There’s a saying about your pores. You can’t live with them, you can’t live without them. You need pores on your skin to flush out sweat and oil. But, sometimes, that sweat and oil can mix with dirt and debris, and clog the pores, making them the larger. Or, in some cases, people are born with naturally large pores, which make them more likely to have skin problems and breakouts. While you don’t want to close off your pores and you can’t make them invisible, there are things you can do to make them less visible and less of an issue.
The pores on your skin are the site of hair follicles. You have pores all over your body, except in the areas where you have no natural hair (such as the bottom of your feet and the palms of your hands). Along with containing a hair follicle, each pore is also connected to a sebaceous gland, which allows your body’s natural oils to be transported to the surface of the skin.
While you might be thinking “ick,” remember that you need that oil to keep your skin moisturized. It’s only when too much oil is produced that things become an issue.
Several factors influence the size of your pores. Some are just naturally larger than the rest, because they have larger connected oil glands. Some people have larger pores than others because of their genes. Finally, some external factors, such as dirt buildup and even aging, can make the pores larger.
If you’re concerned about your pores or feel that they are way more visible than they used to be, there are several ways you can deal with them, both at home and with the help of a board certified facial plastic surgeon. Since clogged pores tend to look larger than unclogged pores, one of the first things you might want to do is make sure you’re using products that won’t clog your pores.
While it’s common for products designed for use on the face or other areas of skin to be non comedogenic, or non-pore-clogging, it’s still worth it to check and verify that your products are. Just look at the packaging and see if it mentions whether or not it’s non-comedogenic or whether it won’t clog pores. Usually, products that don’t cause pore issues are going to say so.
Another thing to look out for when choosing skincare products is a product that irritates your skin or leads to an increase in oil production. When a product is too-drying or irritating, your skin typically makes more oil to try and calm things down. Your body might also produce extra oil if you have naturally oily skin and are using a very creamy or very moisturizing product.
Finally, keeping your skin clean is another way to keep your pores under control from the comfort of your own home. Dirt buildup in the pores makes them bigger and can clog them. Make sure you’re using a gentle, non-irritating cleanser once or twice a day, to wash away any dirt or cosmetics.
If daily cleansing and choosing your products with care doesn’t seem to be helping your pores, you may need to enlist the help of a facial plastic surgeon. A number of in-office treatments can help improve the look of your pores. For example, a chemical peel encourages exfoliation of the skin, removing buildup of dead skin cells which can clog your pores. Chemical peels come in a variety of strengths, too, so there is likely to be a peel that will tackle your biggest skin concerns, from uneven skin tone to enlarged pores and from fine lines and wrinkles to frequent breakouts.
Other in-office treatment options include laser skin resurfacing. Like a chemical peel, laser skin treatments exfoliate the skin, removing dead skin cells and improving the overall appearance and texture of the skin.
Dr. Stephen P. Smith is a board certified facial plastic surgeon from a long line of plastic surgeons. If you are concerned about the signs of aging on your face, particularly about the size of your pores, Dr. Smith can help you determine which treatment is best for you and can discuss the best ways to care for your skin at home. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Smith at his practice in , call (614) 678-7180 today.
Unless you go through life never eating, smiling, or speaking, you can’t avoid moving your mouth and lips. While you really can’t skip eating or speaking, you probably wish you could skip the tiny, fine lines those activities eventually create around your lips and mouth.
Lines around your lips, sometimes called “smoker’s lines,” and more formally called “perioral lines,” are often one of the first signs of aging to appear. You might notice them when you are still in your 20s, for example. No matter how old you are though, there are a few ways to fight the lines and get lips that look more youthful.
You know what they say – an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Protecting your lips and the area around your lips from the factors that are most likely to lead to the development of those lines can go a long way.
First, it helps to understand why people develop perioral lines in the first place. Typically, the lines form after years of repeated movements in the lip area. Along with repetitive movements, which lead to the development of creases and folds, the collagen in the area begins to break down as you get older.
Certain movements can make the lines more likely to appear, such as puckering up when you sip through a straw or pursing your lips when upset. The act of placing a cigarette between your lips and taking a drag on it on it, over and over, can also lead to the development of perioral lines, hence their nickname “smoker’s wrinkles.” The nasty ingredients in cigarettes can also break down collagen more easily, speeding up the aging process. Quitting smoking can go a long ways towards keeping the lines away.
Sun exposure also plays a big part in the development of the lines around your lips and in how youthful your actual lips look. Wearing sunscreen around the mouth on a daily basis will help shield your lip area from the effects of the sun. It’s also a good idea to wear a lip gloss or other lip product that contains sunscreen, and to reapply it throughout the day, to protect your actual lips from the sun.
Fillers can go a long way to helping your lips and mouth area look more youthful. If you are bothered by fine lines around your lips, talk to a surgeon about using a thin hyaluronic acid filler, such as Belotero, in the area to add subtle volume and fill in the lines for up to nine months.
Botox injections might be another option to help you deal with lines around the lips. While a filler like Belotero adds volume to the area, Botox works differently. It keeps you from making the movements that lead to the development of lines and creases around the mouth, so that those lines fade for a period of time. They will most likely return once the injectable wears off and you can make the movements again, but you can also keep repeating the treatment, to keep them at bay.
Fillers are not only useful for treating the area around your lips. They can also give you more youthful looking lips by adding volume to the lip area itself. Typically, a surgeon will use a filler made of hyaluronic acid for lip augmentation. Unlike fillers made of collagen, hyaluronic acid fillers produce a soft, natural result and have a very low likelihood of causing an allergic reaction. Another option for is to use your own fat, taken from another area of the body, to add volume to the lips.
Since the breakdown of collagen is often responsible for the development of lip lines, some people might benefit from a treatment that stimulates collagen production, such as laser skin resurfacing. A non-ablative laser treatment, which doesn’t destroy the top layer of skin, is usually ideal for fine lip lines. More deeply etched lines might not respond as well to a non-ablative treatment, though.
If you are concerned about the signs of aging around your lips or are looking for a way to get fuller, more youthful lips, talk to a facial plastic surgeon, such as Dr. Stephen Smith. Dr. Smith is a fourth-generation facial plastic surgeon, with two practices in . To schedule a consultation with him, call today.
Today’s laser skin resurfacing treatments aren’t like those of the past. Fractionated CO2 laser treatments target specific small areas of the skin, so that you get major results, without extensive wounding or a long healing process. Although fractionated laser treatments might have a shorter recovery period and might be much less uncomfortable, they are still major medical treatments. That means there are a few things you’ll want to do before and after your laser treatment to help you get ready and to help yourself heal.
Usually, laser treatments, including CO2 laser and pulsed dye lasers are only recommended for people in good physical health. Even if you feel healthy and don’t have a history of any medical conditions, it’s a good idea to schedule an appointment with your primary care doctor in advance, to confirm that you’re healthy enough for the treatment or to get any conditions under control for you decide to move forward with a laser treatment.
If you have certain types of infections, such as herpes (or cold sores), your doctor might want to take extra precautions to keep an outbreak from occurring after a laser treatment. You’ll most likely be given an antiviral medicine to take before the laser treatment and after to keep the virus from acting up.
Once you’ve gotten a clean bill of health from your primary doctor, you can make an appointment for a consultation with a facial plastic surgeon. The consultation is an important step, as it provides you with more information about a laser procedure and helps you see if it’s really what you want. The consultation also helps your surgeon assess whether you’re ready for a treatment and whether what you are hoping to get out of the treatment is realistic.
During the consultation, you’ll want to discuss any medications you take or any habits you have with your surgeon. He might recommend avoiding certain medicines before treatment, such as aspirin or other blood thinners and he might recommend that you quit smoking, too.
It’s best to avoid the sun in the weeks leading up to your laser skin resurfacing treatments and in the weeks after treatment. Exposure to the sun’s UV rays, even up to two months before treatment, can cause irreversible pigment changes after your laser treatment. For best results, always wear a sunscreen with an SPF of 30. Reapply the sunscreen often throughout the day and avoid spending lots of time outdoors in direct sunlight.
You’ll also want to avoid sun exposure after your treatment. The skin will be very tender while it heals. Exposure to UV rays can cause pigmentation changes or burns that are very uncomfortable. Limit your time outdoors as much as you can. Along with wearing a sunscreen, also wear a hat with a wide brim to keep the sun off of your face and a pair of sunglasses.
After your laser treatment, your skin will feel a bit raw. It will most likely be red and swollen and there might be some scabbing or crusting. When you feel comfortable returning to work depends on you. It might be a good idea to request about a week off from work, just to be on the safe side. You might feel well enough to return after a day or two, or you might feel self-conscious about your appearance for a full week afterwards. It’s better to be on the safe side and to take more time off than you think you’ll need rather than to only request a day or two off and to end up wishing you’d taken a full week.
Follow any instructions given by your surgeon to help your face heal as quickly as possible after treatment. He might recommend certain types of pain medications to help relieve discomfort, for example. Only take the recommended medicines as needed and avoid any medicines not specifically mentioned by your doctor.
You can use cold compresses to help bring down swelling in the face after treatment. It might also be helpful to use a lotion or moisturizing cream to help protect the healing area and to keep it hydrated. Ask your surgeon if he recommends any type of lotion or ointment for use after laser treatments. Usually, you can start wearing makeup again pretty soon after a laser treatment. Ask your doctor first, to make sure it’s OK to start using cosmetics again.
Dr. Stephen Smith, a fourth generation facial plastic surgeon in , offers two types of laser treatments at his practice’s laser center. To learn more about laser skin resurfacing and what you can do to prepare and during your recovery, call to schedule a consultation with Dr. Smith at either of his two practice locations.
For some patients, one of the toughest things to get used to after facial plastic surgery, whether they have a facelift, brow lift or rhinoplasty, is the change in sleeping position. If you’re used to sleeping on your side or on your stomach, suddenly having to sleep on your back, with your head propped up, to help minimize swelling and prevent injury to the still-healing area, can be quite a change. While it might take a bit of getting used to, there are a few things you can do to help yourself fall fast asleep on the nights immediately following your surgery.
One of the best ways to fall asleep (and stay asleep) as you recover from a facelift or other facial surgery is to take the time to relax and unwind first. Stop looking at any type of screen, whether it’s your computer, tablet, phone, or even the television, at least 30 minutes before you plan on turning in for the night. The blue light from screens can lower your melatonin levels and make falling asleep more difficult.
Along with cutting down on screen time, you might to rethink the activities you do right before bed. Spending a few minutes meditating or taking deep breaths can help your body unwind, as can reading a light novel or magazine. Soaking in a tub of warm water can also help you relax and prepare for sleep. Just make sure you follow your surgeon’s instructions when it comes to getting your face wet.
If you regularly consume a lot of caffeine, you might want to cut back to help yourself sleep after facial plastic surgery. Instead of having a cup of coffee in the hours before bed, try a cup of herbal tea. You can also try a classic trick parents have used on children for years and try drinking a glass of warmed milk before you head up to bed.
If you have trouble falling asleep under normal circumstances, it might be that your bedroom is partly to blame. It’s usually recommended that you limit the number of activities that take place the bed. If you’re using it as a family gathering room, a work room, and a place for sleeping, it’s easy for wires to get crossed and for you to have trouble getting a good night’s sleep. Move the laptop and TV out of the room and ask your family not to congregate in there (that’s what living rooms are designed for).
It could also be that the decor of your room is too stimulating, making it hard to fall asleep. If there’s a lot of bold color or vibrant patterns in your bedroom, consider replacing them with more neutral or toned down shades, before your surgery, if possible.
A good pillow can make the difference between a night spent wide awake and a peaceful night’s sleep. It can be helpful to invest in special pillows to help you sleep after your procedure. A wedge shaped pillow will give you enough support and will keep your head elevated, minimizing swelling and discomfort.
Pillows can also help you stay still throughout the night, which is important when you’re recovering from rhinoplasty. You don’t want to roll over onto your side or stomach and bump your nose in the process. When you climb into bed every night, position pillows along either side of your body, to keep yourself in place and prevent any tossing or turning.
Several factors can affect how comfortable you feel at night and how well your sleep. The first is how much pain you are dealing with. While pain after surgery is usually minimal, it can make sleeping difficult during the first few days after a procedure. If that is the case for you, taking a pain reliever prescribed by your surgeon can help bring down the pain and help you get to sleep.
The temperature of the room also affects your comfort level. If it’s really hot in there, no one will get a good night’s sleep. Make sure you run the air conditioning at night during the hot months and don’t be afraid to keep it very cool. You might see a bump in your energy bill, but it’ll be worth it if you’re able to get six to eight hours of sleep instead of lying restlessly awake at night.
Dr. Stephen P. Smith, a fourth generation facial plastic surgeon in , wishes a comfortable recovery for all of his patients. If you have questions about your recovery or want to learn more about a specific facial plastic surgery, call to schedule a consultation with Dr. Smith at one of his two practices today.
Now that summer is here, the brighter sunlight and longer hours of daylight might have you taking a closer look at yourself in the mirror. You might have a series of parties and events planned for the season that cause you to be more critical of your appearance or you might want to look at youthful and refreshed as possible before you head off on a vacation.
You might not have the time to set aside for a rejuvenating surgical procedure this summer, but odd are likely that you have time for a short, minimally invasive procedure to take a few years off of your appearance. No matter where your main area of concern is, there are several quick ways to get a refreshed appearance this season.
Years of furrowing your brows or squinting can lead to lines between the brows or at the corners of your eyes. Those lines can make you look angry, sad or even just years older than you are. Fortunately, a relatively quick way to treat those lines has been around for years now. Botox injections will temporarily erase the lines between your eyebrows or the crow’s feet at the corners of your eyes.
While the injections themselves take just a few minutes, it does take about a week for the results of the treatment to appear. After that, results last for about three months. If you have Botox performed at the beginning of summer, you can enjoy the entire season without worrying about whether your frown lines or crow’s feet are adding years to your appearance.
There might be some swelling or redness right after the injection, and you’ll want to be careful to keep your head up in the hours following the treatment, so that the Botox doesn’t travel to another area or cause complications, but for the most part, you’ll be able to get back to your normal life immediately after the injection.
Perhaps you want a treatment that gives your entire face a refreshed appearance. If so, a chemical peel might be a good option for you. A peel is designed to treat a wide range of skin concerns, from fine lines and wrinkles to acne scarring. It can help reduce hyperpigmentation or age spots and can improve the texture of sun damaged skin.
Peels come in a variety of strengths, too. A very mild or superficial peel might be the best option for you if you want something that will correct minimal damage or minimal signs of aging and that has a minimal amount of downtime.
One downside of a peel in the summertime is that you do need to limit sun exposure afterwards. For that reason, it’s probably not a good idea to schedule a chemical peel of any strength right before a trip to the beach or other sunny location.
Botox injections can help minimize lines created by constant movements over the years. Injectable fillers, such as Belotero, Restylane or Juvederm, can help minimize the rest of the lines on your face. Fillers made from hyaluronic acid or calcium hydroxyapatite, such as Radiesse, work by adding volume to the area beneath the skin.
Like Botox, the treatment process is quick and many people are able to go back to their regular lives immediately. Unlike Botox, most fillers provide instant results, so you don’t have to wait a week or so to see what you’re going to get from the treatment. The results from many injectable fillers also tend to last for longer than the results from Botox. Your results might last from anywhere from six months to more than a year, depending on the brand of filler and the main ingredient.
One sign of aging you might not think about as much as lines, wrinkles and discoloration is a loss of volume in the lip area. If your lips are getting thinner with age, you do have options, though. Many injectable fillers can also be used to add volume to the lips, so that you can get a plumper pout for the summer.
Lip augmentation using a hyaluronic acid filler has several benefits. The treatment is pretty quick, the side effects and downtime are minimal, and the results can be undone if you think your lips are too full. The treatment isn’t permanent, and usually lasts around six months, at which point you can have it repeated if you like the new volume in your lips.
Fourth generation facial plastic surgeon Dr. Stephen Smith offers a variety of non-surgical, minimally invasive treatments at his practice. If you’d like to get a more refreshed or youthful look just in time for the summer season, talk to Dr. Smith at either of his two practice locations. Call for a consultation at the practice in , . To schedule an appointment in Columbus, , call 614-678-7180 today.
Back when you were in your 20s or 30s, a facelift might not have been something you ever saw yourself considering. But, as you get older, and notice signs of sagging and wrinkles on your face, you might be more likely to consider surgery, especially if you have friends who are talking about their success with surgery or their desire to have facial plastic surgery.
Determining if you’re ready for a facelift involves more than just looking at your face in the mirror or confirming that you’ve reached a certain age. Whether you’re ready for facial plastic surgery or not depends on many factors, some of them physical, some of them emotional. Your surgeon can help you decide if the procedure is appropriate for you, or if other options are a better fit at the moment.
Understanding what you hope to get out of the surgery and what your goals are is the first step to figuring out whether or not a facelift is the right move at the moment. Your goals can be physical, mental and emotional. No matter what they are, what is important is that they are realistic. For example, you might be thinking about a facelift because you are hoping it will make you feel the way you did at 30.
While the surgery will take a few years off of your appearance, it won’t bring you back to a more youthful time in your life. You’ll still think and feel the way you do now, whether you’re 45 or 60.
The driving reason behind your surgery also plays a big part in whether or not you’re ready for it. Think about who you are have the procedure for. Are you doing it because it’s something you want to do? Or, are you doing it because you are having problems with your relationship and you hope that looking younger will solve them? Are you thinking about a facelift because you hope to land a promotion at work? The surgery can turn back time in turns of your looks, but it won’t repair your relationship or lead to automatic advancement at your job.
Finally, it’s worth it to think of what your goals are when it comes to your physical appearance. During a consultation, your surgeon will give you a realistic idea of what the surgery will change about your appearance. For example, it can make you look refreshed and smooth sagging skin. But, it won’t give you the face of a celebrity or completely change your facial structure.
Generally, people considering facelifts need to be in good health. If you have any long term medical issues or have habits, such as smoking or drinking, that interfere with your health, your surgeon will most likely advise you to wait until any conditions are under control or until you’ve quit smoking for a certain amount time before having surgery. Even if you feel completely fine and have no history of illness, it’s a good idea to have your primary care doctor perform a full check-up before you schedule a consultation with a surgeon, just to make sure everything is in good order.
Your expectations are realistic and you’ve been given a clean bill of health. Next up is to make sure the type of aging you have makes you a good candidate for the surgery. To be a candidate for a facelift, you should have some looseness or sagging in the lower part of your face, by the cheeks and chin. If your primary concerns or wrinkles are in the upper part of the face, a procedure such as a browlift might be a better option. If you just have a mild amount of looseness in the lower area of the face, a mini facelift can be a more appropriate pick.
If you are more concerned with the color or texture of your skin, a non-surgical procedure, such as laser skin resurfacing, might be more appropriate. While a facelift will smooth your lines and wrinkles and remove sagging, it won’t even out skin tone or reduce the appearance of your pores.
Knowing any potential complications and understanding what the recovery period will be like are two more considerations when deciding if you are ready for a facelift. While any risks can be rare and can be minimized by following the instructions given by your surgeon, it’s still important that you understand what they are.
Part of understanding the risks and potential complications is understanding the recovery process. If you know what could go wrong, you’re more likely to understand the importance of taking it easy during recovery and of avoiding certain activities, such as exercising or even going to work for a few days. Being ready for a facelift means being ready to set aside a week or two afterwards to relax and recover, before going back to work.
Dr. StephenSmith, a fourth generation facial plastic surgeon in , is available to help you decide if you’re ready for a facelift. Dr. Smith can give you the full details on what the surgery entails and help you determine if your expectations are realistic. Dr. Smith has two practice locations in the state. For a consultation at the practice in , , call . To schedule an appointment in Columbus, , call 614-678-7180 today.
Although plastic surgery is more popular and common than ever, there are still a number of concerns and worries that hold people back or that make them hesitate over having a procedure performed. From tabloids to reality TV, there are also plenty of sources of misinformation about plastic surgery or stories that hype up all that can go wrong. While it’s perfectly normal to have some concerns before undergoing a procedure, if you choose your surgeon carefully and take the time to plan out your surgery, you can minimize any risks and concerns.
One of the biggest concerns people often have when considering any type of facial plastic surgery, from a browlift to rhinoplasty is that there will be complications or that something will go wrong during the procedure or as they are recovering. While the risk for complications can’t always be ruled out and every patient should go into a procedure with an understanding of the potential risks, there are plenty of ways to minimize those complications.
Making sure you are in the best health possible before surgery is one of the biggest ways you can cut down on your risks. Some conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, can increase your risk for bleeding and other issues. If you get any conditions under control and give up certain lifestyle choices, such as smoking, before your procedure, you can help increase the likelihood of a positive outcome.
Going the extra mile when it comes to your health can also reduce the risk for complications. For example, getting to your goal weight or to a healthier weight is often recommended, as eating diet that contains plenty of nutritious, vitamin and mineral rich foods.
Another big concern people have about plastic surgery focuses on their results. You might be worried that you will hate your nose after rhinoplasty or that your facelift will give you that windswept, pulled back look. Reviewing a surgeon’s work in the past, by looking at a variety of before and after photos, will give you an idea of how your own surgery might turn out. You can also talk to past patients to get an idea of whether or not how they looked after their surgery was in line with what they discussed with the surgeon and with what they were expecting.
Along with worrying about how your results will turn out, you might also worry about how people will react to your changed look. The opinions of some people will obviously matter more to you than the opinions of others. While you might be able to shrug off a sarcastic comment from a gossipy co-worker, you might be considerably more concerned if your partner or spouse is disappointed with how you look after surgery.
Getting your partner involved in the process can help him or her feel more comfortable with the idea of surgery and can help him or her get a sense of what it will or won’t do to your appearance. While the decision to have a procedure is ultimately completely up to you, getting your partner involved can make things go a bit more smoothly, particularly at the home front.
Choosing the right surgeon for your procedure makes a big difference when it comes to how things will turn out. While you definitely want to look at the surgeon’s qualifications, to make sure that he is board certified and has ample experience performing the surgery you’re considering, you also want to weigh how comfortable you feel in the practice and during your consultation. You want to work with a surgeon who listens to you and who takes your concerns seriously. The atmosphere of the surgical practice matters, too. You want to feel welcomed there from the minute you step foot in the reception area.
You’ve got your concerns about the surgeon and about complications sorted out and you feel pretty confident about going forward with the surgery. There’s just one issue that’s still weighing on your mind: how to pay for the procedure. If you have the funds to cover the surgery in full upfront, that’s great. But, there are other options, too, that don’t necessarily involve taking on a lot of high interest debt. For example, you might be able to use a special medical financing program, which offers either no interest payment plans or low interest plans. If you have a low interest credit card, with a relatively high balance, that can be an option for payment, too.
If you are considering facial plastic surgery, but still have a number of concerns, Dr. Stephen Smith, a fourth generation facial plastic surgeon, can help put your mind at ease. Dr. Smith can answer any questions you have about a procedure, from whether it’s a good pick for you to how you can best prepare. Dr. Smith’s practice has two locations in . For a consultation at the practice in Columbus, call 614-678-7180. For an appointment at Dr. Smith’s practice in , , call .
Admittedly, there is no way to guarantee that you will be 100 percent happy with the results you get from rhinoplasty, or nasal surgery. While you can’t fully guarantee that you’ll be absolutely happy with your results, there are a number of things you can do to bring that number as close to 100 percent as possible. Who you work with, how healthy you are, and what you do after surgery all play a part in determining how your results turn out.
One of the biggest factors when determining how successful your surgery is or not is the surgeon you decide to work with. Many surgeons will tell you that rhinoplasty is one of the most challenging surgeries to perform. The surgeon is making very fine adjustments to a very delicate part of the body.
When performed by untrained hands or by a person with limited experience, there’s a lot that can go wrong with the procedure. That’s why it’s so important to vet your surgeon before you decide to work with him. First things first, you want a surgeon who is a board certified facial plastic surgeon, as that means he has training and experience operating on the face and understands facial anatomy. Next, you want a surgeon has focuses on rhinoplasty and who performs the surgery on a weekly basis, preferable several times throughout the week.
But, don’t just take the surgeon’s word for it. Ask to see reviews from past rhinoplasty patients and to speak to former patients. You can also ask to look at before and after photos of other patients, to get an idea of how people looked when the surgery was over and their noses had healed.
The second biggest factor that determines how successful your rhinoplasty is is how healthy you are before the procedure. The risk for complications from surgery increases when you have certain health issues, such as uncontrolled diabetes, high blood pressure, and liver problems. Certain habits, like smoking cigarettes or using other tobacco products, also increases your risk for complications or interferes with the healing process.
Before you consult with a facial plastic surgeon about rhinoplasty, it’s a good idea to meet with your primary care doctor and have him or her do a full medical exam. That way, if any issues do crop up, you’ll be able to come up with a plan for treating them before your surgery.
Once you’ve found a surgeon who seems like a good bet and have double checked your health, it’s time to make a consultation to discuss the surgery itself. Your consultation is a chance for you to get to know the surgeon and for the surgeon to get to know you and for you both to see if rhinoplasty is a good option.
During your consultation, let the surgeon know what you are hoping to get from the procedure. It could be that you’re not happy with the size of your nose or that you wish your nose weren’t so crooked. If you have problems with your nose’s function, let the surgeon know that too. For example, you might have a deviated septum that interferes with your breathing. Although the goal of rhinoplasty is usually to correct the form of your nose, it can also correct how your nose functions, if needed.
The consultation is also a time for you to get to know the surgeon and to find out more about his experience, past patients and training. He will most likely ask you a number of questions about your nose, the surgery and what you hope to get out of it.
It’s important not to leave the consultation with any questions unanswered. If you have any concerns about the surgery, now is the time to tell the surgeon or to find out the answer to your questions.
When the consultation is over, you both should have a fair idea of whether or not you want to proceed with the surgery and what the next steps to take are.
Once you’ve decided to go ahead with the surgery and have picked your surgeon, it’s important to follow any instructions or directions he gives you, no matter how trivial they might seem. For example, your surgeon will most likely tell you to avoid certain medications, among them aspirin, for a certain amount of time before the surgery and afterwards. Since aspirin thins the blood and increases your risk for bleeding, it’s important to take your surgeon’s advice seriously.
Not following directions after the rhinoplasty can impact how your results turn out. For example, if the surgeon says to avoid blowing your nose or to avoid any activities that can bump or injure it in the weeks after surgery, you’ll want to avoid those activities. It might seem like a waste of time, but following your surgeon’s advice to the letter will save you discomfort or problems with your nose in the end.
If you have additional questions about how to get the best result from rhinoplasty or how to best prepare for the surgery, Dr. StephenSmith, a fourth generation facial plastic surgeon in , can answer them. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Smith at one his practices in the state, call .
You know that injectables, such as Juvederm or Botox, can help fill in or reduce the look of wrinkles and lines. But, what if it’s not so much wrinkles that are getting you down, but the overall texture and tone of your skin? A number of skin rejuvenation treatments look beyond wrinkles and help improve the overall look and feel of your skin. Whether you’re concerned about spots or freckles, acne scars, or a rough skin surface, rejuvenation treatments, which range from superficial to deep, can help take care of your issues.
A chemical peel might be one of the first skin rejuvenation options a person considers. A peel helps exfoliate the skin, removing the top layer of dead cells, so that skin looks refreshed and improved.
Chemical peels are fairly common, and you’ve probably seen over-the-counter options on sale at a makeup or drugstore. You might have also seen chemical peels on the menu of services at a local salon or spa. While an at-home or in-spa peel can provide some benefit, the type of peel you’ll get a medical practice, performed under the supervision of a facial plastic surgeon will be much more in-depth.
There are a variety of options when it comes to the strength and intensity of a chemical peelperformed at a medical practice. Lighter peels usually contain an ingredient such as alpha hydroxy acid and are generally used on people who have just a few signs of aging, such as some fine lines or some areas of uneven skin tone. Deeper peels might contain trichloroacetic acid or phenol acid and are generally used when a person has more signs of aging, such as deeper wrinkles, rougher texture and darker age spots.
The results from a deeper peel are usually more dramatic and longer lasting. The trade off is that the recovery time is considerably longer. While you’ll most likely be ready to go back to work the day after a mild peel, you might need to take as much as two weeks off after a deeper peel. During your consultation, you can discuss what you want to get from the peel and how much time you can afford to take off from work so that the surgeon can help you determine which peel is best for you.
While a chemical peel uses a chemical solution to exfoliate the face, dermabrasion uses a wire tool to manually exfoliate the skin. The treatment is usually much deeper than a chemical peel. The goal of dermabrasion is to remove dead or damaged skin cells, so that new, better looking skin cells are produced.
Dermabrasion is often performed to help reduce deeply etched lines and wrinkles, to remove areas of scar tissue, or to smooth rough areas of skin. The treatment does remove pigment, so it will erase freckles or dark spots. It might not be a good option for people with darker complexions, as it can cause an overall lightening of skin.
It’s important to understand that dermabrasion is a more intense treatment than a chemical peel. During treatment, your surgeon will most likely use at least a local anesthetic and will most likely give you a sedative, so that you’ll be awake but not really aware of what is going on. Recovery can take a few weeks, during which time you’ll want to avoid going to work. Redness is common and can take a few months to fully fade, too.
If you are looking for a treatment that’s more in-depth than a chemical peel but that doesn’t have as long of a recovery period as dermabrasion, fractional CO2 laser skin resurfacing might be an option. A fractional laser treatment only affects certain areas of the skin, but provides all-over facial rejuvenation. It can help reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fade dark spots, and reduce areas of scarring.
There is some recovery time time needed after a laser treatment. You might need to take about a week off from work. Depending on your skin, you might want to schedule a series of laser treatments, spaced a few weeks apart, to get the best results.
Dr. Stephen Smith is a fourth-generation facial plastic surgeon in . Along with a number of facial plastic surgery procedures, he offers non-surgical skin rejuvenating treatments. Dr. Smith can examine your skin and help you determine which treatment is best for you at the moment. He practices at two locations in . Call to schedule a consultation with him at either location.
What part of your face ages first? For many people, it’s the eye area. Your eyes reflect a lot about you, such as what you’re feeling. They’re also rather sensitive, thanks to the thinner skin surrounding them. If you’ve started to notice that your eye area is adding years to your appearance, you have a few ways of dealing, from at-home options to surgery.
Several factors can work together to make your eyes look years older than the rest of you feels. The thinner skin in the area is more prone to drying out, which can make lines and dark circles more visible. Damage from the sun’s rays can also add a few years to your eye area.
There are two ways you can protect your eyes and take a few years off in terms of appearance at home. First, start using an eye cream on a regular basis. The type of eye cream you use depends on the major concern you have. If you’re dealing with dark circles, look for a product that helps plump up the skin or that contains an ingredient such as vitamin C, which can help lighten the area. An eye cream that contains caffeine can be helpful if you are dealing with puffiness under your eyes, while a product that contains retinol can be ideal if your major concern is wrinkles and fine lines.
Using an eye cream is just one way to help fight the signs of aging around your eyes. To reduce any future damage, you’ll want to become more diligent about protecting your eye area from the sun. Look for products that contain sunscreen and get in the habit of wearing sunglasses with UV protection on a regular basis.
Crow’s feet are the lines that appear when you squint your eyes or smile. Over time, they can become etched into the skin, much the same way that the frown lines between your eyebrows become etched into the skin as the years go by. While an eye cream with retinol can help reduce the appearance of crow’s feet, Botox injections can provide you with a more long-lasting solution.
The injections work by blocking the signal sent by your nerves to the muscles responsible for making the movements that lead to crow’s feet. That doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to blink, squint or smile. It just means that the very subtle movements responsible for the crow’s feet will be blocked for some time. Usually, results from a Botox treatment last for about three months. You can repeat the injections as the results wear off, to keep your crow’s feet from returning.
Dark circles are another all too common issue in the eye area. They not only make you look older, they also make you look worn out and tired. Dark circles can be caused by a number of different things, so the first step to dealing with them is figuring out what’s causing them. In some cases, you might have dark circles because you are congested or are dealing with allergies, which makes the blood vessels beneath the skin of your eyes more visible. In that case, you can try taking an anti-histamine to shrink the blood vessels and make your circles vanish.
Some dark circles are actually caused by pigmentation beneath the eyes. There are a few ways to reduce areas of hyperpigmentation, from chemical peels to laser skin resurfacing. Since the eye area is so delicate, you’ll want to make sure you’re working with board certified facial plastic surgeon if you decide to try a peel or laser treatment.
If your dark circles are due to a loss of volume or fat in the under eye area, an injectable filler, such as Belotero, might be a good option. The filler will add volume to the area beneath your eyes, diminishing any shadows that can make your dark circles worse.
As you get older, the skin around your eyelids becomes looser, leading to a droopy upper eyelid. The skin under the eyes can also lose elasticity while the fat pads beneath your eyes shift down, creating the appearance of bags beneath your eyes. Eyelid surgery of either the upper eyelids, lower eyelids, or both, can help correct droopiness or bags.
Surgery is a more involved option than laser treatments, creams or injections, but it also tends to provide the longest lasting results. Along with improving your appearance, eyelid surgery can have an additional benefit: it can also help you see better, if your upper lids are becoming so droopy that they are blocking your vision.
Are your eyes starting to give away your age? -based facial plastic surgeon Dr. Stephen Smithcan evaluate your eye area and let you know which option will give you the results you are hoping for. Dr. Smith practices at two locations in the state. For an appointment at the , office, call . Call 614-678-7180 to schedule an appointment at his practice in Columbus, .
