Here at Dr. Conkright's office the majority of the people coming in and out the door are women and everyone who works here is a woman, minus Dr. Conkright of course. As you can imagine one thing always on our mind is BEAUTY. An aspect of beauty that is discussed quite often is that of hair. We are either not happy with the way our hair looks one particular day, our hair color turned out horendous, or our latest haircut is just not doing it for us. I can't believe it, but summer is already coming to a close. We are looking ahead at all the fall styles regarding fashion, make-up, and hair. You see it all over the boutiques, malls, magazines, etc.
Recently Vanessa Hudgens was photographed on set of an upcoming movie project sporting a short new hairdo. Possible new fall hair trend? We were all curious whether this was a wig or if she really did chop off her long, beautiful locks. Turns out, she cut off all her hair! Not only that, she did it herself. All of us here at the office are in agreement that this is one hairstyle that is a big no-no. One of those she will look back on and wonder, why? You know you can relate....we all can. We all have had that moment of "oh no, what did i get myself into with this unbelievably awful haircut". Her latest style has aged her years and as she put it makes her look like a "soccer mom". Vanessa is a beautiful young actress and that will not change. Thank goodness hair grows (or in Hollywood life, hair extensions). Sorry Vanessa, but when it comes to my new fall hairdo, this is one I will NOT be asking for.
-Stefanie-
Is skin care a good investment?
Every year we become excited with the beginning of summer; vacations to the beach, pool parties, BBQ's, activities that are in the sun! NEW FLASH!!! The sun is bad for your skin!The good news is you are never too young to start taking stock in good care for your skin. Medical procedures are no substitute for maintaining healthy skin at home, and in fact, makes good skin care even more necessary. Keeping skin healthy will not only prolong your need for cosmetic procedures, it helps to insure optimal results should you undergo cosmetic procedures in the future.
Damage to your skin starts as far back as childhood. No, we cannot go back and undo what we did to our skin as children, however, there is no excuse for not taking care of our skin today. Always wear sunscreen! Those short walks back and forth to your car can add up to sun damaged skin. Wear protective clothing whenever possible. That new, fashionable hat you just purchased can help save you face and neck from the suns rays.
Our skin is an indicator of our overall health, so healthy skin means a healthy body. Your skin is the largest organ of your body, investing in your skin now can insure a longer, healthier future. Skin is an elimination organ. One of its many tasks being to rid our body of extra toxins. This is one reason that drinking plenty of water and having a healthy diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables is so important. Good maintenance of your entire elimination system will equate to healthy skin. Physical exercise, benefits your skin as well- by increasing circulation and by causing you to sweat. Perspiring keeps the elimination function working properly and sweat stimulates the production of sebum, which is your body' natural moisturizer. Good circulation is a crucial in cosmetic procedures. Cosmetic surgeons take into account yours skins integrity, elasticity, and healing abilities when deciding if a procedure will give you maximum results. Lack of circulation inhibits your skin from having the ability to replenish itself.
It is important that you take care of the skin on your entire body, not just your face. While putting your best face forward is the norm, early signs of aging can be seen in more places then our face. Neglecting your hands, chest and neck is not an option. When you look in the mirror you don't want to cover 90% of your body just to look beautiful. Pamper yourself from head to toe, but keep those long soaks in the tub to a minimum. Scented soaps are great, however, avoid soaps that contain harsh chemicals, dyes, and perfumes. Soap with natural essential oils often have other health benefits and are safer for your skin. Procedures performed at a cosmetic surgeons office like microdermabrasion, gylcolic or TCA peels, and laser resurfacing are great for exfoliating dead skin cells. Exfoliating unclogs pores and stimulates circulation, all providing your skin with a glowing, healthy appearance minimizing fine lines. Be careful though, such treatments leave skin fresh, new, and extremely vulnerable to damaging ultraviolet rays.
Investing in good skin care is important foreveryone. Proper maintenance is a must for those who wish to help prolong the aging process, and who have had or plan on having a medical procedure. Cosmetic procedures will look better if you have healthy skin. Good skin care at home is essential, but, you may have reached a point where a doctors touch will give you the jump-start that you need. Either way, take control of the situation today, so that you are not playing catch-up tomorrow.
-Danielle
Summer Newsletter 2011
5 Summer Do's
Be on trend this summer by wearing the following 5 trusty trendy items:
1) Big Floppy Hats. Look cute and keep the sun off your face. What more can you ask for?
2) Sweet Sundresses. How can you argue with flattering, flirty, and fun?
3) Big Shades. Squinting just creates more wrinkles and fines lines. No one wants that, so keep your eyes protected, look cute, and prevent fine lines with sunglasses!
4) Beach-Dried Hair. In winter, it takes about 5 products to pull off a look like this. Enjoy the ease of this easy-going hairstyle!
5) Bright Nail Polish. Instant happiness right at your fingertips!
Cosmetic Surgery Numbers
PARADE Magazine recently took a look at stats from all across America and part of their findings were in regards to Cosmetic Surgery. Below are the findings:
Top City for Cosmetic Surgery
Miami, Florida with an average of 18 plastic surgeons per 100,000 adults
Where It Happens The Most-
Nose Reshaping-->Northeast USA
Dermabrasion-->Midwest USA
Buttock Implants-->South Atlantic USA
Hair Transplant-->South Central USA
Face Lift-->West USA
Most Common Cosmetic Surgical Procedures-
Men
Nose Reshaping
Eyelid Surgery
Liposuction
Women
Breast Augmentation
Nose Reshaping
Liposuction
*Sources: SF Plastic Surgery & Laser Center, American Society of Plastic Surgeons
Body Sculpting "EXPOSED"
Liposuction has become one of the most commonly performed surgeries in the United States. In 2010 the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported 168,770 liposuction surgeries performed by its members. However, standard suction-assisted liposuction is quickly becoming overshadowed by newer, trendier liposuction techniques. In recent years liposuction surgery options have grown to include non-surgical treatments that allege to rival liposuction results. With so many “body sculpting options available it can be difficult to know which method is right for you.
In 1974 Dr. Giorgio Fischer, a gynecologist from Italy, invented the original form of liposuction (defined as the removal of fat from deposits beneath the skin using a cannula assisted by vacuum). French physicians Illouz and Fournier further developed better techniques around 1978. In 1985 Dr. Jeffrey A. Klein, a California Dermatologist, invented the “Tumescent Technique” that allowed patients to have liposuction with more predictable results.
Since 1985 the aging baby boomers’ desire to retain their youth and societies need to have immediate results created a need to have body sculpting techniques that were “easier, with faster results”. The internet created an advertising medium that made information (true and false) readily available to the consumer. From a web-based spa that advertises cream manufactured in Mexico for “home-based” liposuction, to a spa that advertises scarless “tummy tuck”, there are countless advertisements that offer to tighten skin and, reduce fat and cellulite. “No down time, drugs, pain or needles” is their call to action.
>Other offerings are:
-Power assisted Liposuction (PAL) uses a device which utilizes power supplied by an electric motor or compressed air to produce either a rapid in and out movement or a spinning rotation of an attached liposuction cannula.
-Vaser Liposuction (also called Lipo Selection) is another alternate technology to traditional liposuction. Vaser ultra sonic liposuction is a process by which fatty deposits are removed from beneath the skin to improve the aesthetics of a particular body part.
-Laser liposuction (Smart Lipo) requires the use of tumescent fluid and uses a microcannula inserted through a small incision to deliver laser energy and heat into subcutaneous fat.
-Cool Lipo (Cool Sculpting by Zeltiq) uses a precisely controlled cooling method called Cryolipolysis to target, cool, and eliminate fat cells without damage to neighboring tissue. Expectation is 20% improvement.
-Pro Lipo PLUS (Laser Sciton) targets precise contouring of the body. Laser typically reduces bleeding and bruising.
-Lipo-Lite, is just another form of laser liposuction that uses a 1064 nm wavelength to melt away and remove fat. Other laser assisted brand names are Lipo Therme and Lipo Control. They all offer minimal invasiveness.
-Water Jet assisted liposuction is yet another method of fat removal. Water jet assisted liposuction actually uses a slightly pressurized stream of salt water to dislodge fat and simultaneously remove the cells to facilitate more gentle removal.
Excess fat deposits on the body that are diet and exercise resistant may respond to liposuction. Ideal candidates for liposuction are:
-Adults within 30% of their ideal weight who have firm, elastic skin and good muscle tone.
-Healthy individuals who do not have a life-threatening illness or medical complications that can impair healing.
-Individuals with a positive outlook and specific goals in mind for body sculpting, not weight loss.
In February 2011, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASPS) conducted a survey of 492 of its members asking them to evaluate current liposuction trends and report their preferences. The results revealed that most plastic surgeons prefer standard tumescent or suction-assisted liposuction to trendier methods. All surgeons surveyed were board certified and performed 51-100 liposuction procedures each year. Questions were asked covering their experience using various techniques, applications and complications, etc. It is unsurprising that plastic surgeons don’t favor non-surgical fat removal methods. Over half surveyed still prefer the original liposuction method: standard suction-assisted liposuction.
Before and After Photo after using Standard Suction-Assisted Liposuction. Provided by the ASPS.
A common assumption is that new medical devices should yield higher success rates compared to older systems. Because new products have the added edge of modern research and past testing results, we would expect newer liposuction techniques to out shine and outperform their predecessors. But in this case plastic surgeons have weighed in to say newer lipo doesn’t equal better lipo. Surveyed plastic surgeons reported a higher rate of complications with the newer procedures like laser lipo and mesotherapy, etc. It is unclear whether this higher rate of laser liposuctions complications was due to inexperience, system ineffectiveness, lack of training on new lipo systems, poor patient selections…or a combination of these factors.
Many surgeons indicated that “industry marketing to physicians without appropriate aesthetic surgery training” created problems when implementing new trendy liposuction procedures at a practice. The most common reason to choose the trendier methods was the media not proven results.
Whatever body sculpting procedure you are considering, the first step is to schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon. A consultation appointment lets patients discuss their questions and concerns with an experienced professional to help inform their surgery decisions. During the appointment, plastic surgeons will also provide knowledgeable recommendations on which body contouring procedure is most appropriate for you based on your personal fat removal goals, body type and BMI, any existing medical conditions, and your surgery budget.
The results of liposuction can be very satisfying when the patient has real expectations of what can be achieved and seeks the services of a board certified plastic surgeon. Easier, faster, cheaper is not better or more likely to achieve the desired results. The need to have an immediate slimmer body has created so many body sculpting options it can be difficult to know which method is right for you. Caveat emptor!! (Let the buyer beware)
