What a long, cold, snowy winter it’s been – but spring is just a week away and very soon it will be time to peel off all the layers. There are several plastic surgery procedures that may be performed in our office, and produce fantastic results with little or no down time.
To get younger looking skin, skin rejuvenation procedures include in-office peels complemented by an at-home maintenance program. The chemical peel we use in our New York City office produces smoother, younger looking skin, decreases fine wrinkles and blotchiness, and gives the skin more glow. There is no pain, no need for any anaesthetics, and no recovery required for this procedure. It is beneficial for patients to continue with a milder form of peeling at home, including a daily cleansing and moisturizing routine. The peel may be combined with other treatments such as Botox® Cosmetic or Dysport®, Restylane®, Perlane®, and Juvederm®.
To reduce and eliminate wrinkles, we offer individual or combined treatments in our New York City office with Botox® or Dysport®, along with Restylane®, Perlane®, or Juvederm®. These agents work to produce different results and together achieve a younger look. Botox® and Dysport® are neuromuscular blocking agents which prevent muscle contraction. This in turn results in the inability to furrow the skin, and subsequently reduces the appearance of wrinkles such as frown lines and crows’ feet. Treatment with Botox® and Dysport® involves tiny needles for injection, and usually does not require any anaesthetic. There is no down time for recovery other than possible bruising in the treated areas, and it may take a few days for the full effect on the muscles to become obvious. Treatments may be repeated every 3 months or longer, and after a few sessions they may be spread out even more.
Restylane®, Perlane®, and Juvederm® produce effects on wrinkles that are present even when the muscles are already at rest. They are composed of cross-linked hyaluronic acid, a natural substance in the human body. They complement the actions of Botox® and Dysport® by filling in depressions such as deeper wrinkles, nasolabial folds, marionette lines and chin creases or augmenting lips. We offer all of these fillers in our New York City office, including the newer fillers (Juvederm® Ultra XC, Juevederm® Ultra Plus XC, Restylane-L® and Perlane-L®) which include lidocaine for anaesthesia and significantly reduce the discomfort associated with injection. Recovery is also minimal, bruising and lumpiness are some of the more common, though infrequent, side effects. These fillers tend to persist much longer and repeat treatment is usually not indicated before 6 -12 months’ time.
Autologous Fat Injections (A.F.T.’s) are an alternative to the commercially available hyaluronic acid fillers Restylane®, Perlane®, and Juvederm®. These are the patient’s own fat cells which are harvested by a process similar to liposuction, and then used to fill in depressions or augment tissues. The procedure requires local anaesthesia for obtaining the fat, and takes somewhat longer since the fat cells have to be purified and then injected. The results are often longer lasting than with alternative techniques.
Liposuction is a plastic surgery procedure which produces visible results with removal of localized excess fat deposits and subsequent shrinkage of skin. The incisions used for the procedure are only a few millimeters in length, recovery is very quick, and the results clearly visible. Since it may take several weeks before the final results are seen, the spring is a great time to undergo liposuction and be ready for bathing suit weather! Liposuction is also of great benefit to men who suffer from gynecomastia (male breast enlargement), and produces noticeable improvement in those patients.
If you would like to discuss any of these procedures with Dr. Hutchinson, contact our office or call 212 452 1400.
