Face First
When I started writing health and beauty features for Cincy Chic, I immediately scooped up a couple of assignments that I felt I had complete expertise in. But, even though much of my work is now with medspas, my personal experience falls a bit short when it comes to the big guns of beauty: Cosmetic Surgery. Dont get me wrong, I am ready and willing to be freshened up; and when I win the lottery I will bypass the Jimmy Choos and perhaps instead indulge in a subcutaneous musculoaponeurotic system rhytidectomy. But, in the meantime, I wanted to be able to share with our readers an overview of the ever-increasing menu of procedures that are available.
I focused my research specifically on procedures that help turn back the hands of time, as opposed to procedures, like breast augmentation, that offer a fix for features that you simply may not be thrilled with. Also, while time does take its toll on the body, limited space required that I zero in on exclusively on facial procedures.
Now, it probably goes without saying but, plastic surgery and, the other medical esthetic treatments that are rendered along with them, cannot be effectively selected from a list. Everyone and every face is different and only though a thorough consultation will you be able to determine what products and procedures are right for you. Some lifestyle issues, such as smoking, and medical conditions, such as diabetes, preclude certain types of treatment altogether. But the following will give you some of the details you may need to narrow your research and decide if any, or several, of these procedures might be right for you.
Click here to view a comprehensive analysis of various procedures on the market. (Don't see all 14 pages, or want to save this chart for future reference? Right-click the link and select "Save As…" to save to your computer.)
*Rosacea is a chronic (long-term) disease that affects the skin and sometimes the eyes. The disorder is characterized by redness, pimples, and, in advanced stages, thickened skin.
For more information on these procedures I recommend the invaluable Web site for The American Society of Plastic Surgeons www.plasticsurgery.org. If you are seriously considering any procedures I encourage you to check out their Web site where you will find very detailed information about the procedures and locate the highly skilled physicians that render them in our area. Speaking of our area, the team at The Plastic Surgery Group, which has three tri-state offices, has written a series of articles about many of these procedures. These features contain vital and straightforward information for anyone considering a cosmetic procedure.
Or you can hear about it from Dr. Lawrence C. Kurtzman, one of the six doctors at The Plastic Surgery Group.
"My goal in all of my cosmetic surgery is to make someone look and feel as natural as possible," he says. "To me, if someone looks at a patient of mine and says, 'Gee, you had a facelift or other type of plastic surgery,' I feel as if this is a failure."
Kurtzman is the only plastic surgeon in the Tri-State area who is a national educator for Botox Cosmetic. Many other doctors come to train with him in this capacity.
Picking a plastic surgeon is very important, Kurtzman says. First, find someone who is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, which is the only board recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) for full training in all aspects of plastic surgery. "It is important to understand that while there are a number of self-proclaimed 'boards' there is no board nationally recognized by the ABMS that contains the word 'cosmetic,'" Kurtzman says. "Moreover, your 'board-certified' surgeon may be certified by a board that requires no supervised training in plastic surgery."
It is also advisable to look for a surgeon who is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Kurtzman says. "This indicates that they have been evaluated not only on the number of cases they have performed, but on the quality of the surgery. their surgical judgment and ethics as well."
Learn more about The Plastic Surgery Group at www.theplasticsurgerygroup.com.
