In your 20s, skin is generally free of the signs of aging. Start a medically supervised treatment plan now to protect your skin from the harmful effects of sun and environment.
Proper cleansing, moisturizing, and use of a broad-spectrum sunscreen daily will help ward off early wrinkles and enlarged pores. Mild peels and topical treatments may help control acne. Botox® injections can prevent lines and filler agents such as Restylane®, Radiesse®,and Juvéderm™ can be used to fill out smile lines and augment lips.
For unfavorable size and shape of body features, surgery may be in order. Breast augmentation, breast reduction and other aesthetic procedures can often be performed. Liposculpture and body contouring may also be an option.
Decreased firmness and skin elasticity are a natural part of aging. Introducing anti-oxidants into your skincare routine can help prevent sun damage that leads to lines and age spots. Also, alpha hydroxy acids in conjunction with retinoids and topical antioxidants can restore a youthful appearance to the skin.
Non-invasive laser procedures may improve fine lines, brown spots, and broken blood vessels. Botox® injections can diminish laugh lines and create a smoother forehead. Fillers like Restylane®, Radiesse®, and Juvéderm™ can be used to fill smile lines and augment lips.
Many women find that the rigors of motherhood have an undesired effect on their appearance and confidence. For this group, tummy tucks, breast lifts, and breast augmentation are popular procedures.
For those in their 40s, damage caused by sun exposure become apparent. More aggressive skincare can help combat the visible signs of aging. A combination of topical solutions like tretinoin (Retin-A), AHAs, and BHAs, along with microdermabrasion brings the best results.
There are many procedures available to smooth and tighten skin. Photofacials, chemical peels, and topical treatments are effective in decreasing the signs of aging as well as minimizing pore size. Fillers like Restylane®, Radiesse®, and Juvéderm™ can help restore volume in the mid-face and fill smile lines. For upper face and forehead lines, Botox® injections may be in order.
For those who choose the surgical route, face, brow, eye and neck lifts are very popular procedures.
By age fifty, regular skin examinations by a certified aesthetician or plastic surgeon are essential.
Maintaining natural moisture is more difficult. Peels and light therapy in combination with ultra-hydrating home care can help maintain the balance. Laser resurfacing combined with fillers to restore volume can provide an impressive rejuvenation.
In all likelihood, more extensive facial rejuvenation and resurfacing procedures will be necessary at this stage. Depending on your appearance goals, comprehensive surgery can reverse signs of aging in the face, brow, mid-face, and neck areas. A facelift or brow lift in conjunction with laser resurfacing can yield dramatic results. The payoff for more invasive surgery is a natural, more supple look that is virtually undetectable.
Facial Implants
Your face, more than any other part of your body, is what defines you. It is a composite of structural elements – chin, cheeks, brow, and jaw. It is the relationship between these structural elements that creates the look that is uniquely yours. When one of these elements is too big, too small, or too prominent, it tends to throw the face out of balance.
Facial contouring, a form of plastic surgery that changes the basic structure of your face, may use carefully styled implants to create a more attractive, harmonious balance among your facial features. With facial implants, Dr. Dickie can help you achieve, for example, a wider and stronger jaw line, higher cheekbones or a fuller face, or added length and projection to a small chin.
Who is a good candidate for Facial Implants?
The use of facial implants can enhance your appearance and your self-confidence. Before you decide to have surgery, think carefully about your expectations and discuss them with Dr. Dickie. The best candidates for facial implants are people looking for improvement, not perfection, in the way they look. If you're physically healthy and realistic in your expectations, you may be a good candidate. Most candidates are younger people interested in a fundamental change in the shape and balance of their face. For older patients, facial implants may be used in conjunction with other surgical procedures, such as a forehead lift or a facelift, to help restore a more youthful look.
Procedure
Facial surgery may be done with local anaesthesia, combined with a sedative to make you drowsy so you'll be relaxed but awake. Or, Dr. Dickie may recommend general anesthesia, so you'll sleep through the entire operation.
Chin Surgery
Insertion of a chin implant usually takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Dr. Dickie begins by making an incision in the skin under your chin. He will then gently lift the tissue off your chin bone to make a pocket large enough for the implant, usually about an inch and a half to two inches wide. Dr. Dickie will have determined the approximate size and shape of the implant you'll need before surgery. Dr. Dickie will then place the implant in the pocket, stitch it into place and sew up the incision. Surgical tape or a light compression dressing may be applied to your chin to control swelling and to give your chin support right after the operation.
Recovery
You may feel some discomfort for a few hours after surgery, and your chin may be stiff and achy for two or three days. Your lower lip may seem stiff and difficult to control for the first week. Some swelling in your chin and upper neck is possible, but it should go down within a week or two.
Cheek Implants
Cheek implant surgery usually takes about one hour. If you are having a facelift or a forehead lift at the same time, your cheek implants may be inserted through the external incision made for these procedures. A lower eyelid incision is used to insert a cheek implant.
Dr. Dickie will first lift the tissue of your cheek away from your cheekbone, creating a tunnel that will hold the implant in place. Dr. Dickie will then place the implant in the tunnel, stitch it into place, and sew up the incision. Surgical tape or a light compression dressing may be applied to your cheek to control swelling and to give you extra support right after surgery.
Recovery
You'll probably feel very little pain after surgery, although your cheeks may feel stiff and numb. You may not feel like talking much, and your smile won't feel completely normal for several days. Yawning and chewing may also feel a bit uncomfortable. These sensations will begin to pass four or five days after surgery.
Jaw Surgery
Insertion of a jaw implant usually takes one to two hours and, like chin and cheek surgery, is usually done through the mouth. Dr. Dickie will make an incision inside your mouth along one side of the lower jaw, and then he will lift the tissue away to expose the jawbone. The implant is placed directly on the jawbone and the incision is closed. In most cases, Dr. Dickie will then repeat the procedure on the other side.
Recovery
You may experience marked swelling immediately following surgery, but most of it will disappear in several weeks. You may not be able to move your mouth or smile for several weeks after surgery. Dr. Dickie will give you guidelines and exercises to help you regain normal function.
You may be restricted to a liquid diet for a week or so, then soft foods for another week after that. You can usually brush your teeth gently within a few days after surgery, and you'll be advised to rinse your mouth several times a day with salt water, diluted peroxide, or an antibiotic mouthwash.
You can usually return to work about a week after facial surgery. Any bruising and swelling usually takes two to three weeks to disappear.
You should avoid any activity that may result in your face getting jarred or bumped for at least six weeks, the time it takes for scar tissue to form around your implant and hold it securely in place.
Consultation
Contact the Royal Centre of Plastic Surgery for more information on facial implants and other possible cosmetic enhancements that you might be considering and to schedule an in-depth consultation with
Dr. Dickie. Let us help you achieve your desired look. We are committed to helping you look and feel great.