You Can Improve Your Sun-Damaged Skin With Laser Treatments

Currently, there are many lasers used for facial and skin rejuvenation and to treat sun damage and photo-aging of the skin. One older laser system, the carbon dioxide laser, has been very effective for treating sun damaged skin but has fallen out of favor. This is because it routinely caused extensive rawness of the skin that typically required over 2 weeks of “hiding out” or “downtime” to recover. In addition to the time it took to heal, it frequently caused skin discoloration and occasionally scarring. Many lasers available today require very little downtime and yield some improvement of the skin but are not nearly as effective as the carbon dioxide laser. As with any procedure, anyone considering laser skin treatments should first consult with a plastic surgeon prior to under going their chosen procedure.

Protruding Ears Are Usually A Family Trait That Surgery Can Fix

Just as it is with all facial features, the size and shape of the ears are a family trait. For example, parents and grandparents with protruding ears, often have children with ears that share these same characteristics. Ear deformities can benefit from correction through surgery, and successful results can be seen in subjects as young as 4 years old. By this age, the ears have almost reached maturity and adult size, so very little change is expected after the age of 4.

During an ear surgery procedure, the plastic surgeon repositions the flexible ear cartilage. The incisions required for this procedure are usually placed behind the ear where any resulting scars will be the least visible. While there are several variations in techniques for ear surgery, the goal of the ear surgery procedure is the same in all cases - to provide a normal, more balanced appearance to the ears.

Bigger, Easier, Better - LookingYourBest.com Reaches for the Next Level

LookingYourBest.com, the nationwide reference guide to a Who's Who of America's Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeons, offers more than just a bold new look with its comprehensive re-tooling. It offers an enhanced experience.

The first aspect of the new LookingYourBest.com that will surely catch the eye is the new layout and color scheme. The old, sterile layout with its pastel colors blending out to the window's edge has been supplanted by a sharp, clean page set against a rich chocolate tone, with deep rose accents and a commanding presence. In all the site wears a more focused, sophisticated feel that visitors are sure to appreciate.

The visual changes, however, belie the underlying metamorphosis that now makes it even easier to seek out doctors and procedures by multiple criteria. A simplified menu and site structure are two of the keys to the improved ease of use, despite the addition of even more data than before. LookingYourBest has long been an excellent source for finding and comparing professionals in aesthetic medicine, both locally and nationally. Now, the search function in both the gallery and surgeon areas has been simplified and visitors are treated to informative videos and 3D procedure animations to further enhance their search.

There's an important difference in the underpinnings as well, though a casual visitor may not even notice. Nevertheless, by streamlining the site's code, the programmers at LookingYourBest have sought to improve what is often the most important aspect of a web site; browsing speed. The new LookingYourBest.com loads faster and is more intuitive than ever.

Plastic Surgeons in San Diego, California

Most artists will agree that the differences between a masterpiece and a nice try can be downright minuscule. In few instances are extremely minor details as apparent as in portraiture. Perhaps it is because of how hardwired humans are to see the slightest differences in the faces around us. The most insignificant change can have significant meaning, and most of the time we're not even truly aware of the things we perceive there.

There are those who look at cosmetic surgery as pure science, and others see art. With the aesthetic aspect inherent in so many cosmetic procedures, those who see art combined with the science would seem to have a good point. As Doctor Karam, a board certified surgeon in San Diego, CA, says about rhinoplasty (nose surgery), "Perhaps no other...plastic surgery has a greater impact in enhancing the way you look than rhinoplasty...Even a subtle change can have a big impact on the attractiveness and balance of the face."

Undoing Sun Damage

Shielding your skin from the summer sun makes good sense, and there are many excellent products that help make it easier than ever. A good sun block with UVA and UVB protection, plus a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses, should be summer essentials.

But let's face it - most of us already have sun-damage. In fact, much of the visible damage you see in your skin today may be the result of sun exposure when you were a child or teenager. So what can be done to improve your skin now - and then keep it looking fresher and healthier?

To erase pigmentation, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, improve tone and texture and stimulate collagen, we recommend the Active FX laser. Active FX is a fractionated CO2 laser that can be done right in our office with minimal down time.

Chemical peels of varying strengths are a common method for resurfacing (deeper peels) or revitalizing (lighter peels) your skin. Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) has a slight bleaching effect and often is recommended for patients with darker complexions. TCA can be applied to your neck, upper chest and other areas of skin damaged by sun exposure.

If you are looking for a milder treatment that provides improvement in fine lines and skin texture, you may choose a series of glycolic or salicylic acid peels. Glycolic acid, derived from natural sources such as fruit and milk, is used in varying concentrations as a medical-strength peeling solution. Even a single glycolic acid peel performed by your plastic surgeon may produce the freshening effect you are looking for. Another option of a superficial peel is a salicylic acid peel. This treatment will help smooth fine lines and even skin discoloration while reducing the appearance of acne and environmental damage to the skin.

Utah Cosmetic Surgeon, Dr. Crofts

"It is absolutely necessary to take every step possible to ensure a safe outcome," says Utah cosmetic surgeon, Kimball M. Crofts. Safe and artfully skilled cosmetic surgery leads to well sculpted bodies and happy patients, but the key to great plastic surgery, he notes, is first identifying what is most wanted. Once the appropriate goals are chosen, the process of selecting the best course of action becomes far easier.

Dr. Crofts, his office in Lindon, Utah, describes cosmetic surgery as a "surgical art of restoration and enhancement." Thanks to the ongoing advances in technique and technology, effects of the sun, age, wear and tear, gravity, trauma, child birth, and weight loss can more and more frequently be counteracted through surgery. Dr. Crofts performs a wide variety of surgical and non-surgical treatments both to restore and to enhance.

Liposuction is Not a Weight-loss Alternative, But it Can Help With Trouble Spots

No matter how much you diet and exercise, there can be excess fat in certain places that sometimes just won't go away. Liposuction, also known as liposculpting or bodysculpting are all terms to describe removing excess fat cells from targeted areas of the body. Liposuction is used to contour and shape the body and is often used as a complementary surgical technique to facelifts and body surgery. Liposuction is not a weight-loss alternative. It is a treatment for those persistent pockets of fat resulting from hereditary, age and areas unaffected by diet and exercise. The best candidates have good skin with healthy elasticity.

Liposuction is safer and more effective than before due to advances in technology, technique and defined standards. All liposuction is essentially suction-assisted lipectomy, the removal of fat from the body through a form of suction. Tusmescence, a treatment administered just prior to liposuction involves infusing the areas to be treated with a solution to help plump up the fat cells to make them easier to remove, and control the amount of pain and bruising after the procedure. Even though technology has improved and the techniques have been refined, the ultimate outcome is influenced by the surgeon's aesthetic eye. A Plastic surgeon uses small precise instruments to sculpt and create the smoothest contours and the most natural shape.