ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) - It was one of the most popular cosmetic procedures
in 2011 and on average the most expensive, but there is a new way to look
younger without going under the knife.
Pictures taken during her show horse competitions made Patti
Murphy self-conscious.
"And I felt like my problem area was really just down here,"
LazerLift patient, Patti-Murphy, told Ivanhoe.
Tightening creams did not cut it, but she did not want to
get cut.
"I don't want this tied behind my ears or anything," Patti
explained.
So Patti opted for this new procedure.
"We don't even put any stitches in at the end," Orlando
Cosmetic Surgeon, Dr. Roger Bassin, told Ivanhoe.
It's called LazerLift.
Dr. Bassin said the scalpel-free treatment gives patients, "a facelift
result without actually having to do an actual cut and lift."
After a few tiny punctures, the laser melts fat between the
skin and muscle and heats deep tissue in the skin.
"And thus, that gives you the new collagen and the
tightening effect that we're looking for," Dr. Roger Bassin explained.
It takes up to six months for the final result.
"And I could just slowly see week to week, I just felt it
like smoothing out and getting tighter. It wasn't like instant," LazerLift
patient, Joy Celibrati, told Ivanhoe.
The doctor said it is best for patients who need more than a
little, but not a major lift.
"We gotta make sure the patients are the correct candidates
for this," Dr. Bassin said.
Joy's happy with her results.
"I feel more confident," Celibrati explained.
Patti's hoping for the same.
Dr. Bassin said LazerLift can vary from three to six thousand
dollars. He tells his patients to expect
the results to last at least five years.
The procedure can be repeated if needed.
Recovery time for LazerLift is three to four days, compared to a
traditional facelift which can take weeks.
RESEARCH SUMMARY
BACKGROUND: In 2011, facelifts were the most popular cosmetic
procedures and on average the most expensive. A facelift, or
rhytidectomy, is a surgical procedure to improve visible signs of aging in the
face and neck. Many people who consider this procedure want to correct
sagging in the middle of the face, loss of muscle tone in the lower face, deep
creases below the lower eyelid, fat that has fallen, deep creases along the
nose extending to the mouth, or loose skin under the chin and jaw. A
facelift consultation will be conducted before the surgery can take
place. Certain things have to be discussed for safety purposes; for
instance, why they want the surgery, what medical conditions they have, what
previous surgeries they have experienced, and what medications they are
on. (Source: plasticsurgery.org)
RISK FACTORS: As with any procedure, facelifts come with a variety of risk
factors. They include: bleeding, unfavorable scarring, infection,
anesthesia risks, poor wound healing, correctable hair loss at the incision
sight, facial asymmetry, skin loss, facial nerve injury, numbness or other
changes in skin sensitivity, fluid accumulation, pain, skin discoloration and
swelling, skin contour irregularities, deep vein thrombosis, and the
possibility of revision surgery. After the procedure is done and
the patient is released, they must watch out for shortness of breath, unusual
heart beats, and chest pains. If one experiences any of these symptoms,
then medical attention should be immediate. (Source: plasticsurgery.org)
TREATMENT: After surgery it is very important to follow all of the
physician's instructions in order to achieve success. Professionals say
that it is highly important for the surgical incisions to not be subjected to
abrasion, motion during the time of healing, or excessive force. Patients
are advised to not wear any clothing that will go over the head. Usually
the doctor will give detailed instructions to the patient on how to care for
oneself. (Source: plasticsurgery.org)
NEW TECHNOLOGY: An alternative to the expensive and invasive procedure would
be LazerLift. It is a precise laser facelift technology that will reverse
the signs of aging without scalpels, stitches, and scars while cutting down the
risks, costs, and recovery time associated with a facelift. It works by
safely heating and tightening the skin to stimulate the tissue coagulation and
the formation of collagen. It can help attack the physical signs of
aging without harming surrounding tissue. LazerLift uses ThermaGuide to
provide the doctor with real-time temperature feedback during the procedure to
avoid overheating the skin and deep tissue. LaxerLift also provides
results several months following the procedure for a natural and long-lasting
look. (Source: lazerlift.com)
INTERVIEW
Roger Bassin, M.D. with The Bassin
Center for Plastic Surgery, talks about a new facelift procedure that doesn't
require a scalpel.
So how is this going to change the
way you suggest things to patients when they come in?
Dr. Bassin: The way this has changed things for my practice is
that now instead of having something that's going to help a little tiny bit
versus something that's going to be a lot more drastic which is the surgical
results. Now I have something that really falls in to that big middle spectrum
that really is what our patients are looking for. They're looking for something
that can give them a facelift result without having to be cut on.
So how has this grown in popularity,
have you seen people hearing about it and coming in and asking about it or are
you recommending it more?
Dr. Bassin: I'm definitely recommending it to the vast majority of our
patients who are the right candidates which is the most important thing. We've
got to make sure the patients are the correct candidates for this. Being that
there's such a huge variety of our patients that fall in to a great candidacy
for this procedure, I'm in turn recommending it for so many of my patients that
I see on a given day. Our patients who are aware of this now because we're
starting to let everyone know about what we're doing and the results that we're
getting and it's almost a tidal wave. The popularity our patients are loving
it, we're very busy. We're very excited to be able to offer our patients
something that can give them such great results without all the risks
associated with the older style procedures.
You said there's still a small
amount of risk, what is that risk?
Dr. Bassin: Anybody who has any type of procedure where we enter
through the skin still has risk of bleeding and infection. If I had anybody who
was at risk for that I wouldn't even do the procedure on them. I haven't seen
anybody who had any problems. I'm talking about seventy to eighty patients
already and no one has had a problem at all. So everyone has done great,
everybody has been really ecstatic with the results so we're very positive
about it and really excited about it as you can tell.
We talked about something similar
which is cellulite, is there any difference in the procedure itself?
Dr. Bassin: With cellulite you have to cut the bands that connect the
skin to the muscle. There's none of that with this type of procedure. What we
find is we're using that same type of wave length, that fourteen-forty wave
length and applying it in a little bit of a different fashion. We still are
using this amazing new wave length that was discovered by Cynosure and applying
it to the facial tissues to be able to get now a really nice lifting and
tightening result.
You said you could get results for
about five years, and you can do it again and again?
Dr. Bassin: Right. When our patients ask me that I tell them they should
expect at least a five year result out of this. What's great about it as the
studies show this will continue to improve over the next three to six months.
So I tell our patients that every day instead of looking in the mirror and
getting a little bit older, you'll get a little bit younger looking every day
which is a nice way to look at it. If patients want to come back in another
five years and have it done again I don't see why not.
For more
information, please contact:
Roger Bassin, M.D.
The Bassin Center for Plastic Surgery
(321) 255-0025
bassinmd@drbassin.com
