found that at ten weeks after patients underwent the vampire facelifts, the effects evened out, but should be long-lasting.

As vampire face lifts still must seek FDA approval, some plastic surgeons are skeptical of the benefits of the treatment.

Plastic surgeon and former AAPS president Phil Haeck told Los Angeles Daily News that more research should be done on the procedure. As Haeck says, plastic surgeons ensure that little to no blood is left behind in a traditional facelift, so he is unsure how placing blood under the skin achieves the desired result.

Haeck adds that his opinion on vampire face lifts could be changed, but that he needs to see further evidence of the procedure’s effects and safety.

To find out more about non-surgical treatments for aging on the face, we encourage you to email Vancouver, WA plastic surgeon Dr. Workman.

While plastic surgeons in the past had largely used Restylane for its previous FDA approved treatment of lines and wrinkles, this new approval opens up the doors for Restylane lip augmentation. Previously, though it was not FDA approved, plastic surgeons could use the injectable for Restylane lip augmentation, as an off-label treatment.

This announcement comes after the release of findings from a recent study of Restylane lip augmentation treatments. In the study conducted by 12 doctors, it was found that Restylane was “well tolerated and highly effective for lip augmentation for up to six months.”

When measured on several points, researchers found Restylane lip augmentation to be effective and long lasting. The effects of the treatment are said to least up to six months for many patients. Those patients who participated in the study were so pleased with the results of their Restylane lip augmentation, in fact, that 80% of them chose to undergo another treatment after six months.

Restylane is an injectable gel comprised of hyaluronic acid, a key hydrating component of your skin. When injected beneath the surface of your skin at the site of a wrinkle, Restylane provides immediate correction. During a treatment for thin lips, your plastic surgeon will inject a specific amount of the product into your upper and sometimes lower lip. This form of Restylane lip augmentation will provide immediate volume to your lips, creating a larger kissable area.

If you struggle with thin lips, we encourage you to learn more about Restylane lip augmentation in Vancouver, WA. Please join the mailing list of plastic surgeon Dr. Workman to find out about specials on Restylane and other non-surgical treatments.

Like many women who have begun to experience the early signs of aging, like glabellar lines between the brows, actress Courtney Thorne-Smith, is an avid user of Botox and is eager to share her experience with the product and help answer common Botox questions.

Since her doctor began treating her with Botox nearly 10 years ago, Thorne-Smith says she is completely satisfied with the results. She says she wants women to know there are resources available to help them learn about how Botox may treat their own wrinkles and lines.

Allergan surveyed a range of women from age 35 to 65 and found out that the number of women considering talking to their doctor about Botox has quadrupled since 2002. Nearly 80% of women see Botox as an effective means of treating glabellar lines, a treatment Thorne-Smith says she has undergone with great success.

Even with this new knowledge women have about the injectable treatment, some Botox questions still remain. According to the survey, women most often wanted to know:

1. Are these products safe? Each aesthetic injectable treatment has a unique safety and efficacy profile and treatments are not interchangeable. For every injectable treatment, including BOTOX^® Cosmetic, it’s important to review the Important Safety Information and Medication Guide with your physician as serious side effects can occur. The most common side effects include pain or temporary bruising at the injection site, temporary tiredness, headache and nausea.
2. How much do these treatments cost? Cost varies across the country based on a number of factors. According to an American Society of Plastic Surgeons survey, the average cost of BOTOX^® Cosmetic is approximately $400 for treatment of the glabellar lines between the brows.
3. Will my face still have expression? Injectable treatments such as BOTOX^® Cosmetic should not radically change one’s appearance. When BOTOX^® Cosmetic is administered by an experienced physician, a person can still frown and look surprised without those moderate to severe lines – also known as the “11” – between the brows.
4. How long does treatment last? Minimally invasive treatments are temporary. BOTOX^® Cosmetic treatment effects can last up to four months.
5. Is treatment painful? Discomfort associated with the injection is usually minimal and brief, and your physician may apply an ice pack or anesthetic cream.

We encourage you contact your plastic surgeon with your own Botox questions. Please join the mailing list of Vancouver plastic surgeon Dr. Workman to find out about upcoming specials.

In a recent study, many patients who underwent testing of a new anti-wrinkle prescription saw a decrease in visible wrinkles on the face, when taking the product as directed. Unlike creams which may only target surface wrinkles, researchers believe this new anti-wrinkle prescription works because it is able to access the deepest layers of skin—the dermis.

For the study, 480 middle-aged women from across Europe took part. Some were given a placebo, while others were given a true dose of the anti-wrinkle prescription. Even researchers did not know whether patients were given the placebo or not. After taking the anti-wrinkle prescription three times a day for 14 weeks, wrinkles on the faces of the participants were assessed.

While wrinkles were 30% shallower for some of the patients who received the actual anti-wrinkle prescription, many patients who received the same dose experienced wrinkles that were 10% shallower.

The anti-wrinkle prescription was developed after the researchers tested what natural components would increase collagen production in women of a certain age. What they found was that combinations of Vitamins C and E, acids from fish oil, as well as additional components, promoted collagen synthesis. It is the natural production of collagen that helps to keep skin looking young and smooth.

As an added boon to the producers of the anti-wrinkle prescription, government approval may not be necessary since the extracts they contain are already widely used. It is unclear whether FDA approval would be necessary should the product come to the US. Unilever, which produces the medication, plans to launch it in spas in the UK, Spain and Canada in October.

Testing only included short term effects for the anti-wrinkle prescription, and researchers recommend patients take the medication three times daily for at least three months to see the effects. It is likely that if a patient discontinues use of the capsule, that the normal aging process would resume.

To find out about non-surgical wrinkle treatments currently available in your plastic surgeon’s office, like Botox, please join the mailing list of Vancouver plastic surgeon Dr. Workman.