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Atlanta facelift

Ask Dr. Elliott: Can Chin Surgery Make Me Look Younger and Thinner?

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In general, all plastic surgery patients have one goal in mind: having an appearance they can feel confident in. For some patients, that means looking younger. For other patients, it means looking more slender and athletic. While chin surgery is generally thought of as a procedure that gives improved balance and proportion to the facial features, it can actually have a more comprehensive effect on the patient’s appearance and can sometimes create a more youthful or slim look if it aligns with the patient’s cosmetic goals.

The way that cosmetic chin surgery is performed depends on the desired results. For some patients, the procedure involves a chin implant, which is made of a synthetic material that feels much like natural chin tissue. The implant, which is available in a variety of sizes and shapes to fit each patient’s needs, is placed using an incision that is concealed within the mouth or in the natural creases of the chin. On the other hand, if the chin needs to be reduced and re-shaped, similar incisions are used to access the structure of the chin and enable me to sculpt the bone and other tissue into the desired shape. So how can this procedure help patients look younger or thinner?

Turning Back the Clock

For most male patients especially, the goal of chin surgery is a strong, defined chin and jawline—a feature that we associate with youth and strength. But chin surgery can have a more direct and specific rejuvenating effect as well. One of the most noticeable signs of aging is sagging skin—as we age, our skin becomes less firm and less able to withstand the effects of gravity, causing it to become loose and to sag. Chin augmentation alone can provide a subtle tightening for sagging skin of the neck. If aging skin is a more significant concern, chin surgery can often be combined with a facelift or neck lift to achieve a more significant improvement.

Turning Back the Calories

Even those who aren’t overweight can find themselves with an unflattering profile as the result of receding chin, especially considering that excess fat in the neck is notoriously difficult to eliminate naturally. Chin surgery can create a slimming definition between the face, jawline, and neck. For patients who would also benefit from removing fat in the chin and neck area, chin surgery can often be combined with liposuction for a more comprehensive improvement.

For many patients, chin surgery can be the right path to higher confidence in their appearance. But there’s a reason why plastic surgery is such a varied field with so many procedural options—while all patients have the goal of feeling more attractive, the best way to achieve that goal is different for each patient based on their natural anatomy and desired results. Schedule a consultation with me, Dr. Franklyn Elliott, to begin discussing how cosmetic procedures can help you embrace life with less self-consciousness. Or, to start by learning more about the procedures we offer, join me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

Ask Dr. Elliott: How Can I Maintain the Results of My Facelift?

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For many patients, plastic surgery is a great way to “turn back the clock” on aging—procedures like a facelift can make a patient look years younger by restoring a youthful firmness to lax facial skin. However, these procedures don’t stop the aging process. In other words, a 50-year-old patient who feels their facelift makes them look 40 will not look 40 forever. But understandably, patients who love their facelift results want to slow their natural aging so that they retain their renewed appearance for years to come. Below are a few tips that can help you minimize aging and maintain your facelift results for a longer period of time.

  • facelift in atlanta gaProtect your skin from the sun. It’s well-known that sun damage can cause skin cancer, but it can also accelerate aging. To protect your skin, wear broad spectrum sunscreen (with an SPF of 30 or higher) every day on any skin that isn’t covered by clothing, regardless of whether the weather is sunny or whether you plan to spend time outdoors. A wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses are also effective in slowing facial aging.
  • Consider non-surgical treatments. While we can take steps to slow the aging process, some visible change is inevitable. Many patients find that receiving occasional rejuvenation treatments helps them to periodically counteract facial aging. Laser skin resurfacing can be a great option, as it addresses several signs of aging at once and can also minimize the appearance of scarring.
  • Quit smoking. Many visible signs of aging are caused by a loss of collagen—the protein that gives our skin firmness and elasticity. As we age, our body naturally procedures more collagen, which causes the skin to become more lax and more susceptible to the effects of gravity. Smoking further breaks down the collagen in your face, and the repetitive movements involved in frequent smoking can lead to additional creases in the face, so quitting can cut out two causes of premature aging.
  • Make a habit of healthy daily skin care. Dryness and irritation can accelerate aging, so the American Academy of Dermatology recommends washing your face twice per day with a gentle cleanser and applying moisturizer daily. To get as much benefit from your skincare routine as possible, avoid scrubbing to minimize irritation and use a moisturizer that also includes sunscreen.
  • Eat a healthy diet. Nutrition essentially affects every part of our anatomy, and the skin is no exception. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats is best, and you should also avoid taking in too much sugar or other refined carbohydrates, as well as too much alcohol. A healthy diet can also help you avoid the need for other surgical procedures like liposuction.

Finally, it’s also important to have the right procedure from the start. As a board-certified plastic surgeon, I place a high priority on listening to my patients’ aesthetic goals and needs in order to recommend the facial rejuvenation option that will give them the best possible results. There are many surgical ways to minimize signs of aging, but a brow lift won’t be as beneficial for a patient who is unhappy with an aging jawline, for instance. To discuss the best option to address your signs of aging and restore your youthful appearance, schedule a consultation with me, Dr. Franklyn Elliott. Or, to learn more about plastic surgery and minimizing signs of aging, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

Short Scar Facelift or Endoscopic Brow Lift for Minimally-Invasive Facial Rejuvenation?

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One of the most common reasons why patients seek plastic surgery is to minimize signs of aging and achieve a more youthful appearance. However, many patients don’t realize just how many options they have in achieving this goal. Therefore, I have broken down two common minimally-invasive procedures for facial rejuvenation in order to help patients determine which surgery is the best fit for them: the short scar facelift or the endoscopic brow lift.

What concerns does each facial procedure address?

A short scar facelift addresses skin that has lost elasticity in the lower area of the face, including the jowls and the neck.

An endoscopic brow lift addresses signs of aging around the eyebrows and the forehead, including expression lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin that gives the upper eyelids a hooded appearance.

How does each facial procedure address these aging issues?

The short scar facelift uses small incisions that begin in the temporal hair and extend downward in front of the earlobe. This allows me to minimize scarring while repositioning the skin and soft tissue to lift the cheeks and jowls, lessen the prominence of the lower eyelids, and soften the nasolabial folds.

Due to the use of a surgical instrument called an endoscope, the endoscopic brow lift can reposition the tissue and muscle of the forehead to smooth wrinkles and give the eyes a slight more open and rested appearance, while only making a few small incisions that are concealed in the hairline.

What is involved in the recovery period after each facial procedure?

Both procedures use minimally-invasive techniques, such as local anesthetic and Quill™ knotless sutures,  in order to give the patient optimal results with very little downtime required. However, the recovery period varies from patient to patient, so I discuss recovery expectations with each patient during a pre-operative consultation.

What kind of surgical results can I expect from each facial procedure?

Short scar facelift results and endoscopic brow ift results both have an especially natural appearance, so that the patient looks noticeably younger and rejuvenated without looking “windblown” or “operated on.”

 

Plastic surgeries are varied for a reason—because each patient has unique anatomical features and aesthetic goals. Both a short scar facelift and an endoscopic brow lift are effective and minimally-invasive ways to restore your face to a more rejuvenated and energetic appearance to match the youthful way you feel. To learn more about how you can achieve results that will make you feel confident and refreshed, schedule a consultation with me, Dr. Franklyn Elliott, or connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.

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