What does "growing older gracefully" mean? If it means people are staying active and doing more in their middle-age and older years than they ever did in previous generations, then it's safe to say we, as a population, are getting better and better at graceful aging.
But if it means simply accepting the fact that our outsides can longer match our own self-perceptions, then fewer people are growing older gracefully these days -- looking to the many alternatives offered by cosmetic surgery."
Cosmetic surgery has undergone significant changes in recent years," says Dr. Winslow. "Because of new technology, our approaches to facial aging have changed too, especially as they relate to the forehead, eyelids and lower face. In the end, people undergo cosmetic surgery for many reasons, including their desire to look younger for personal and even professional reasons."
Apart from how the image looking back at us in the mirror may no longer reflect who we really are on the inside, one of the reasons we consider plastic surgery is to change a feature we've never liked. There are millions of cosmetic surgical and non-surgical procedures performed each year. And because cosmetic surgery is an elective-type procedure, the decision to undergo any type of cosmetic surgery is intensely personal, encompassing a combination of social and emotional factors. The fact remains that our body images are, in part, shaped by society.
Along with "fixing" something you think looks out of place comes the renewed sense of confidence that can add a heightened sense of well being. This is no small feat. But you must also recognize that cosmetic surgery will not solve personal problems nor will it make you look like someone else. That's why we consider a well-motivated potential patient one who has considered cosmetic surgery for some time and not just on the spur of the moment.
Good patient responses for seeking our services include:
"I feel young, I exercise, but I don't look the way I feel."
"I see a tired, angry-looking person staring back at me in the mirror."
"I want to do this for me, and no one else."
Reasons we don't like to hear include improving your appearance to shore up a bad relationship, thinking that one procedure will change your life, or reasoning that it can serve as a quick "pick-me-up."
Of course, one of the most compelling reasons to have this type of surgery is for reconstructive purposes - to correct a certain part of the body affected by a congenital defect or one caused by a trauma or injury. As we noted in an earlier blog, it's vital that any seasoned plastic surgeon be versed in this type of surgery as a minimum for even the smallest procedures that fall into what is considered the "cosmetic" range, because of his or her extensive knowledge of physiological anatomy both on the inside and the outside of the human form.
Okay -- back to the idea of aging gracefully. If you are considering the idea of slowing down the aging process, there are still a number of reasons you'll want to do a "gut check" about your motivation for cosmetic surgery. Do you think your spouse will love you more, or would you be doing this even if he or she were not a consideration? Are you doing this because someone else made a remark your just can't seem to shake off or even guessed your real age and now you have now become obsessed with that isolated insult?
And most important, how realistic are your expectations from cosmetic surgery? Is it merely a few aging irregularities that you seek to correct, or is this a way to make up for deeper issues? No outcome magically transforms a person or changes their lives in the deeper sense, and no cosmetic surgeon would want to take on the responsibility of guaranteeing you'll be doing back-flips once your procedure is complete.
Here at AweNatural, we try to counsel you on what to expect so that you approach your procedure with common-sense perceptions. And even though the results can oftentimes be overwhelmingly good, every patient's idea of what that might look like varies greatly.
"We want our patients to undergo a healthy reality check before agreeing to cosmetic procedures," admits Dr. Winslow. "As long as they are true to themselves and approach the changes they are about to undergo with realistic expectations, their investment of the time, effort, and emotion it takes will be well worth it."
Joan Rivers. She's funny, fashionable, and a huge fan of plastic surgery in general. So much so, that her stiff, expressionless appearance is a little scary, representative (especially in comic circles) of overdosing on cosmetic procedures.
Is this what you think of when you think cosmetic surgery? Does it frighten you? Or have you, in the quiet corners of your mind, admitted you might eventually appreciate a little help with reversing the signs of aging to help boost your self esteem?
Cosmetic surgery, also referred to as plastic (the Greek word that means "to mold or form") surgery, encompasses so much more than a surgical lift or a tummy tuck, even though those are the types of procedures you may think about most often. In fact, the work done by many surgeons can be life changing in ways most of us cannot even fathom. For those having suffered from the stigma of birth defects, diseases that deform parts of their bodies or even those who find themselves physically decimated by the aftermath of an automobile accident, the plastic surgeon is a miracle worker. To the vast majority of people considering cosmetic procedures, however, the work most doctors of this variety do is reminiscent of a season of the TV series, "Nip, Tuck," that admittedly took the topic of plastic surgery and shared it with the masses.
As a veteran, ivy-league-school-educated physician who has performed hundreds of procedures over the past few decades, Dr. Robert Winslow demonstrates how a doctor in this field can be so much more than a mere cosmetic surgeon. He is a board-certified reconstructive plastic surgeon as well.
Why is this important? Imagine, for instance, hiring a doctor for facial surgery enhancement who has never corrected a cleft palate or treated a severe burn victim. Did you know that thousands of cosmetic surgeons who market themselves as "experts" at cosmetic procedures have not been through this kind of training? If the surgeon you choose for even the most minor cosmetic procedure does not possess this kind of extended experience and education, how much confidence should you have in him or her to know all there is to know before that first incision is made?
We'll be talking about these issues and many more as we re-launch our blog - a blog we hope will open your eyes and bring the discussion of cosmetic surgery into the light of day instead of being relegated to hearing guarded whispers at social engagements or being the subject of over-dramatizations or misrepresentations on the TV screen.
Let the revelations begin!
Written by Randy Alvarez show host of The Wellness Hour
Don’t ruin that face! Many doctors have told me, the goal of most patients is to look younger, refreshed or look great for their age, but more importantly to look natural.
So what is the truth about face lifts, facial fillers and lasers etc? I will tell you what to look for in a surgeon that is doing low down time face lifting, or a full face lift and what to look for when considering any type of facial rejuvenation but first we need to discuss the aging face and what makes it look young! Let’s start with an 18 year old person, think of the brows, they are not high or highly arched; the face has a few wrinkles but the mid face around the nose is plump. The neck is firm but not tight or if a double chin exists, it’s a little fatty bulge under the chin.
The skin over the eyes is there, but not saggy and the forehead has some expression lines. The face is full and the jowls are in place, unless a person is very overweight, then they are just plump not saggy. The lines around the mouth, the nasal labial folds are small lines if any. 18 year old girls don't have big giant lips!
It is an interesting fact that you can identify a person’s age from twenty yards away or even thirty yards. Let me give you an example, if you are walking along the beach and you see a woman in front of you even sixty feet away, you can pretty much tell whether the person is over 40 or under 40. How is this? Our brains by the time we have reached our late twenties have seen and met enough people who have told their age that your brain develops certain associations and classifications which help you determine the approximate age of the person. It is the fallen facial structures of the person, their hair line, style of hair, clothing often times, the speed in which they walk or their skin that allows your brain to put it all together. It is not the absence of nasal labial folds around their mouth, or the fact they have no forehead wrinkles that give away their age. It’s the position of the face and all of the things mentioned above. Let’s take a closer look, now you are five feet away. An 18 year old has skin that is pretty even in tone – all of the skin matches with the exception of birth marks or freckles or a few moles. That look makes you look younger. Intense pulse light treatments or fractionated laser treatments, etc., can remove uneven pigment. The 18 year old does not have small wrinkles or crapiness on their face, these small surface wrinkles can be taken care of with laser or fractionated lasers or peels, all minimally invasive rejuvenation. Their young appearance does not have deep lines around the mouth so facial fillers can take care of that, but and it’s a big but, if the filler is raised above the surrounding tissue it does not look natural, now you look strange and people won’t know why you just look strange or odd. Your brain will just pick up that something is not right. Lack of wrinkles does not make you look young! And your eyes, under and over your eyes, excess skin over the lids and bags under the eye, often times it’s not a brow problem but a gravity problem over the eyes, the skin starts to sag and a blepharoplasty can take care of that. In the case of saggy brows a good endoscopic procedure can slightly raise brows, too much and you look like an old person with a brow lift or if you take too much skin over the eyes now you look hallow which is an old look. I have seen so many 40 year olds get unnecessary brow lifts or blehporoplasties and they get too much raised fillers above the rest of their skin, big lips, and now they look like a "over-done" 52 year old. Adding volume with fillers under the eyes is one option and a very conservative bleph, not too much skin removal, where less is more, can usually do the trick. Remember, 18 year olds, 30 year olds or 40 year olds don’t have high brows, only over surgerized people have high brows. It’s not natural or young looking. Thin brows show age, thickening those with makeup helps with that. Taking care of under the eye bags or hollowness is tricky and must be tailored to the individual, this is what surgeons tell me, either a person has a hallow appearance or a fat bag; either problem can be addressed with a number of procedures.
As for facial cheek implants, I have had about 300 hours of discussions over this topic over the past 10 years and the theory here is to drape the skin over the hollow area, unfortunately as you age the implant shows and looks very unnatural. It’s very confusing; I’m even confused on where to begin…so let’s back up. When you reach the point where you are not happy with the way you are aging in the face, if you start young you can use intense pulse light treatments to get rid of spots that pop up, fractionated lasers to keep the skin looking great and facials from an aesthetician to keep your skin looking good. The new radio-frequency technology that applies heat to the under lying tissues can keep those jowls from becoming jowls and keep that neck tight. Early intervention is always best. Drink good water and eat quality organic protein, good fats and good carbohydrates and don’t over exercise. Lower your stress levels and you will age slower as you reduce stress hormones. Botox is great to keep the wrinkles away.
Now for those of you who have waited or put off minimally invasive facial rejuvenation and your jowls are sagging, your eyes are droopy and your neck is saggy and your skin is damaged from the sun, then a face lift may be in order.
How to choose a surgeon? Pick a surgeon that does at least one to four face lifts a week. A board certified plastic surgeon, or board certified facial plastic surgeon is my advice. The exception to this would be a cosmetic surgeon that has been doing face lifts for more than 10 years and does them frequently, 1-4 a week. I have been told that face lifting and most surgery is like golfing, you have to practice a lot to be good or maintain your good game. Demand to look at their work, at least fifteen of their face lifts or don’t bother. I am fully aware they are showing you their best work but you need to see at least fifteen samples. Do they look natural? You must ask yourself when viewing their work. It’s not always about experience or training when it comes to artistry, we all have had a bad haircut from a stylist that has been doing cuts for 20 years. Look at the doctor’s office; is it hip and stylish, neat and clean? How do they dress, how is their hair? Are they up to date with the latest fashions? What is their safety record? Look at their work! The bible says you will know them by their fruit. Good before and after photos are important. I know they show only their best stuff, but if their best 15 face lifts are not so good and their excuse is they can’t get people to give them photos don’t go to them. One other thing, make sure your doctor has done at least fifty or more face lifts before you schedule yours. Ask, always ask.
The face ages in five ways: Loss of volume, skin wrinkling, uneven skin color, the muscles under the skin start to sag, and the fat under the skin droops. You need to go to a surgeon that addresses all five of the ways your skin ages! I don’t give referrals, you need to check out a doctor that you like on your own. The key is to go to a doctor that does not pull skin, but a doctor that repositions tissues to where they used to be when you where younger.
My advice is to look great for your age! Chances are, if you are reading this you will have to look at your face for another forty years. Be very choosy when you pick a surgeon or doctor that is going to do any minimally invasive procedure or a face lift. It’s not about low down time; it’s about what’s the best result. If it’s done right no one will know you had anything done. If you smoke, are unhealthy or eat poorly don’t do it, you won’t heal properly. Go to a doctor that not only does great surgery but has the newest and greatest technology to address the skin. My opinion is, if a woman has great skin for her age that is sexy. The bonus is a nice smile, fit, smart, honest, a great personality, and confidence…that is beauty.
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Dr. Winslow just returned from this very important educational meeting and brings home new and improved tools and techniques for his patients. New variations on a facelift with simpler techniques and therefore savings to our patients.
More efficient ways to use autologous fat (your own fat), to fill in minor definciencies or irregularities in the breast, buttock implant and liposuction surgeries. Come in for a complimentary consultantion and see how this could benefit you.
Caught on camera!! JoAnne and Dr. Winslow love to dance and landed on the front cover of the national journal “Plastic Surgery News.” We took ballroom dancing lessons in Reno, Nevada for 3 months before our wedding in 1999 and have continued to enjoy it, although we don't practice and may have 1or 2 times a year to get out there and dance at an event. Even so we are always pleased with the compliments that people give us. So, I guess we're pretty good at it. Imagine how a little practice would improve our skills. Maybe when we retire!
Is Dysport Better Than Botox?
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The bill levies a 5 percent tax on elective cosmetic surgery. The provision raises $5 billion and was needed to make the numbers work, according to a Democratic Senate aide.
If you would like to send a message to your Senator to encourage them to vote against a 5% cosmetic plastic surgery tax, click here to be sent to the U.S. Senators. The U.S. Capitol switchboard is 202-225-3121 where they can be connected to their Senators and Representatives in Congress.
Why Stop it?
1. This tax disproportionately targets women, who make up 90% of plastic surgery patients.
2. It is not a tax on the rich, since plastic surgery patients are represented in every socioeconomic group. Arguably, the people who are earn less money will suffer more, since many of them take out loans or save for years to pay for their surgery.
3. They were initially considering a 10% tax on plastic surgery, but dropped it to 5% after aggressive lobbying.
4. A similar initiative in New Jersey has been considered a complete failure by many.
5. Is plastic surgery considered a 'sin', like cigarettes and alcohol, and therefore subject to taxing? It is far from it.
Do you think they should consider a tax on fast food (which harms the health of millions of Americans every day) and attorney's fees!
Thanks for reading,
JoAnne Winslow for Dr. Winslow
