Cleveland, Ohio plastic surgeon Dr. Paul Vanek demonstrates Vaser Liposelection on his weekly TV show “It’s About You!”

With the use of ultrasound technology, Vaser Liposelection has a shorter recovery time and reduced bruising than traditional liposuction.

Wrinkles are a natural part of aging, as our skin gets thinner, less elastic and dryer. As our skin loses its flexibility, it becomes more difficult for our face to spring back from smiling, frowning, and other facial expressions, resulting in more permanent grooves.

Decreased levels of moisture in our skin plays a major role in developing wrinkles, particularly micro-wrinkles at the surface which can become much deeper, larger and more visible. These can result from a variety of actions and conditions.
Sun damage, caused by excess exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, is a cause of wrinkles we can control. If you don’t avoid excessive sun exposure, UV light breaks down the collagen and elastin fibers, skin starts to droop, and wrinkles appear.

You should know that smoking accelerates the skin’s aging process, because of the reduced blood supply to the skin. Alcohol dehydrates the skin, making it more likely to wrinkle.
After wrinkles appear, you have many treatment options. Creams vary considerably in active ingredients and accordingly, in effectiveness. Soft tissue fillers are injected into deeper wrinkles, to add volume. Dermabrasion is a surgical procedure that wears away the skin’s upper layers. Laser and radiofrequency treatments destroy the outer layer of skin with a laser beam, while the underlying skin is heated to stimulate development of new collagen fibers. A chemical peel applies a solution to wrinkly areas, causing dead skin to eventually peel off. A facelift (rhytidectomy) removes excess facial skin and fat, with or without tightening the underlying tissues.

I cannot tell from your question what you precisely don’t like about it, but navel area surgery is one of the hottest trends in cosmetic surgery. Some women want it done after the effects of pregnancy, and both men and women may want excess skin removed in this area after weight loss. Others simply don’t like how their belly button looks.

Except for bikinis around the pool, the navel area has been typically hidden. But it is not uncommon today to see women wear yoga pants or leggings with short tops and sports bras, leaving their navels exposed. Accordingly, tightening the stomach and midriff area is now the focus of many fitness programs, for which we also have treatments and procedures.

Most surgeries in the navel area are of two types, umbilicoplasty, which changes the shape and size of the crevice to make it larger or smaller, or umbilical hernia repair, which changes an “outie” into an “innie”.
It is a rather simple procedure to reduce the size of a person’s navel, by removing extra belly button skin and tightening the bordering abdominal skin. It gets more complicated to increase the size of the belly button because I need to remove some of the surrounding abdominal skin and then gently stretch the belly button tissue to reach the enlarged border caused by removing the skin.
Now that you have this information, I suggest you call my office for a personal consultation and I will help you determine if this is right for you.

What is “Non-Invasive Fat Reduction”?

“Non-invasive” means a procedure is performed without making any surgical incisions in your
skin. “Non-invasive fat reduction” melts away body fat without undergoing surgery. There is
an extensive list of benefits which non-surgical body sculpting technologies offer, including
shorter procedure times, minimal downtime afterwards, the best aesthetic results considering
side effects and recovery period, permanent results (assuming patients adopt a healthy lifestyle
after the procedure), no anesthetic is needed, no normal risks of surgery, such as fat embolism,
bleeding problems, or extended post-operative recovery phase, no risk of infection, no
requirements for pre- or post-operative medications, and FDA approval. I recently announced
my acquisition of the new and innovative “TruSculpt 3D” by Cutera. In only one treatment, the
controlled, monopolar radio frequency body sculpting platform offers patients up to a 24% non-
invasive fat reduction.

Non-invasive fat reduction cannot provide the level of results that a patient typically receives
with surgery, such as tummy tucks or liposuction for the midriff. However, when considering
these overall benefits, there is nothing more advantageous than TruSculpt 3D. For patients
who don’t wish to have, or cannot have surgery, non-invasive fat reduction procedures will
improve skin tone, tighten the skin envelope, and reduce fat. These treatments also will not
leave patients with loose skin or irregularities of contour that are often seen with patients who
undergo the disappointment of non-responsive CoolSculpting treatments.
Non-invasive fat reduction is not for patients who want to lose weight. But for anyone who has
plateaued in their battle with weight loss and aggressive exercise plans, it can make a big
difference!

Just as the number of plastic surgery procedures has increased, more people are making it their gift, especially for the holidays. Many are purchased by romantic partners, and a survey of RealSelf community members found that, of those receiving such a gift, 75% received it from their partner. Facials and fillers are very popular as
gifts. Or a wife may give her husband an eyelid lift, or he might surprise her with a breast augmentation.

If the recipient has already had multiple conversations about a procedure or had a consultation with a plastic surgeon, chances are very good your gift will be well received. It can be more complicated if those conversations haven’t happened. If you aren’t reasonably certain that this is something your loved one really wants, your gesture may be perceived as an awkward hint, or as more of a gift for you. I suggest that you look for opportunities to mention the possibility of having a procedure for yourself, and watch their reaction. Many times this will reveal their own interest.

If you decide to do this, I strongly recommend that you let the recipient choose their actual board-certified Plastic Surgeon, because it is most important that patients feel comfortable with their doctor. I also suggest that you think twice before pre-purchasing procedures from Groupon-level centers. All doctors and facilities are not the same. We sell many gift certificates in our office, and we also offer them on our website so you can
buy and print them, even on Christmas Eve!

You don’t want a GOOD plastic surgeon, you want an EXCELLENT one! After almost 25 years in private practice, I know it is difficult to find a plastic surgeon you can trust to give you results you want, and who you are comfortable talking with and being around.

I think both aspects are extremely important, and I try to provide both to my patients. First and foremost, I strongly recommend that you only see a board-certified plastic surgeon (or even better, a double-board certified surgeon, like myself). Today, it is easy to find this information on physician websites such as plasticsurgery.org for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, or popular review sites like RealSelf.com or
justbreastimplants.com. This is also true for non-invasive treatments, such as fillers.

Just because a dentist or a general physician can give you Botox, it doesn’t mean that you should trust them to! Knowing the precise location for injections is extremely important to attain the finest results, and to avoid distortion or prolonged numbness for many months. Your plastic surgeon will also determine whether an injectable filler is best for your anatomic condition, or whether a different treatment would best suit you. When meeting, you need to feel good about your potential surgeon and their staff. Ask to see a gallery of their actual patients. Be sure to ask about the hospitals or surgery centers they are affiliated with. By the end of your consultation, you should feel the doctor understands you and your desired results, and that you like and can trust them as a both a surgeon and a person, to give you your best long-term outcome. Good luck with your decision.

The loss of youthful contours in the face and neck can be due to a variety of factors, including
heredity, gravity, environmental conditions and stress. A neck lift, known medically as a lower
rhytidectomy, is a surgical procedure that improves visible signs of aging in the jawline and
neck. Specifically, neck lift surgery can treat excess fat and skin relaxation in the lower face that
creates jowls, excess fatty deposits under the chin, and loose neck skin. Some patients consider
having a full facelift, but are really concerned about excess wrinkling of the neck skin, a double
chin or turkey wattle and jowl lines. If the neck area doesn’t match the upper facial
appearance, a neck lift may be a good solution.

During your recovery, a bandage could gently be placed around your face and neck to minimize
swelling and bruising when your procedure is completed. A thin tube may be present to drain
any excess blood or fluid that may collect under the skin. It is important to keep your head
elevated above your heart to minimize swelling and to keep your head straight. You will have of
course, have post-surgical appointments, but I also give you instructions how to care for the
surgical site and drains, and medications to aid healing and reduce the potential for infection

Sometimes other facial rejuvenation procedures are performed at the same time, such as a
brow lift to correct a sagging or deeply furrowed brow, or fat transfer to add fullness to the lips
and cheeks and reduce the appearance of wrinkles, or eyelid surgery to rejuvenate aging eyes.

Rhinoplasty, sometimes called a “nose job” or “nose reshaping,” is one of the most common plastic surgeries. Because the nose is such an obvious feature, your hesitation is also common. I do not know if you are experiencing one of several cosmetic conditions that rhinoplasty typically addresses: nose size in relation to facial balance, nose width at the bridge or in the size and position of the nostrils, nose profile with visible humps or depressions on the bridge, nasal tip that is enlarged or bulbous, drooping, upturned or hooked, nostrils that are large, wide or upturned, and nasal asymmetry. Rhinoplasty can also correct impaired breathing caused by structural defects in the nose.

Rhinoplasty results are relatively permanent, but not instantaneous. Post-surgery swelling remains for a few weeks, and it often takes up to a year of gradual changes before your nose refines to its permanent outcome.
To help calm my patient’s nerves, I take whatever time is needed to discuss realistic expectations, and to explain what happens during and after surgery. It may help if you bring a photo of how you would like your nose to look. We also utilize the latest in Mirror® imagery morphing digital software to simulate your most realistic outcome. My ultimate goal with every rhinoplasty procedure I perform is to create balance and correct proportion for each patient’s individual face.

Having a surgeon personally discuss everything with you should quell those nerves. Please call my office so we can talk about your specific desires.