Plastic surgery procedures have become somewhat of the norm in countries all around the world. Various techniques provide adults with the opportunity to feel more confident in their appearance. Some procedures enhance the body while others correct the signs of aging. Regardless of the type of procedure a person has, they are often interested in knowing what their recovery will be like. Usually, the primary questions revolve around how much pain they will be in and how they can manage it. Because plastic surgery offers significant rewards, patients rarely wonder how they will feel emotionally after having their desired procedure. The fact is, plastic surgery can affect emotions, so we need to talk about this aspect of recovery, too. We’ll do that here.
It doesn’t seem logical to have the blues after undergoing an elective procedure. After all, most patients spend months if not years looking forward to looking better! There are several reasons why the blues may pop up out of nowhere in the first days of recovery. The primary issue that seems to arise is frustration about results. Bruising and swelling are common side effects of surgery. When these don’t go away as quickly as a patient would like, they can feel like they are not healing properly and wind up feeling down. Surgery is also very fatiguing. Patients may feel relatively comfortable and able to resume some of their normal activities but they become easily tired. This can also lead to sadness. The list goes on: feeling unable to take care of others as they normally do, not being able to work or socialize for a few weeks, feeling bored or unproductive; these are all feelings that can result in the blues. Also, they are all normal.
In the end, the majority of people who have plastic surgery are glad they did. We think the process can be pleasant from start to finish! To schedule your consultation for a face or body procedure, contact us in Pottsville or Hazleton.
The signs of aging are inevitable but something we try to avoid as much as possible. Usually, when we notice them, we’re looking at the face. The skin around the eyes gets thin and develops fine lines. Creases form around the nose and mouth. These are problems that can be addressed with injectables, plastic surgery, or other modalities. But they aren’t the only problems that occur with age. Look a little farther South and you may notice that your neck has also changed quite a bit. If you focus only on the face when planning rejuvenating treatments, you miss an opportunity to achieve optimal improvements. Here, we discuss how a neck lift works and how to know if you may be a candidate for this procedure.
The neck lift procedure reduces excess sagging skin that has become thin and crepey. Sometimes, the neck also develops a little excess fatty tissue, making it look like a “turkey neck.” During a neck lift, liposuction may be done to remove the moderate layer of fat beneath the skin. The skin is then pulled upward to reveal younger-looking contouring and angles along the jawline. The surgeon trims the excess skin so these angles become the new norm. Neck lift surgery is minimally-invasive, performed through small, discreet incisions. It is sometimes combined with facelift surgery or other procedures.
Historically, plastic surgery has been perceived as more popular among women. This is no longer an accurate portrayal. Neck lift surgery is very popular among men whose skin and tissue have become loose and saggy. Men with extra fat and skin in the neck area often complain that dress shirts are uncomfortable and tight around the neck. Either that or they feel self-conscious about the way excess skin sits along the rim of the neckline. The neck lift procedure offers significant benefits for men and women of all ages who are troubled by a lack of firmness and contouring in this area.
If your neck is one of the first places your eyes go when you look in the mirror, you may be a good candidate for a neck lift. The best way to determine your path to a better you is to consult with an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon. Contact our Pottsville or Hazleton office to schedule a visit with us.
Regardless of your age and overall cosmetic goals, it’s nice to have soft, glowing skin. You may accept the changes that age causes, such as lines and wrinkles, and have no plans to correct these changes with plastic surgery. However, there are ways that you can keep your skin more resilient and youthful. One of the ways we help our patients do this is through microneedling. This service is available in our Pottsville office and can do wonders for the skin. Here, we discuss what you need to know.
Microneedling is a minimally-invasive form of skin rejuvenation. It can be performed on any part of the body that needs tissue regeneration. The most common treatment area is the face. We call microneedling minimally-invasive because the technique does create what are called “micro-injuries” in the upper layers of the skin. This is achieved using an automated device that quickly “stamps” the skin with several tiny needles at once.
The purpose of microneedling is to make tiny channels in the skin that the body will then want to heal. The channels close very quickly. However, the body is stimulated to create more collagen and elastin in the area that has been treated. Collagen is the protein that heals wounds, scars, and discoloration. Collagen also provides a firm foundation for the skin. Elastin is what gives the skin bounce. It helps the skin bounce back when stretched. Together, these are powerful chemicals that support resilient, youthful skin.
Microneedling is beneficial for several reasons, including:
You deserve to have skin that looks and feels healthy. For more information or to schedule your microneedling treatment, call our Pottsville office at 570.622.2900.
Breast augmentation has been a leading plastic surgery procedure for many years. Still, some questions need to be answered. One that continually comes up during consultation visits, and one that is often typed into Google search, is “are breast implants safe?” We’ll discuss that here, so that you may make the most informed decision about whether or not breast augmentation is right for you.
Researchers have spent years conducting thorough research on breast implants. One area of interest is whether or not breast implants can cause cancer in the ductal or lobular breast tissue. Case studies have provided concrete evidence to refute this. Breast implants do not cause breast cancer. However, women with breast implants can get cancer just like women without them can. If you choose to get breast implants, it is necessary to continue having normal mammograms or ultrasounds as recommended by your primary care physician.
Breast implants do not cause cancer. However, can they make it more difficult to spot breast cancer? There are differing opinions about this. Some say that, because breast tissue is spread out over implants, it is easier to feel small nodules. Some say that, if a nodule were to develop behind the implant or at its edge, it would be more difficult to feel. What is most important to this topic is survival rate, and that’s where we see definitive good news. Studies have shown that breast cancer survival rates are comparable across the board.
Breast implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma is a type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It affects T-cells that are part of the body’s immune system. The risk of developing this disease is very low. It is estimated that BIA-ALCL occurs in 33 out of 1 million patients. This complication also seems to coincide with a seroma formation. A seroma is an accumulation of fluid around the breast implant. It is more commonly associated with textured breast implants. The majority of breast augmentations performed involve smooth implants that are much less likely to lead to fluid buildup.
Breast augmentation can be a beneficial procedure that helps you feel like your best self. To learn more, schedule a consultation in our Hazleton or Pottsville office.
As exciting as it is to schedule a breast procedure, there is also a necessity to understand the risks that exist. Fortunately, it is uncommon for serious complications to occur from procedures like breast augmentation. When you take your time to choose a board-certified plastic surgeon who has performed your selected procedure, your chances of avoiding unnecessary stress are quite good. However, because there is a chance that revision breast surgery may be needed, we mustn’t shy away from discussing how to know if revision is needed. Here, we discuss some of the conditions that lead patients back to their plastic surgeon.
Revision breast surgery isn’t a bad thing. There are several benefits to be gained by repeating breast augmentation. These include:
Breast augmentation is a big deal. We can help you get results that look like you, only better. To schedule a consultation, contact our Hazleton or Pottsville office.
The signs of aging can be a frustrating fact of life. For some, the gradual changes that take place are only mildly concerning. As we can see by observing statistics in plastic surgery and injectables, most people want some sense of control over how they age. One of the questions that gets asked over and over again is “should I get a facelift?” If you’re asking that, know that you are the only one who can answer it. However, you don’t have to make your decision without assistance. Here, we discuss two ways you can move closer to definite resolve about the timing of a facelift.
“I don’t look like myself anymore.”
When you look in the mirror, you think this to yourself? Maybe the lines and wrinkles around your eyes, nose, and mouth have become familiar and you hardly notice them anymore. What you see now, though, is a face that doesn’t look like it used to. This happens to many people and it relates to a combination of factors. With age, the skin becomes depleted of collagen because it is not making enough to replace what grows old and weak. This changes the firmness and elasticity of the skin, so it sags. The fat pads in the mid-face also deteriorate, causing the face to become less contoured and interesting. The jawline gets loose and saggy, too. So while you may see glimpses of yourself in your eyes, your face may be a different shape than it once was. A facelift can correct this, making you look about ten years younger by doing so.
In recent years, injectables have all-but taken over the game of facial rejuvenation. There are several benefits gained by using products like Botox and dermal fillers to reduce the signs of aging. At the same time, it is important to know how they work and what their limitations are. The more volume that the face loses, the more difficult it is to restore it with injectables without making it look puffy and unnatural. Some people finally schedule their facelift when they find that they are needing more frequent injections or more units of product to maintain their results. In this case, a facelift resets the baseline. Surgery may not eliminate the benefits of future injectables but it certainly increases the success of such treatment.
Facelift surgery is popular because it achieves long-lasting results that make people look and feel like themselves again. If you’d like to feel this way, too, contact our Hazleton or Pottsville office to arrange your consultation.
Even with the advancement of nonsurgical modalities to rejuvenate the aging face, we continue to see a strong interest in facelift surgery. Refinements in surgical techniques over the years have made it possible for people to undergo a facelift on an outpatient basis. No hospital stay required. The results that can be achieved with facelift surgery have also improved. Patients who receive care from an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon have little worry about looking “done.” Where patients do sometimes worry is in the area of recovery.
A facelift is a surgical procedure and, as such, comes with some degree of risk. These are minimized by surgical experience and by practicing good post-operative care. Patients may understand these risks and know that they will experience some degree of swelling and bruising after their procedure. Most expect to feel pain. This is usually overestimated and patients are surprised at how good they feel. Still, it is important that we not be vague about what is necessary to recovery exceedingly well from a facelift.
One of the biggest mistakes that a person can make after undergoing any surgical procedure is to forego their pain medication. We see it too often, and it nearly always leads to unnecessary stress for the patient. Here’s what you need to know. Facelift surgery is performed under anesthesia. One of the things that anesthesia does is block the transmission of pain signals for several hours. This means that there’s a good chance that you’ll feel better than expected once you’re back home after your procedure. It is still necessary to take your pain medication as prescribed. Don’t wait it out to see how much discomfort you can tolerate. Doing so could lead to the continual chasing of pain rather than a smooth walk through recovery.
One of the biggest challenges that patients can face after undergoing surgery is to prioritize their rest. We’re not taught in our society to value rest. To that end, many people find themselves feeling impatient to get back to their normal activities even while their body is still recovering from the physical stress of surgery. After a facelift, expect this to be more of a challenge than you had anticipated, and do not give in to the guilt or pressure you may feel. Continue to nap. Continue to catch up on your favorite shows or read that book that’s been on the shelf for months. Remember, rest is the fastest way to heal well.
The benefits of a surgical facelift are worth a few days of downtime. To learn more about this procedure, contact our Hazleton or Pottsville office today.
We all that the way we look will change over time. We may not bat an eye as we start to notice laugh lines around the mouth or crow’s feet caused by smiling and laughing. However, when the face begins to look tired all the time, or it loses its friendliness, then we may not feel as satisfied with our appearance as we used to. If you’re facing concerns related to the aging of the skin around the eyes, blepharoplasty may be your quick ticket to a younger, more vibrant appearance.
Blepharoplasty is the term the describes the refinement of the tissue that makes up the upper or lower eyelids. In recent years, this procedure has become one of the leading plastic surgeries to be performed in our time. It takes about an hour in many cases but can take up to two hours or more if both the upper and lower eyelids are treated at the same time.
If your face has changed because of the positioning of your eyelids, you may be very interested to learn more about the blepharoplasty procedure. This technique is routinely performed to address two particular problems that make the face appear tired, serious, even unfriendly:
Aging eyes are not a problem, but the way they change the appearance of the face can be. If you would like to explore the potential benefits of blepharoplasty, schedule a consultation at our Pottsville or Hazleton office today.
The three common forms of this disease, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma, may occur anywhere on the body. The first two, because they are related to sun exposure, are often found on the face or other highly visible areas. When skin cancer has become invasive to surrounding tissue, surgery is the most efficient method of getting rid of cancer cells. The benefit of skin cancer surgery is that it tends to have a very good prognosis. The downside is that a patient may be left with visible scarring. At Keystone Cosmetic Surgery Center offices in Pottsville and Hazleton, patients can explore their options for skin cancer reconstruction.
Skin cancer presents multiple challenges. First, the challenge of dealing with skin cancer itself. Then, the issue of appearance after skin cancer removal. Unfortunately, there is no way to completely undo the damage caused by skin cancer, and no surgery can be performed without some degree of scarring. This is where reconstruction comes in. A skilled plastic surgeon can reconstruct scars to significantly reduce their visibility. The goal of reconstruction is to do this while also restoring facial form to as close to normal as possible so patients can return to their daily life without concern about how others may see them.
The timing of reconstruction after skin cancer surgery may vary from one patient to another. Some dermatologists conducting skin cancer surgery advise patients to arrange reconstruction as early as the following day. Timing may depend on the type and extent of reconstruction that is needed. The type and extent of reconstruction are determined by several factors. These include the depth, location, and severity of the defect that is expected or has resulted from skin cancer and the surgery done to remove cancerous tissue.
Common techniques for skin cancer reconstruction include:
Skin cancer reconstruction is a complex process, but one that can be managed extremely well by an experienced plastic surgeon. This follow-up treatment to skin cancer surgery can restore appearance and confidence. To learn more, contact our Pottsville or Hazleton office.
Tummy tuck surgery is very exciting for most women who are ready to take back their shape. This procedure, whether performed alone or as a part of a mommy makeover, corrects problems like excess fat and loose skin in the midsection area, stretch marks, a muffin-top, and cellulite. Nearly as soon as women begin envisioning their new bodies once they have decided to have a tummy tuck, they also start thinking about their recovery period. Many of our patients want to know when they can expect life to return to normal after their procedure. We discuss that here.
A tummy tuck, called abdominoplasty, is a procedure in which the abdominal muscle is tightened. Dr. Kimmel does this through an incision just below the bikini line that runs from hip to hip. Gently pulling the abdominal muscle so that it lies flat and smooth, he trims the excess loose muscle and inserts sutures to secure the tissue. This same process is repeated for the overlying skin. In some situations, it is necessary to also reposition the belly button so that it does not sit too low on the abdomen. The result of tissue tightening is a flat, taut midsection.
We understand why patients want to know about their tummy tuck recovery. This procedure is often misunderstood as painful and lengthy. The reason this is the perception that many people have of tummy tuck recovery is that patients cannot stand upright or sleep lying flat for several days after their procedure. This, however, is related to tightness and simple mobility more than it is pain. Because the muscle has been tightened, it needs time to relax and flatten after the natural trauma of surgery. For a few days, patients take prescription pain medication to control comfort. Usually, by the end of the first week, soreness has improved so much that comfort is achievable with over-the-counter pain relief.
During the first week, patients should expect to not be able to reach overhead. After a week to 10 days, mobility should improve quite a bit. However, it can take two to three weeks to be able to stand completely upright with minimal tightness. This improves a little each day. Patients are usually ready to return to work and light activities after 3 weeks of recovery. Light exercise may resume after about 4 weeks of recovery. However more vigorous exercise and heavier lifting may need to be postponed for another few weeks.
Patients who undergo tummy tuck surgery can expect routine follow-ups to assess their healing. During these visits, we discuss which activities may be resumed based on how the muscle and skin are recovering.
Learn more about tummy tuck surgery. Call our Hazleton or Pottsville office to schedule your consultation.
The lips are a central physical feature on the face and one that has always been indicative of youthful beauty. This is advantageous for those who are born with full, well-defined lips, at least for a time. But what do you do if you weren’t born with lips that command attention? What happens when aging affects the shape of the lips? All hope is not lost. Today, we have several ways to change our lips if we so choose. Here, we discuss what those are.
We attribute thinning lips to the aging process. However, it’s more complex than that. Research shows that thinning lips may be caused by a combination of factors, such as:
Whether your lips have thinned over time or Mother Nature did not bestow voluptuous lips to you at birth, you have options to enhance your appearance. Lip augmentation may include one of several techniques. Some people have gone so far as to have silicone implants inserted to achieve a more dramatic transformation. This technique may not be right for everyone and does carry risks so it should only be conducted by a board-certified plastic surgeon with specific experience performing lip implant surgery. More conservative but still effective techniques include fat transfer and dermal fillers.
Fat transfer, often simply called fat injections, is a technique that has two steps. The first is to harvest fat cells from a part of the body using a minor liposuction procedure. After obtaining fatty tissue, the doctor processes it to separate fluid from pure fat cells. This purified material is then injected beneath the skin of the lips to permanently enhance volume and shape. Over time, fat cells may deflate somewhat, just as they naturally do on all parts of the face. However, fat transfer is considered a long-term procedure.
Dermal filler injections account for the majority of lip enhancement treatments. This technique works similarly to fat injections in that the goal is to increase volume and define the shape of the lips. Dermal fillers achieve this with tiny particles of hyaluronic acid, a chemical that binds to water molecules. The results of dermal filler treatment can last several months, treatment is convenient and has few side effects, and there is little risk of adverse reaction when injections are performed by a trained, experienced professional.
Are you ready for your lips to stand out in the most beautiful way? Contact our Hazelton or Pottsville office to schedule your consultation.
Me Time. Is this a term you’ve heard or read about in recent years? It is one aspect of the acclaimed self-care everyone’s been talking about. Self-care is largely misunderstood. Many people perceive self-care as bubble baths and massages only. From this perspective, there is a strong chance that self-care will seem selfish. This is what family therapists and psychologists see all the time: people who need a breakthrough but cannot take a break from their busy lives to achieve that.
Self-care is something we all need and it’s often the very thing we avoid. This can be especially true when we hit bumps in the road of life, as we’ve done in the first half of 2020. In just a matter of months, many parents have gone from working full time away from home to working at home while also overseeing children who are doing schoolwork at home. All of this coincides with the general nervousness that uncertainty brings. To think of Me Time at a time like this may sound counterintuitive. Here’s why it’s not.
It’s easy to think of Me Time as selfish when we only look at the word “me.” We invite you to see how investing in your own relaxation can serve everyone in your life. When we Me Time, we can:
If you’ve not developed a practice of self-care, you may not know where to start. Many people find that they have no ideas at first. A few suggestions include:
If a professional facial or body treatment sounds like the perfect investment into You, we’d love to serve you. Call our Hazleton or Pottsville office today to schedule a visit.
Hundreds of thousands of breast augmentation procedures are performed each year. This trend has remained consistent for well over a decade. Throughout those years, though, we’ve seen varying trends that have affected women’s choices in the size of breast implants they find appealing. For several years, the trend involved larger implants; larger to the extent of looking like breast implants rather than naturally-large breasts. From that end of the spectrum, we swung to the other side, where we say many women choosing to enlarge breasts by one cup size. As trends go, they are now changing again. This time, though women are choosing larger implants once again, few are going overboard. Many, in fact, ask how to avoid choosing breast implants that are too large for them. We discuss that here.
There are several factors that contribute to women’s choices in breast implants. Some may surprise you.
There is nothing wrong with considering outside input when planning breast augmentation surgery. However, a woman’s choice is ultimately her choice and hers alone. Using sizers and a lot of self-reflection, a woman can feel very confident choosing the breast size that is right for her.
Consider body shape, the width of the chest and shoulders, the level of lifestyle activity as you decide what will look and feel best for you. Then, schedule your consultation in our Pottsville or Hazleton office to discuss what you would like to achieve with breast augmentation.
Men with breasts. This sounds like the title of a bad Sci-Fi movie, doesn’t it? In truth, gynecomastia is a very real, very troubling problem. Comedians and many people in our society joke about this condition that we call gynecomastia, referring to enlarged male breasts as man boobs. For the man with this condition, such as description is demeaning and embarrassing. Until recently, very few men realized that there was a name for what they were experiencing. Even fewer have realized that their problem could be corrected. It can. Here’s what patients need to know about returning to their normal workouts after gynecomastia treatment.
Because we’ve only recently begun talking about gynecomastia, there are still misconceptions about what causes this condition and how to correct it. Many men spend months or years trying to contour their chest with exercise. While fatty tissue does play a small role in some cases of gynecomastia, it is not the only issue to contend with. Male breast enlargement is a result of excessive breast tissue. Where fatty tissue is soft and related to weight, breast tissue is glandular. It is dense. It does not change much with weight. This is why men who are otherwise fit may still have puffiness in their chest area.
Even knowing that exercise cannot eliminate gynecomastia, many of our patients feel a sense of urgency to resume their normal workouts after treatment. We understand, and also advise patients not to rush back to the gym. Doing so can create more problems and hold up the progress of healing.
After gynecomastia surgery, rest is the primary action that a man needs to take. This can be difficult when so much effort has previously gone into correcting shape. For the first two weeks of recovery, though, the extent of physical activity is light walking. Patients can walk for up to 30 minutes and can do this a few times a day. It is imperative to maintain a casual pace. Even brisk walking that increases heart rate can disrupt tissue healing and create a risk of complications.
While it may be possible to return to work two weeks after treatment for gynecomastia, physical activity remains limited until about 4 weeks post-op. At that time, the patient may begin walking briskly, hiking, and doing light cardio exercise that primarily uses the lower body. Chest and arm exercises may need to wait until 6 weeks post-op and, when they do resume, should be done slowly and carefully.
Living with gynecomastia is difficult. Treatment can successfully correct this problem and, even with a short recovery period, the outcome of surgery is well worth the wait to get back to a normal exercise routine. Learn more about male breast reduction. Call our Hazleton or Pottsville office to schedule a consultation.
Liposuction is one of the leading cosmetic procedures performed by plastic surgeons. This minimally-invasive body contouring technique has been performed millions of times over the years and has sculpted arms, abdomens, hips, thighs, and more. Over time, we’ve seen several new developments in the area of liposuction, such as the use of innovative technologies to aid in fat reduction. What we do not yet have is a way to prevent loose skin from occurring after liposuction using any particular technique. Here, we discuss why loose skin may be noticed after liposuction and what can be done about it.
Loose skin may look more prominent after liposuction. Does that mean that liposuction is the cause? No. At least not directly. The reason why skin may look looser after liposuction is because, when fat is removed, there is less volume beneath the skin to make it look plump and relatively smooth. Laxity develops when the skin ages or is significantly stretched. Aging affects the skin everywhere on the body. This happens because certain cells stop producing chemicals like collagen, hyaluronic acid, and elastin, which are vital to firm, smooth, elastic skin. Laxity means that the skin cannot bounce back after being stretched. It means that, when the volume of fat is decreased through liposuction, the skin has nothing to push it outward.
It is possible to undergo body contouring treatment that meets all of your needs. An experienced plastic surgeon may have numerous tools to help you achieve the results you want after liposuction. First, it is necessary to observe the skin during the initial consultation for liposuction. Knowing that the skin may look loose and puckered if it is too loose, a plastic surgeon will recommend additional techniques to address this issue. Laxity is not a “wait and see” issue for many people. We know when it may occur and we know what to do about it.
In our practice, solutions to loose skin after liposuction include surgical lift techniques and nonsurgical skin tightening. Which option is best depends on the extent of laxity identified during the consultation. If you have mildly loose skin, treatment like Triniti RF microneedling may be sufficient to promote natural tightening over time. If your tissue laxity is more severe, a surgical lift such as a tummy tuck, thigh lift, or arm lift may be better suited to your needs. There is also the matter of how long results will last to consider.
We can help you get the results you want from liposuction and body contouring. Contact our Hazleton or Pottsville office to schedule your consultation.
THE OFFICE
