The summer season is coming to a close and it is time to prepare for fall… which is an ideal time to squeeze in a cosmetic procedure. Most people enjoy active summer months with vacations, fun outdoor activities and events. For those people, it’s a great time to stay up to date with rejuvenating procedures that don’t involve any downtime, such as Botox or Juvederm. Once the back to school flurry settles, there’s a nice 2 to 3 month window – in the fall -before the holiday festivities kick in. This is an ideal time to do a cosmetic surgery that requires some downtime/recovery… the Facelift.

Facelift in the Fall
As the weather is starting to cool down, the calendar is as well. Taking advantage of this pre holiday season of rest is the perfect occasion for a Facelift.

The Facelift is one of the most time tested and perfected procedures in plastic surgery. It is extremely customizable, yet requires significant technical and artistic skill. This combination can only be achieved by an experienced board certified surgeon, such as myself.

Also, the ease and time frame of the Facelift recovery can be greatly determined by the skill of the surgeon, the quality of the skin and the type of Facelift that is performed. Having your Facelift in the late summer – early Fall phase gives your body a good chance to heal and reveal great results in time for Thanksgiving and the winter festivities.

What a Facelift Can Do for You…
I spend time with my patients – one on one, face to face (the consultation),  to understand their desires and to explain what kind of results to expect. There are many options and techniques to give you the most harmonious, youthful results possible.

On the minimal end of the spectrum is the Mini Facelift. The Mini Facelift offers a subtle rejuvenation to younger patients in their 40s with minor signs of aging and loose skin. Your face will look refreshed and more youthful, but most people won’t be able to pinpoint that you’ve had surgery.

On the end of the Facelift spectrum providing more dramatic results is a Traditional or Full Facelift. A Full Facelift is a comprehensive way to rejuvenate every area of the face from the forehead down to the neck. It provides smoother, tighter, lifted skin that can take 10 years off your appearance.

Facelift Recovery…From weeks to months to over a year, there are different stages of recovery.

Someone may be able to go back to work with makeup on in a matter of a week after a Mini Facelift. On the other hand, the tightness, sensation and swelling of the internal tissue may take more than a year to completely heal after a Full Facelift, even though superficially the face looks great after about 3 months. As mentioned previously, the recovery depends on the:
skill of the surgeon to execute the surgery with gentle, precise technique,
quality of the skin to bounce back and heal,
type of Facelift surgery to determine the amount of tissue, muscle and skin affected.

A younger, refreshed face is waiting for you this Fall. Now is the perfect time to talk about, plan and perform your Facelift. Visit www.davinciplastic.com today.

Steven Davison M.D.
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

This blog will introduce you to the new age reversing Juvéderm Voluma™ XC the first FDA approved filler to restore youthfulness to your cheek area.  Watch for it at DAVinci in coming months.  I’m confident You will fall in love with it! 

It is the first filler developed specifically for the cheek area.  Other fillers have been used for years to rejuvenate this mid face area and restore volume and contour, but Juvederm Voluma XC is the first hyaluronic acid filler approved by the FDA to specifically address this area.

Normal age related changes cause loss of volume in the mid face. This volume loss causes the cheeks to flatten out and the skin to droop and sag.  Juverdern Voluma XC is the thickest hyaluronic acid available.  The gel flows smoothly, easily and more consistently.  It is formulated with a small amount of lidocaine to numb the injection site and ensure absolute comfort during injection with immediate results.

Hyaluronic Acid works by attracting water to itself.  This water then binds to the molecules of the filler thus creating volume that plumps up lines, wrinkles and hollows of the face.  When injected into the cheek area it gently lifts the skin, eliminating the hollow cheeks and removing years of aging from the face.

Immediate Results    During clinical trials, patients saw instant correction of age related volume loss in the cheek area.  The results were a more overall youthful appearance.

DAVinci…offers the best, most advanced anti aging treatments available today.  Juvederm Voluma XC is a preview of things to come at DAVinci, in the near future, as we continue to offer our patients the best, safest and most effective treatment options available.

EXPERT INJECTORs!  An expert injector has special training/certification in all dermal fillers, their uses and the  most effective injection methods.  Dentists, Spa personnel, walk in clinic medical doctors and many others who offer the latest, greatest injectable treatments… are not all qualified to perform these anti aging injections to the complex facial anatomy.  An expert injector is a Board certified plastic/reconstructive surgeon specialized in all facial procedures and who also train their medical staff to perform delicate injectable procedures. As Expert Injectors, they have additional specialized training and are certified as “Expert Injectors.” Nora and I are specially trained and certified Expert Injectors.  Know before you go!

THANKSGIVING  and GRATITUDE

Thanksgiving is this month and is recognized as the “time for giving thanks. The benefits of gratitude cannot be overstated.  Harvard researchers announced in 2011 that “giving thanks can make you happier.” I’m confident we all know that but reminders are good. Gratitude was often the forgotten factor in happiness research but is now a topic of serious focus.  Here are a few ways expressing gratitude affects us:

• Expressing gratitude can lift the spirits
• Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives- tangible or intangible
• Showing gratitude means acknowledging the goodness in our lives
• Helps us realize that the source of goodness lies outside ourselves (at least partially)
• Helps us feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, see improved health, deal better with adversity, build strong relationships

More on Gratitude next blog!   In the meantime, let’s all make a conscious effort to be grateful and to show it.

MINI PROCEDURES to LOOK & FEEL YOUR ABSOLUTE HOLIDAY BEST!  Check out my recent blogs and my website: www.davinciplastic.com.

Best to You and Yours,    Steven Davison M.D.

Facial aging appears in our 20’s as subtle changes occur. The 30’s ushers in more as natural fullness lessens and the face slowly becomes heart shaped. The 40’s, however are different.  Fat loss and tissue changes become very visible as the cheeks become flat and lack definition… while lines, wrinkles and folds develop in many areas. The lips start to thin; the eyes and brows start drooping.  Aging continues over the decades. We can’t stop the aging process…but we can address it.

This is the time of year when men and women come to my office to get information, to  tailor a program that addresses their aging issues, and to start on procedures that defy aging by taking years off the face.

To Prevent, Augment or to Rejuvenate…that is the question. 

Prevention involves doing small things at a younger age to prevent or correct early signs of aging. Celebs are doing a lot of “early prevention” treatments…so they can minimize the visible signs of aging and always years younger.

Augmentation changes your features…e.g. chin implants reshape a chin that has lost volume and definition.

Rejuvenation corrects age related changes that have occurred…e.g. men and women just want to look a few years younger without changing their complete appearance

Balance and proportion need to be correct to achieve the desired improvement.  The goal is to get outcomes that look natural and improve the face…not manipulate it while striving for perfection.

BALANCE MEANS:  a youthful face that doesn’t look done but it does encompass features that are proportionate with each other as follows:

1)  Eyes should have 1/2 inch between the upper lid and brow. Outer corner turns up slightly.

2)  Brows should be aligned with each other and have a slight arch at the tail.

3)  Cheeks should be oval in shape, full and high on the face while tapering in

4)  Lips…the upper lip should be two thirds smaller than the bottom lip with slightly upturned corners.

 Knowing When to do What…is a key factor at any age or stage in life.  When younger patients ask me for filler, injectables of fat…and there are no visible signs of aging…they want enhancement rather than corrective or preventive treatment. Also, surgery is an option only when you’re ready and when it is age appropriate or it can actually make you look older and “done.”

I advise my patients:  Start doing small interventions early and then maintain…a little intervention with fillers and injectables is good for making improvements…but beware…a lot is not always better.  Check on my procedures at: www.davinciplastic.com.

I am certified by multiple medical boards, have years and years of experience, I stay current with today’s advancements and I am also an “expert injector.”  Pictures of my patients tell a wonderful story!  

OK….this is the time of year to start getting ready for the Holidays.  Come in for a personal consultation so you can put your best face forward!

Steven Davison M.D.

“DAVinci….where we combine the supreme elements of art and surgical science.”

Some skin care myths You need to know about…We carry only the best skin care products in our spa…and our lifelong clientelle have learned certain truths about healthy skin, and they use products that really work.

Myth #1. After washing it, your skin should feel tight. That means it’s clean. Answer: tight skin after cleansing has been stripped of all hydration causing dead skin cells to build up on the surface.  Avoid stripping cleansers (e.g. bar soap).

Myth #2.  Greasy foods and chocolate are offenders and cause breakouts.  Answer: This may inspire you to eat healthier, green foods, but there is no science to support this myth.

Myth #3.  Smoking is bad for your lungs…but has no negative effects on your skin.  Answer:  WRONG!  Smoking narrows the tiny blood vessels in the outer layer of the skin and it depletes the skin of essential oxygen and nutrients that promote health.  The damage shows up clearly as: facial lines, wrinkles, folds (e.g. smoker’s lips) and discoloration…not to mention lung diseases.

Myth #4.  Longterm, frequent use diminishes effectiveness of skin care products.  Answer:  The skin is in a constant state of renewal as old, dead skin cells are pushed to the surface and new cells are generated about every 30 to 40 days.  Good skin care products enhance this process to create healthy, beautiful skin.

Myth #5.  You don’t need sunscreen it your makeup has it.  Not all makeup is created equal…so don’t take a chance on your precious skin.  Use sunscreen for play in the sun times.

We carry Obagi skin care products because they work simply and effectively to give you the healthiest, most beautiful skin ever.  Obagi transforms skin…no matter your age, ethnicity, gender, or skin condition.  Call and ask Nora about it.

Here are a few basic skin care tips that can be “skin changing”….

1)  Get 8 hours of restful beauty sleep.  The body heals and renews only during sleep.

2)  Clean your face every night…do it early in the evening if you are too tired at bedtime, to cleanse away the day’s impurities, excess oil etc.

3)  Hydrate your body to hydrate your skin…and to energize both.  Try a glass or two in the evening for brighter skin in the morning.

4)  NIghttime skin care…is just as important as daytime.  Nighttime products are formulated to renew and repair the skin while you sleep.  Obagi NuDerm Systems offer everything you need to achieve round the clock, all weather, all skin types…healthy, beautiful skin.

5) Pregnancy….keep that healthy glow!  Whether you have children or this is your first pregnancy, pregnancy creates skin care challenges such as acne, pregnancy mask and stretch marks.  Our “mommies” safely address these concerns during and after pregnancy.

Nora can schedule your personal consultation to educate and get you going with a healthy skin care regimen.  See Obagi Systems at www.davinciplastic.com.

OK….summer is over. School and work makes for busy schedules.  DO NOT NEGLECT YOURSELF!  Take a few minutes each day for good nutrition, plenty of water, restful sleep at night, and the right skin care regimen…to look and feel your absolute best.

Steven Davison M.D.

“DAVinci…we combine the supreme elements of art and surgical science.“