‘Tis the Season… almost! Hallowe’en has passed, Thanksgiving is around the corner, and we are about to embark on the holiday season. Here in New York City, this means more parties, more social events, more outings – and more selfies, photos, and social media posts. Thankfully, holiday party frenzy does not need to create any additional stress or anxiety when it come to your appearance. You now have plenty of options to help you look (and feel) your best just in time for even the busiest of social calendars.
Here are some of the most commonly sought after treatments for the face and body:
- Facial wrinkles: to minimize frown lines, crows feet, and other wrinkles that make you look old, angry or worried, consider Botox treatments. Botox can also provide relief from excessive underarm sweating (axillary hyperhydrosis) and decrease overly prominent jaw muscles (jaw reduction for masseter muscle hypertrophy). These are quick, effective treatments that produce results within a few days and can last up to 4 months or longer.
- Volume loss and Skin laxity: fat injections and fillers such as Juvederm both restore fullness to the face, cheeks, and lips, and provide mild lifting of sagging skin by replenishing areas of soft tissue volume loss in the face due to aging. They can also be used to fill in laugh lines or camouflage prominent undereye tear troughs to diminish circles under the eyes. Patients with obvious lower eyelid bags and excess thin, crepey skin may also benefit from lower eyelid lift (blepharoplasty). Fillers and fat injections produce immediate results that can last up to a year and even longer with fat grafts; results of blepharoplasty are maintained for years.
- Uneven skin tone – blemishes, pigmentation, fine wrinkles: microneedling uses collagen induction therapy (or percutaneous induction neocollagenesis) to stimulate production of collagen and elastin, resulting in smoother, tighter, more even skin. It may be performed together with PRP (platelet rich plasma) to boost results of skin resurfacing. Chemical peels with agents such as TCA and lactic acid also promote turnover of the superficial, aged skin layers with resultant skin turnover and younger looking skin. Both are in office procedures which produce temporary redness that resolves in 1-2 days. For deeper wrinkles or scars that demand more aggressive treatment, dermabrasion is a more effective surgical method of skin resurfacing that requires slightly longer for full recovery.
- Body shape issues – unwanted fat deposits: liposuction is the gold standard for creating smooth body shape and contour. It can be performed as a targeted treatment of neck fullness in patients who appear to have a double chin, to correct mild jowling, and for stubborn fat deposits in the abdomen, flanks (love handles), outer thighs (saddle bags), inner thighs, and arms. It is also the procedure of choice for addressing gynecomastia in men (male breast reduction for enlarged men’s breasts). Results can be seen as soon as several days post-operatively once swelling begins to resolve, and body shape continues to improve over weeks and months as the skin shrinks down and redrapes to produce the final contour. Fat removal with liposuction is permanent.
If you’re thinking about addressing any of these or other cosmetic concerns, make sure to discuss all your wishes and expectations with a board certified plastic surgeon who specializes in aesthetic surgery in order to obtain the best results.
Dr. Olivia Hutchinson is a board certified female plastic surgeon in New York City advanced fellowship training in aesthetic surgery of the face, breast, and body. Her cosmetic surgery practice on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in NYC is equipped with a fully accredited AAAASF Operating Room for the safety, privacy, and comfort of her patients. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Hutchinson, please contact us or call us at (212) 452-1400.
