Cosmetic Surgery, Health and Fitness Information - The Adams Center, Boston, MA

"Liquid Facelifts" Using Sculptra

“Liquid Facelift” is a term that I’ve been hearing in the press lately.

The report I saw was based on Sculptra Aesthetic, a poly-L lactic acid filler that can be used with great results over large areas of the face. However, the term “liquid facelift” can refer to any of the filler products such as Radiesse, Restylane, Juvederm, etc. Most have specific areas of the face for which they work well.

While Sculptra is primarily designed to correct marionette lines, smile lines, and chin wrinkles, it can also be effective in the brow and other areas. Sculptra works especially well for people with thinner faces , or hollowness in the cheek area.

Sculptra requires at least three injection sessions over a few months and can last up to two years. The product works well and it truly is like sculpting. Additionally, it provides a natural, more gradual improvement in your appearance.

In many cases, we use a combination of treatments, such as Sculptra to fill in hollowness and Botox to minimize crow’s feet. We’ve also found that Sculptra may be effective when combined with surgical procedures like a traditional facelift or mini-facelift to give an enhanced result.

What’s All the Buzz About Stem Cell Facelifts?

I read an interesting article in the The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) newsletter about “Stem Cell Facelifts” that was based in part on a Sept. 13, 2010 L.A. Times article by Chris Woolston.

While the procedure may be all the rage in Hollywood, stem cell facelifts, and other similar procedures have little more than anecdotal evidence to backup their credibility.

In the procedure, stem cells are retrieved through liposuction. Then the stem cells, along with fat cells, are injected into the face. Those performing this procedure claim that the injected stem cells rejuvenate the skin with new collagen and blood vessels.

President-Elect of ASAPS, Jeffery Kenkel, MD sums up the claims of this procedure by saying; “Although stem cells certainly have potential for use in the cosmetic surgery field, some of the claims being made about the procedures that are currently being marketed as ‘stem cell face lifts’ seem far-fetched. We simply don’t know enough about the safety and efficacy of these procedures. One of the major unanswered questions is whether the stem cells actually contribute to any of the positive effects that might be observed, or whether we are simply seeing the effects of injecting fat cells into the face, which can give the face a younger look.”

While stem cells may have use in cosmetic surgery and other applications, not enough is known at this time, and the studies that have been done to date, have been limited in time and scope.

The bottom line is: view articles like this with skepticism. If there are articles that you read, or news reports that you see, and you have questions, feel free to call my offices. My staff and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Study Shows Women Are More Prone to Facial Wrinkles

A study by a team of plastic surgeons from the Netherlands, that was published in a recent issue of Aesthetic Surgery Journal suggests that differences in the skin around the mouth (the perioral area) account for more, and deeper skin wrinkling in women than in men.

The study’s goal was to 1) determine whether or not women wrinkle earlier and more severely than men, and 2) to develop better strategies for the treatment of facial wrinkles.

The study found several contributing factors for more perioral wrinkles in women:

• Women have fewer sweat glands and sebaceous glands than men, which influences the natural filling of potential wrinkles
• The skin around a woman’s mouth contains fewer blood vessels than men, which may speed wrinkle development
• Women have tighter muscle to skin attachment around the mouth then men. This may cause more of an inward pull to create deeper wrinkles

Current treatments for perioral wrinkles include the use of ActiveFX and DeepFX lasers, Botox, and injectable wrinkle fillers such as Juvederm, Restylane, Radiesse, and other methods such as Dermabrasion, and chemical peels.

Contact me by e-mail, or by calling me at The Adams Center in my Peabody office at 978-531-0550, or 617-262-2208 in my Boston office for more information on this post, or any other information in my Blog.

Dr. Bill Adams is a greater Boston area board certified plastic surgeon with over 25 years of experience in the field. 

Combination of Facial Treatments for Best Results

Our face is the most visible thing others see on a daily basis. As we age, our face is often the area that looks oldest first. But, what contributes to premature facial aging and what makes us look old? More importantly, can we reverse the process?

Several things can contribute to facial aging. The obvious answer is “age”. While that’s very true, environmental factors, diet, chemicals we use on or around our face, whether or not we moisturize, weather, smoking, and a host of other factors also contribute. So what makes us look old? Wrinkles around our eyes, mouth, forehead, etc. are often cited, but some of the other signs of an aging face include sagging skin, age spots, redness, and more.

The good news is that these things can be treated, and in many cases largely reversed. Patients come to me with the idea that they want a facelift (either a mini-facelift, or a full facelift). But, a facelift only corrects part of the issue. It’s like providing half an answer on a test. We're discovering that a combination of surgical and non-surgical treatments works best for treating all of the changes that happen when we age.

One of the combinations that I’ve found to be the most effective is a facelift combined with a TotalFX treatment. The facelift is the perfect tool to remove more advanced wrinkles, lift sagging skin, redefine the jaw-line, and contour the neck; while the TotalFX laser is great for correcting brown spots, redness and other pigmentation issues, scarring, and further tightening the skin. Additionally, TotalFX will help in the long-term by stimulating collagen development to help further plump the skin for future wrinkle reduction.

By combining these two treatments, we improve a wider range of age related issues.

Contact me by e-mail, or by calling me at The Adams Center in my Peabody office at 978-531-0550, or 617-262-2208 in my Boston office for more information on this post, or any other information in my Blog.

Dr. Bill Adams is a greater Boston area board certified plastic surgeon with over 25 years of experience in the field. 

Can I have multiple procedures done during the same visit?

I’ve received several questions from patients really on whether or not they can have multiple procedures done during the same visit.

The short answer is yes, you can. However, the real limiter is the type of anesthesia selected.

Take liposuction for example. We often do smaller areas of liposuction under a local anesthesia with oral sedation. This method allows us a smaller window of time, so larger procedures aren’t possible. However, we can do larger areas under a general anesthesia. This also allows us to do combinations of surgeries.

A recent patient wanted to have liposuction and breast augmentation done at the same time as part of a “Mommy Makeover.” While we only did those two surgeries for that patient, I’ve had patients choose to have liposuction, breast augmentation with a breast lift, and a blepharoplasty. So there are fewer limitations under general anesthesia.

Having multiple procedures done at the same time is actually a smart choice for most of us. There is usually a shorter overall recovery time, a lower overall cost, and in many cases, we’re finding that combination treatments actually provide better results.

Contact me by e-mail, or by calling me at The Adams Center in my Peabody office at 978-531-0550, or 617-262-2208 in my Boston office for more information on this post, or any other information in my Blog.

Dr. Bill Adams is a greater Boston area board certified plastic surgeon with over 25 years of experience in the field.

LaserLyte Peel Enhances Short Scar Facelift

The last few years have brought about some terrific advances in plastic surgery. Better techniques, more effective procedures, and combinations of procedures have all helped to improve our ability to turn back the clock.

Once we hit our mid to late 40’s, aging begins to become noticeable in the mid-face region. There are several great non-surgical treatments at this point that can reduce wrinkles and delay the clock for most people.

Until recently, women in their 40s and 50s wouldn’t have considered a facelift as an option. Within the past 5 – 7 years, less-invasive methods that are appropriate for younger women, such as the “short-scar facelift” have become available. Now, more patients are having facelifts, or combination lifts performed in their 40’s.

One of the combination lifts that we’ve had great results with is the combination of a LaserLyte Peel with a “short-scar facelift”. A short-scar facelift procedure involves only half as much cutting as a traditional face lift, which translates into a shorter recovery, a more easily concealable scar, and a more natural look.

While the facelift is a great procedure for treating wrinkles and repositioning fat, it does little to improve the “quality” of the skin. Age spots, sun damage, pigmentation disorders, and some wrinkles (in places not treated by the facelift) may still be present following a facelift. We’ve found that when we combine a short scar facelift procedure with a LaserLyte Peel we can correct other issues that may be present, providing a much better result for the patient, and minimizing recovery time.

Some may think that our 40’s or early 50’s is too young for a facelift. Beauty is subjective, and this is a very personal choice. Modern image enhancement techniques have advanced at an incredible pace in the past 10 years. We no longer have to resign ourselves to having an old looking face!

Contact me by e-mail, or by calling me at The Adams Center in my Peabody office at 978-531-0550, or 617-262-2208 in my Boston office for more information on this post, or any other information in my Blog.

Dr. Bill Adams is a greater Boston area board certified plastic surgeon with over 25 years of experience in the field.

Breakthroughs in Facial Aging

In 2006, over 102,000 people aged 40 and older had a facelift. In fact, the facelift is the second most popular cosmetic surgical procedure for both men and women over 55, according to ASPS statistics.

A groundbreaking study in June’s Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, shows that the human face is made up of fat compartments positioned in areas around the forehead, eye, cheek and mouth that individually change with age.

When we’re young, the transition between these compartments is uniform and smooth. As we age changes occur between these regions due to loss, gain, and shifting of facial fat. These changes lead to sagging, “hollowed” skin, and wrinkles.

This new information helps plastic surgeons to more accurately pinpoint trouble areas and use fillers to add volume to individual sections of the face, creating a more effective way to turn back the clock.

Whether injectable fillers, surgery, or using a combination to treat all of the signs of aging, the procedure(s) selected should fit the needs of the patient.

While a full surgical facelift used to be the only option for minimizing the appearance of wrinkles, injectable wrinkle fillers and new laser treatments allow people to put off a facelift. However, these new non-surgical treatments are not cure-alls. At some point (often starting at around our 50’s), we all reach a level of facial aging where surgery may be the best option.

 

A new facelift technique that places the incision at an angle within the temple areas (as opposed to above the ear) allows for better hiding of the scar as hair grows back through the scar. The technique minimizes the Joan Rivers look, and allows women to pull their hair back without exposing a scar and men to grow sideburns without having missing hair.

Contact me by e-mail, or by calling me at The Adams Center in my Peabody office at 978-531-0550, or 617-262-2208 in my Boston office for more information on this post, or any other information in my Blog.

Dr. Bill Adams is a greater Boston area board certified plastic surgeon with over 25 years of experience in the field.

2006 Cosmetic Surgery Statistics

2006 showed some interesting trends in both cosmetic surgery, and non-surgical procedures.

With approximately 11.5 million cosmetic procedures (both surgical and non-surgical performed in the U.S. – a small increase of 1% from 2005 – more people than ever are choosing to manage the signs of aging or just look and feel their best.

One of the more interesting points that came out of this report is that while surgical procedures actually showed a decline, more people than ever are realizing the benefits of non-surgical procedures which account for 83% of the total cosmetic procedures performed in the U.S.

Recently, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery released their 2006 statistics for cosmetic procedures, which showed:

• Surgical procedures decreased by about 9%
• Non-surgical procedures increased 3%
• Women had 92% of all procedures – an increase of 1% from 2005
• Men had 8% of all procedures
• African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and other non-caucasian groups accounted for 21.7% of all procedures – a significant growth over 2005

The top five surgical procedures were:

• Liposuction - 403,684,
• Breast Augmentation - 383,886,
• Eyelid Surgery (blepharoplasty) - 209,999, 
• Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty) - 172,457, and
• Female Breast Reduction - 169,314

The top non-surgical procedures were:

• Botox Treatments - 3,181,592 treatments, it was by far the most common cosmetic procedure,
• Restylane and Hylaform combined to account for 1,593,554 procedures,
• Laser Hair Removal - 1,475,296,
• Microdermabrasion - 993,071, and
• Laser Skin Resurfacing rounded out the list with 556,172 procedures

Contact me by e-mail, or by calling me at The Adams Center in my Peabody office at 978-531-0550, or 617-262-2208 in my Boston office for more information on this post, or any other information in my Blog.

Dr. Bill Adams is a greater Boston area board certified plastic surgeon with over 25 years of experience in the field.

How Can I Fix Loose Neck Skin?

Q: Dear Dr. Adams, I am 52 years old and have my mother's neck.  Is there anything that can be done just for the neck.  I hope so.  Thanks. Margaret, Newton.

A: Dear Margaret,  Your problem is a common one.  We all become our parents!  The neck ages at several levels.  The muscle, called the platysma muscle, becomes more lax with age and forms the bands under the chin.  The fat distribution changes and, particularly with weight gain, the fat protrudes under the chin. The salivary glands, the sub-mandibular glands, can become more evident as well,  Finally, the skin changes with loss of elasticity and support.

We frequently combine the neck lift with a face lift to redistribute the structures of the face at the same time. But we now have new techniques called Lux IR and Aluma to tighten the skin with out surgery. Four treatments over four months lead to improvement over a six month time frame.  Botox treats the muscle bands to relax them and you should repeat the treatments every 3 months for best results.

Depending on the extent of the problem, we can correct the platysma banding with an incision under the chin, as well as remove fat and raise the sub-mandibular glands.  If there is a significant amount of excess skin, an incision around the ear may be necessary to redistribute the skin.

I hope this is helpful, and please remember all of the good traits you got from your mother.

Contact me by e-mail, or by calling me at The Adams Center in my Peabody office at 978-531-0550, or 617-262-2208 in my Boston office for more information on this post, or any other information in my Blog.

Dr. Bill Adams is a greater Boston area board certified plastic surgeon with over 25 years of experience in the field.

Featherlift and Threadlifts

Featherlifts and Threadlifts have occupied the headlines of many facial rejuvination and anti-aging articles over the last year. 

After reviewing and comparing the results of these types of "mini-facelifts" and traditional facelifts, I've concluded that innovaton doesn't always yield acceptable results. The laws of anatomy and physics don't change. If you pull back your skin with a piece of tape, it will hold for a little while, but it will eventually loosen.

The same is true for pulling under the skin with a thread - it eventually pulls through the attachment and the skin becomes loose once again. The changes that occur in facial aging include a decrease in skull size, less muscle support, stretching of the SMAS (sub-musculoaponeurotic system) that encapsulates the face like a veil, changes in fat distrubution, and a loss of the supporting structure and moisture retaining qualities of the skin. Many times, these changes need to be addressed by multiple procedures for the best, long-lasting, and most natural looking results.

Pulling on site specific areas with threads will not corrrect all of these changes.  I will write in the future about the other problem in facelift surgery:  the overly tight, pulled artificial appearance that one sees at parties and on vacation.

Contact me by e-mail, or by calling me at The Adams Center in my Peabody office at 978-531-0550, or 617-262-2208 in my Boston office for more information on this post, or any other information in my Blog.

Dr. Bill Adams is a greater Boston area board certified plastic surgeon with over 25 years of experience in the field.