What’s new for 2015?

Here at the Center for Cosmetic Surgery and MediSpa, there are definite trends in Plastic Surgery for 2015! With continued financial challenges among many, the Medi-Spa services including non-surgical and minimally invasive procedures continue to do well. These include Botox and Dysport to relax those lines made by facial muscle expression and the Restylane family and Juvederm family of gel fillers to plump lips, eyebrows, folds and lines which gravity, sun-damage and aging have created.

Dr. Kane and his gifted nurse injector, Heather remain top-tier in the mid-Atlantic region as Botox and Filler injectors. They have late hours and Saturday hours for those need to be seen after work.

Sculptra is the big, minimally invasive procedure for 2015. It provides mild skin fill but mostly firming of the face, temples and neck. The use of “stacking” properly coordinated options such as Sculptra for skin firming with ClearLift Laser, retinols and Retin-A for further stimulation has significantly shown promise and results in our Practice!

We continue to provide progressive skin health rejuvenation for those wishing to stall or reverse the pigmentation, wrinkling and creping textures of aging skin. Our skin services including many different types of facials for exfoliation, acne, pigmentation, rosecea and many other skin texture irregularities remain strong. ZO Skin Health is our #1 “Go-To” skin products; they are Dr. Obagi’s new and significantly improved products and services over the OMP NuDerm or our previous Emerge skin lines.

What I have noticed and others have written in similar articles are a bust on the promises of skin tightening lasers. Lasers, Ultrasound and Radio Frequency energy devices such as Pelleve’, Ulthera and Thermage among others are simply not providing the skin tightening nor cellulite reduction once promised.

Laser Hair Reduction continues to do well. We expect it will increase though out 2015 with more male patients requesting back and arm hair reduction and women cleaning up their underarms and bikini areas.

With the advent and escalation of self-portraits or “selfies”, skyping, on-line photo sharing, patients are becoming more aware of their “imperfections. Our consultation rate has sky- rocketed with interest in all manners of self-improvement. Brow sagging and extra eyelid skin, or wrinkles around the nose, eyes and mouth, gobble-necks and bulldog jowls and common reasons for an evaluation. This is generating more interest in fillers to the corners of the mouth, the marionette line, the nasolabial folds and upper cheek sagging.

Over all, the economy is improving albeit slowly but Americans who have held off surgery are re-exploring their desired: face and neck lifts, breast lifts and mommy make-overs (lipocontouring and tummy tucks).

One definite increasing trend is associated with an aging population. Jowl and neck fullness along with nasolabial folds and cheek sagging are best addressed with a face and neck lift. Dr. Kane’s signature face lift will suspend the neck as well as lift the jowls to fill the cheeks. The skin is then redraped without the telltale windblown look. Each face and neck lift is unique and individualized for the patient. Some patients have undergone a prior face and/or neck lift or need a smaller lift along the jowl and neck; they may require only a smaller tuck. Others, have waited and need the “full Monty”; a neck lift and liposuction with a platysma muscle sling and suspension and facial rejuvenation with lipocontouring of the jowls, fat grafting to the cheeks and 2 layer lift of the soft tissues and skin. The scars are placed neatly where they are least noticed.

When Botox no longer works to elevate the brows, men and women are considering a more permanent brow lift. Upper Eyelid Lifts are gaining favor as well in the new economy.

Interestingly, rhinoplasty or nose reshaping is making a stronger come back. For some, non- surgical techniques for straightening the back of the nose, refining the tip and reducing nasal flaring or the “gummy” smile are attractive. For others, improved breathing by straightening the septum or reducing the turbinates with the addition of a new nose profile is increasing.

2014 has seen a rise in different kinds of surgery too. Lipo-contouring which is a steady “staple” procedure in our Practice is using the fat to augment and shape or frame different areas of the body! For example, there has been a genuine increase in the Brazilian Butt Lift. This trend is due to the Black and Hispanic influences of a tight waist and thighs framing a fuller and rounder booty. Fat is now used routinely in many facial procedures as a filler of your own tissues. It is now acceptable to use fat to contour breast deformities following biopsies, lumpectomies re-fill the upper pole volume loss following weightloss, pregnancy and after a breast lift (if no implant is used).

Those individuals who are stable following massive weight loss are requesting more integrated body shaping including reduction of upper arm skin (brachioplasty) with upper back fold and breast lift. Another coordinated procedure is the extended tummy tuck to cut off the “muffin” fold of skin along the sides and may go as far as the body-lift (360 degrees) to raise the butt, reduce the lower back folds and elevate the outer thighs.

Dr. Kane continues to do his share of breast augmentations, lifts and reductions. The “shaped” memory implant is relatively new for 2015 as they become more popular to provide a teardrop shape to those women following mastectomy or who are younger and underdeveloped wishing a more feminized appearance. A smaller areola with a forward looking appearance is performed with a “donut” breast lift (scar only around the areola). The perkiest of the lifts with the breast mound lifted higher on the chest wall is accomplished with the “T” or “anchor” style breast lift.

A non-surgical natural look is in again for 2015. Plumper, defined natural lips are in. It takes skill and understanding of the patient’s anatomy to reduce lipstick lines, accentuate the lip edge and smoothen the natural lip roll without looking like an overdone celebrity. The same is true for a Botox or Dysport appearance.

For men, the trends include: Botox to lift the brows, fillers in the hollows of the cheeks, male breast reductions with liposuction or CoolSculpting and body contouring with liposuction or CoolSculpting.

Dr. Kane and his Team continue to self-educate to provide the very best in old procedures and new trends with an eye toward care, compassion, artistry and value. We hope to see you soon in 2015.