A “Mommy Makeover” can be very rewarding, helping women regain their pre-baby figure (and their self-confidence). Many Mommy Makeover patients feel that they get a new lease on life – and that’s a truly wonderful thing. But what about dads? They stay up with fussy babies, change diapers, and get worn out too. While it’s not as common, the “Daddy Makeover” does exist, and the procedures men tend to choose for their cosmetic enhancement may surprise you.

Tummy tucks are usually included in my Sacramento Mommy Makeovers. Tummy tucks can reduce excess skin and fat in the midsection and mend separated abdominal muscles – conditions encountered by most moms. But women aren’t the only ones frustrated by the changes they see in their midsection; men may also benefit from a tummy tuck procedure.

I’ve found that liposuction is often an even better body contouring procedure for most men because it can address love handles, male breasts, and other areas besides the abdomen. I can adjust the liposuction procedure specifically for the areas that concern men the most.

Most men aren’t just worried about the changes they see in their bodies – they’re unhappy about changes in their faces as well. For a refreshed, stronger, and more virile look, men may want to consider eyelid surgery, a brow lift, chin augmentation, or a face lift.

As you can see, a skilled plastic surgeon can help men get exactly the kind of makeover they want. For slight improvements or more dramatic changes, Daddy Makeovers just might be the next big thing.

If you’re planning for your wedding – possibly the single most memorable day of your life – it makes sense that you want everything to be perfect, including your appearance. That’s why many brides and grooms begin well in advance to improve diet and exercise, set dates for manicures and pedicures, or make teeth-whitening and skin-tanning appointments. In my practice, we’ve also seen a rise in the number of patients requesting pre-wedding cosmetic treatments and surgical procedures. Here are just a few.

Microdermabrasion: 3 days prior to wedding

After just one treatment, microdermabrasion helps your skin glow by gently exfoliating the outermost dead layer of skin.

Designer facials: 3 days prior to wedding

We uniquely tailor your facial based on an analysis of your skin’s tone and texture.

Dermal fillers: 3 weeks prior to wedding

Facial fillers can enhance and plump lips or cheeks, smooth marionette lines and deep furrows, and fill in scar depressions, including acne scars.

BOTOX® Cosmetic Treatment: 3 weeks prior to wedding

BOTOX can help you achieve smooth, wrinkle-free skin on your forehead, and it can minimize crow’s feet or frown lines.

Laser skin resurfacing: 3 to 4 months prior to wedding

FotoFacial® RF Laser Skin Rejuvenation reduces age spots, red spots, rosacea, and spider veins from the face, hands, and chest with Elos® technology, a combination of light and radiofrequency energies. A total of 5 treatments (1 every 3 weeks) is recommended.

Liposuction: 3 to 6 months prior to wedding

Using advanced liposuction techniques at my Long Island practice, I can sculpt specific problem areas of your body to achieve a smooth, contoured shape.

Breast augmentation: 6 months prior to wedding

Breast augmentation can give you the beautiful breasts you have always wanted.

Laser hair removal: 6 months prior to wedding

Laser hair removal permanently reduces treated hair in just 6 to 8 treatments, each spaced about 4 weeks apart.

For many women and men, pre-wedding cosmetic treatments or surgical procedures give them added confidence that they will look their very best on their big day.

Anyone who’s lost a lot of weight knows that the excitement of parting with those pounds often comes with an undesired consequence: loose, flabby, or wrinkled skin. The problem increases with age because as we grow older, our skin loses elasticity. This can be one reason for some people to be reluctant about having liposuction, especially on or near the face, or on an area that will not typically be covered with clothing (e.g., upper arms, legs, or stomach).

Is this a sufficient reason to avoid liposuction? Probably not, but a good plastic surgeon will be able to analyze your skin to give you a better sense of what you can expect following surgery and recovery.

In addition, your plastic surgeon has many surgical and non-surgical tools to improve the look of your skin after liposuction if he or she determines that you will have excess sagging or wrinkling following the procedure. In the face or neck region, a brow lift or facelift can tighten loose or sagging skin. In the abdominal region, a tummy tuck works extremely well to remove excess skin and tighten muscles. Also, the thermal qualities of Smartlipo™ laser liposuction in Los Angeles can stimulate collagen production and cause tissues to contract, leaving skin looking tightened and toned. Finally, your surgeon might recommend using a follow-up laser or radiofrequency skin treatment to help tone and tighten your skin or decrease wrinkles.

If you’ve had a liposuction procedure, I encourage you to share your results here so others can learn from your experience.

People looking for a cosmetic surgeon in New Jersey often ask me about the latest liposuction procedures. Many want to avoid the scarring and recovery time that follows traditional procedures. I have had tremendous success with a method called the VASER® Lipo System. This ultrasonic procedure selectively melts fat while minimizing damage to surrounding tissues. Other benefits of this procedure include:

1. The fat removal process is more precise and efficient.
2. The incisions are smaller, which minimizes bruising and scarring post-surgery.
3. The results are smoother and tighter than those from older techniques.
4. Faster healing can occur because VASER stimulates the tissues to contract faster post-surgery.
5. It can be combined with other methods to target specific body areas more efficiently.

As a board-certified plastic surgeon, I have a great deal of experience with Philadelphia liposuction patients. I’ve found that Smartlipo™ is another effective alternative for removing stubborn fat deposits from trouble areas such as the hips and thighs. This is laser-based liposuction that can remove fat cells more precisely than traditional methods, reducing recovery time and decreasing the risk of complications.

If you are considering plastic surgery in New Jersey, talk to your cosmetic surgeon about VASER and Smartlipo. Make sure your doctor provides a range of options and fully educates you on the benefits and potential risks of each procedure.

If you are considering breast augmentation in New Jersey, you may have come across an interesting new study that’s been getting plenty of press. Researchers recently found that fat liposuctioned from areas such as the upper thighs could be a viable alternative to using saline or silicone implants for breast augmentation. The study followed the surgeries of 50 women and offers evidence to support the use of a patient’s own fat when performing breast implant surgery.

Although this is an intriguing development that may lead to new methods of breast augmentation combining liposuction in New Jersey, more research is needed to determine the probability of long-term success, as well as the potential risks involved with this kind of procedure. Some concerns include fat re-absorption by the body and fat calcification, which could interfere with mammogram results and prevent the detection of cancer cells. It is for these and similar reasons that the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) both do not recommend fat grafting for breast augmentation, indicating that additional safety and efficacy data are needed.

It’s important to remember that the two current breast implant options – saline and silicone – are both very safe and can offer beautiful, natural-looking outcomes. Despite past uncertainty about the use of silicone in breast implants, decades of research have supported its use, and the latest generation of silicone gel implants offers an advanced design that increases durability.

Many women prefer the look of silicone gel implants, and I have had great success with this implant type. There are unique advantages to each alternative that your plastic surgeon can explain to determine the best option for you.

Liposuction generally gives my Fort Myers and Naples patients a slim, smooth new look. However, as New Beautypoints out, liposuction can have some undesirable effects such as post-surgery lumps or dimples. The cause? Hardening scar tissue. If you’ve read about this unwelcome aftereffect, don’t spend too much time worrying, because there are things that can be done to minimize poor skin texture. For instance, an easy way to improve the lumps yourself is with gentle massage or wearing a compression garment for a few weeks following the procedure. If these at-home fixes don’t work, I’d also encourage you to contact your surgeon. He or she may suggest fat grafting or additional liposuction to address your concerns.

Sleep is vitally important for your health and wellbeing. It’s a time for your body and your mind to rest and recover. This is especially true for my Green Bay, Oshkosh and Milwaukee area patients after cosmetic surgery. Getting enough sleep is something I really try to emphasize to them. Often, my patients will be recovering from liposuction, a tummy tuck, or another procedure to slim and tone their figure. For these patients, sleep is important for yet another reason: weight control.

Studies have shown that there is a connection between getting enough sleep and staying thin. As New Beauty magazine reports, we may be dealing with a confusing “chicken or the egg?” scenario here. Whether lack of sleep can cause increased weight, or excess weight can negatively impact your sleep (or both) has not been established conclusively. However, there is a strong indication that getting sufficient, good-quality sleep can help keep you looking slim.

The bottom line: Rest helps your body recover and will help to keep you looking and feeling vibrant in the months and years after surgery.

If you’ve had liposuction or are considering the procedure, there’s a term you’ve probably heard mentioned: tumescent fluid. Perhaps your surgeon glossed over an explanation or you were too nervous to ask. I think it’s important to understand, so I thought I’d give a brief summary here.

Tumescent fluid is a sterile solution containing:

• Saline
• Epinephrine or adrenaline
• Lidocaine

What It Does

During my Tampa liposuction procedures, the use of tumescent fluid accomplishes several important goals. First, the lidocaine acts as an anesthetic, minimizing pain. Second, the adrenaline reduces bleeding. Finally, tumescent fluid makes the process of fat removal easier by causing tissue to become swollen and firm. Ultimately, patients experience faster recovery, less bleeding, reduced bruising, less discomfort and improved results.

Use with Other Liposuction Techniques

Although tumescent liposuction is considered its own liposuction technique, other methods of liposuction such as power-assisted liposuction, ultrasound-assisted liposuction or Smartlipo™ (laser assisted liposuction) also use tumescent fluid. In truth, it has become an industry standard and an essential part of most liposuction procedures.

The case of the Argentinean beauty queen who passed away after cosmetic surgery has garnered international attention. A vibrant life cut short is always a tragedy. If you haven’t read about it, here are the details: Solange Magnano went in for a gluteoplasty (buttock enhancement) and died from a pulmonary embolism.

Besides the sympathy and sadness many people feel, there are also probably a lot of people considering cosmetic surgery who wonder, “Could that be me?” In particular, if you are considering liposuction, you may have heard that pulmonary embolism is one risk following surgery. I’d like to explain a little more about this news tragedy especially for my liposuction patients in Lexington and Louisville.

Although the risk of death after liposuction is low, pulmonary embolism is the leading cause of death following this procedure. The way it works is this: alteration in blood flow causes deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in the deep veins of the legs). In the case of the pulmonary embolism, a clot travels to the main artery of the lung, where it blocks flow of blood to the lung, which can stop respiration and lead to death. Studies have suggested that liposuction may be among the cosmetic procedures most likely to lead to pulmonary embolism.

While it’s important to know and understand the risks of liposuction, keep in mind that U.S. surgeons are trained to take steps to minimize the formation of blood clots following surgery, including:

• Administration of anticoagulants such as heparin
• Compression
• Physical activity soon after surgery

An experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon will take every precaution to minimize complications associated with liposuction and will thoroughly discuss the risks with you. When performed correctly and with proper follow-up care, your liposuction procedure can be very safe and produce beautiful results.

Many of my patients have dealt with it – the response they often get when they discuss their decision to have liposuction surgery in Los Angeles: “Why don’t you just join the gym?” Besides being hurtful, this question shows the ignorance of the person asking it. It’s easy to get upset, to be angry or sad when you encounter this. But I’d like to offer an alternative: inform them.

Your Explanation

Here’s what you say: liposuction is not intended to be an alternative to diet and exercise. Any plastic surgeon will tell you that it is specifically used for fat deposits that are diet and exercise-resistant. What this means is that you can go to the gym every day, follow a stringent diet, and still have areas of your body that don’t respond. It’s only after these other alternatives have been attempted without success that liposuction becomes an option.

If you’ve had a body contouring procedure and you’re talking to a skeptic, I encourage you to try to inform them and then share the response you get here so that others can decide for themselves if this method works.