How to prevent Wrinkles

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Wrinkles are a natural part of the aging process. They can form by the repeated action of the muscles under your skin over time or the drooping of tissues from changes in weight and gravity. They are not a disease, you will not die from them, and you do not have to do anything about them. Unless they bother you.

Preventing wrinkles is always smart. Avoiding smoking and sun exposure, drinking plenty of water, and treating your skin well by using only water-based makeup and adequate sunscreen are they basics. If you are very expressive with your face, you are more likely to form wrinkles as well. It is often impossible to change this, but being mindful of it helps.

Wrinkle treatments have not changed much, as we still use muscle relaxers and fillers. There are some newer products to use for superficial lines, and the combination of products has helped achieve artful results. Depending on the severity of the wrinkles, treatments can vary. You could also use creams and lotions to help manage any wrinkles that appear. Anybody can use a line smoothing serum to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, making skin look more even. There are various serums on the market but each serum will act differently on different people. It’s also important to find treatments that are suitable for your skin type. You can get treatments designed for oily skin, or dry skin, etc. You may even want to avoid serums and go for something like a nad+ supplement to help work from the inside out.

Taking all of this into consideration, I would encourage you to start the evaluation process early, so we can treat and maintain you before the wrinkles get out of control.

Be Honest with your Plastic Surgeon

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You often read articles about how to select the best plastic surgeon, or what the latest techniques are with the most fabulous results. You do your research, check board certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, talk to patients and see before and after photos. You have selected the perfect doctor, so you are done, right? Not exactly.

When I agree to operate on a patient at Yager Esthetics, my patient and I BOTH sign the consent forms, because it is an equal partnership agreement. I agree to do my best to perform the surgery safely, expertly, and with my patients best interest first. My patients also have responsibilities in order to achieve the optimal outcome.

Patients have to be 100% honest with their plastic surgeon. Hiding a medical condition, or lying about not smoking can be harmful not only to your results, but to your health. I have many patients with diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, and other conditions on whom I happily operate. The difference is that I can order the proper testing to keep them safe, and talk with their doctors to assure that it is safe to proceed.

Patients must follow the post operative instructions given by their doctor. How you listen and follow directions can be the difference between a great result and a complication. No driving for two weeks means no driving for two weeks. Instructions are usually given to avoid damaging your surgical outcome. If you are thinking about breaking one of the rules, call the office and ask the reason for the rule first. It might change your mind.

So, continue to be careful in selecting your plastic surgeon. Also, try to be the best patient you can be, and your chances of a great result will be much higher.

What is a Mommy Makeover?

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After the joys of pregnancy and childbirth often come the sorrows of altered body shapes. Having children, especially with significant weight gain, can change not only your stomach, but your breasts, back, skin, buttocks, and thighs. This is not news to many of you moms out there.

What you may not know, and what your Ob/Gyn may not tell you, is that there are things that you can do to repair the damage. The combination of several of these procedures at once is often known as a Mommy Makeover. I perform these procedures every week, and it is gratifying to know that it not only fixes physical issues, but can elevate your self esteem and outlook on life.

When considering a combined plastic surgical procedure, it is important to be honest about any health problems you may have. Sometimes it is safer to do each separately, and safety should be your primary concern. Your weight and age also have to be considered.

In my practice, the most popular combinations are abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) with liposuction and/or fat transfer to buttocks, or abdominoplasty with breast surgery. The results can be quite dramatic, as our photo gallery can show you.

I do more mommy makeovers and combined cases now than 10 years ago, as my surgical times have gotten shorter from experience, and risks can therefore be reduced. The results are better than ever. I do not perform surgery that takes longer than 3 hours, as risks from anesthesia and being immobile increase. If more is desired, I break it up into 2 sessions to enhance patient safety.

If you are healthy, are done having children, and want your prebaby body back, think about the mommy makeover. It can change the clothes you wear, increase your confidence and self esteem, and make your after child years the best of your life.

Timing of Plastic Surgery After Pregnancy

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One of the major reasons that patients come to Yager Esthetics is to repair the damage done to the body by pregnancy. Stretch marks, hanging skin, loose muscles, loss of a waist and curves, sagging breasts, loss of breast size, and a change in body shape due to fat redistribution are among the most common complaints. While all of these can usually be fixed, it is important to know WHEN is the right time after giving birth.
There are many factors to consider, including breast feeding, if you are planning another child, if you had a c-section, and if weight loss is needed. Each factor goes into my decision making process, and each patient is different. Even child care needs have to be arranged prior to surgery.

For an uncomplicated pregnancy, vaginal delivery, no breast feeding, and a weight no more than 20 lbs over the patient’s goal with good child care plans and no future children desired, liposuction and fat transfers need to wait 3 months for the hormonal levels to regulate, as it can affect fat metabolism. For a breast surgery, you must wait at least a month after milk stops being able to be expressed. For a tummy tuck, 3 months is safest.

After a c-section, assuming no infections, the above listed times still are a good guideline. If you are breast feeding, and want a breast surgery, you need to stop and wait a month after milk is expressible. For nonbreast surgery, you need to either stop, or if you want to continue, you must pump and store milk prior to last 2 weeks, as the milk that comes out after surgery will have medications from surgery and pain control, and is not safe to give to a baby.
It is always best to be as close to your ideal weight as possible prior to surgery, with a max of 20 lbs over. If you lose significant weight after surgery, a tummy tuck might not be as tight, breasts may lose volume, as well as the buttocks.

If you want more children, it is sometimes smart to wait until after the last for a tummy tuck or breast surgery, as these are the spots that change the most. It is not harmful to you or your baby to be pregnant after a tummy tuck or breast surgery, but you may experience a cosmetic change. Liposuction is certainly safe and easy as well.

Hopefully this helps. There is a way to get back your pre-baby body!