Plastic surgery in Los Angeles is not just for celebrities any more. There is great variety of plastic surgery procedures that a plastic surgeon can offer. When looking at the trends of Los Angeles plastic surgery, it becomes clear that certain procedures are much more popular than other ones.

Breast augmentation using silicone or saline implants is one the most commonly performed plastic surgery procedures. Women who are unhappy with the size of their breasts or would like to restore the breast volume which was lost following pregnancy turn to a plastic surgeon for breast enhancement.

In some women with droopy breasts, in addition to breast augmentation, a breast lift would need to be performed in order to achieve a better shape. Silicone breast implants recently became FDA approved for cosmetic breast augmentation in the United States. Silicone breast implants offer the advantage of a more natural feel and there is less risk in the implant rippling.

A tummy tuck is another commonly performed procedure. Staying in shape and having a flat stomach has been promoted in today's society. Exercise and diet do not always allow for a flat stomach, especially in people who lost weight or in women following pregnancy. These people typically have stretched abdominal skin which can only be removed with surgery. During a tummy tuck loose abdominal muscles are also tightened which further flattens the stomach.

Liposuction is similar to tummy tucks and is also a frequently requested procedure. It can be performed alone or in combination with other procedures such as a tummy tuck. Liposuction will remove areas of fat accumulation such as in flanks, thighs, neck, back, and abdomen.

Rhinoplasty (also referred to as nose reshaping or nose job) concludes the list of most commonly performed procedures. Both men and women turn to a plastic surgeon requesting to improve the shape of the nose. Most commonly, patients complain of a bony hump, wide nose, or droopy tip. Some patients request to improve their breathing. In many patients, rhinoplasty is combined with other procedures such as breast augmentation or liposuction.

As the popularity of plastic surgery is increasing, it becomes very important for any person considering surgery to do research to ensure that your surgeon is skilled and safe.

Vladimir Grigoryants, MD
Plastic Surgeon, Glendale CA

(800)540-0508
http://www.vgplasticsurgery.com

Los Angeles plastic surgeon specializing in breast augmentation

Besides patient misconceptions about what a facelift really is, patients are also unaware that there are different types of facelift procedures today. As part of a basic concept of 'matching the solution to the problem', a facelift procedure should match the degree of anatomic facial aging, age of the patient, what recovery a patient wants to go through, and how much they want to pay for what type of result. All of these considerations go into the decision as to what type of facelift should be done.

Today, facelift operations go by a lot of different names that are primarily marketing in origin. Essentially, facelifts may be dividied into two types, limited and full facelifts. The most popular and marketed facelift today is the limited facelift. It goes by a lot of different names such as short scar facelift, lifestyle lift, MAC lift, quicklift and numerous others, but in the end they are all really the same operation from a patient's perspective. A limited or 'mini-facelift' is a scaled-down modification of a full facelift where the incision (scar) is restricted to in front of the ear only and the amount of skin raised up and ultimately trimmed off is confined to in front of the ear and down into the jowl area only.

In many cases, liposuction of the neck is done with the limited facelift. This produces a nice change in the jowl and upper neck area that needs only a very short recovery. (less than a week) It can often be performed under twilight anesthesis as an outpatient procedure. It is best used in two types of patients, younger patients who have early signs of aging with only small amount of neck and jowl issues and the older patient (who really needs a full facelift for the best result) who does not want to go through a full facelift or, for medical reasons can not go through a full facelift...and is willing to accept as a trade-off a result that is less than that of a full facelift. In other words, someone who is willing to accept some modest facial improvement with limited downtime, costs, and risks of complications. When done with other procedures, such as blepharoplasty and chemical or laser skin peels, the results from a limited facelift are even better.

A full facelift still remains as the gold standard to which any lower facial procedure must be judged, whether that be a limited facelift, threadlift, or a non-surgical 'liquid' facelift. The best results in the patient with more advanced facial aging will always come from a full facelift. A full facelift is where the incisions (scars) run in front of and behind the ears for a more extensive lifting of the neck area. Once can not expect a limited facelift to produce the same result as a full facelift. Full facelifts, while sounding more ominous and extensive, do not require a significantly prolonged recovery. They add a few days to the social recovery aspect (up to 10 days to look socially good) but do not require weeks of recovery as many patients think.

Dr Barry Eppley is a board-certified plastic surgeon in private practice in Indianapolis, Indiana at Clarian Health Systems. (http://www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com) He writes a daily blog on plastic surgery, spa therapies, and medical skin care at http://www.exploreplasticsurgery.com