The eyes are one of the first areas of the face where aging becomes highly visible.  The eye area has thin skin and fat deposits, that over time often get lost or displaced, while unwelcome dark circles, hollows and bags develop and become more visible.  This blog continues my short series on “mini procedures” what they are and why they’re here to stay.

If you’re new to my blogs see my website for comprehensive information on the many age defying/health restoring procedures I offer. HTTP://www.davinciplastic.com.

MINI EYELID LIFTS are among the top procedures requested today. They are called by different names such as:  Pinch Lift, Skin Pinch, Mini Eyelid Lift or Skin Pinch Blepharoplasty. Each surgeon has usually developed special techniques for their procedure of choice.

I do full blown eyelid surgeries (Blepharoplasties) and Mini Blepharoplasty procedures.  My mini eye signature procedure is the “Skin/Pinch Blepharoplasty.  This is a conservative eyelid tuck involving skin only and is ideal for patients who desire more space for applying eye shadow as well as a more defined upper eyelid crease.  My Mini Skin/Pinch Blepharoplasty takes about 1 hour: involves some swelling and bruising that resolves by itself over 5 to 7 days, and General Anesthesia is that of choice for this surgery.

Mini Skin Pinch Blepharoplasty surgery does the following:

• Achieves a modest but natural refreshed look
• Increases space for applying eye shadow
• Beautifully, naturally defines the upper eyelid crease
• Involves the least risks possible
• Erases a tired look in the upper facial third
• Refreshes, rejuvenates, renews youthfulness to the eye area

The Limitations include:  bags and eye hollows are not addressed since the fat and muscle is not transposed or eliminated…only extra skin is removed with this mini procedure and it may need future maintenance as many mini’s do.

Here’s a comparison of the “Mini” and “Traditional” Eyelid Surgery:

MINI BLEPHAROPLASTY:  Best for those with good skin elasticity and minimal wrinkling on and around the eyes…without under eyelid bags.  This takes about an hour, healing about 1 week, little to no bruising and less swelling than with traditional. Results last 3 to 10 years.   TRADITIONAL BLEPHAROPLASTY:  Best for those with heavy under eye bags and loose facial skin in the eye area.  Takes from 1 to 3 hours and is one of the easiest procedures from which to recover. Swelling and bruising lasts up to 10 days at which time you are about healed.  Results typically last from 8 to 15 years.

THE EYES ARE THE MOST COLORFUL AND ENGAGING FEATURE OF THE FACE.  THEY CREATE UNIQUENESS AND DEPTH or THEY CONVEY A TIRED, AGING APPEARANCE.    Steven Davison M.D.

ASIAN EYELIDS are unique and require special knowledge, training and skill.  Asian eyelids lack a crease, usually have extra skin or epicanthal web towards the side of the nose.  I have much experience and expertise in creating the ideal eyelid for those subtle needs.

MINI PROCEDURES ARE HERE TO STAY BECAUSE:  they are practical, they work well when started early enough, and often can prevent the need for full blown procedures/surgeries. A major reason also:  our patients have demanded them and we have researched and developed and refined them.

MINI PROCEDURES CAN BE COMBINED:  more often than not patients choose to combine two or more procedures to achieve “optimal results.”  For example:  Mini Skin Pinch Bleph surgery is popular with a Liquid Facelift using today’s miracle power lifters!  Check it out!

MOMMY MAKEOVERS and DADDY DO OVERS are here to stay too!  Let’s talk about your concerns soon!

Best to you and Yours,

Steven Davison M.D.

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

Rejuvenate the Eyes to restore youthfulness

The eyes aging path eyes is quite complex, but simply, it starts with visible lines and wrinkles that progress over the years. The eyes are one of the first areas of the face to show aging due to thinned skin and unwelcome fatty deposits (undereye bags) along with dark circles and hollows.

Today’s Mini Eye Procedures are quick and precise….Rejuvenate the eyes and take 10 years off your face instantly!

Benefits of Today’s Refined Eye Surgeries:

• Results are more natural than ever before by retaining expression in the brows and upper and lower lids for men and women.
• Recovery is fairly easy.  Today’s Blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) facial rejuvenation procedures….has minimized discomfort and significantly reduced recovery times.
•  Eyes heal well.  The skin on the eyes heals quickly and scars blend in with natural skin creases so they’re inconspicuous.

• What Patients Want me to Fix:  1) hooded, droopy, deflated lids, 2) puffiness, 3) hollowness, 4) Crow’s Feet and wrinkles.

Hooded Eyes  Aging causes internal structural changes in the skin, bone and soft tissue of the eye.  When the bone changes the brow and lid may droop…”hooding” occurs. Hooded eyelids usually interfere with visual fields to obstruct your vision while creating an aged, sad, closed eye look.

How we fix it:  Traditional Blepharoplasty removes the excess, hooded skin.  A BrowLIft is usually done in tandem to correct forehead wrinkles and restore the brow to it’s more youthful position.

More Patients (men and women) in their 40’s and 50’s choose today’s revolutionary injectable brow lifts…to avoid surgery for several more years.

Puffy Lower Eyes are caused by weakened skin while aging/stretched muscles and tendons allow displaced fat highlighted by dark circles and hollows.

Bulges Using Lower Blepharoplasty I remove excess fat/skin and tighten lax muscles/tendons.  Filling in hollows corrects lines and restores definition.

Today’s Revolutionary Way is quick, easy and effective for patients (40’s-50’s) without too much puffiness, and involves restoring volume with fillers such as Restylane or your own body fat.

Hollow Eyes (Tear Trough) actually appear sunken from loss of soft tissue volume in the orbit and loss of bone density while aging.  Genetics predispose certain people to hollow eyes…that develop as early as the teen years.  Grooves form at the bottom of the eyelid  and dark circles often appear.

Fat and Fillers, Restore Volume, provide lift and vanish Hollows  I can’t say enough about the benefits of fat injections/grafting…it’s natural, your body does not reject it and it’s long lasting.  I also offer today’s amazing injectables and help you choose the one that’s right for you.

Crow’s Feet, Lines and Wrinkles… many lines and wrinkles are corrected with Blepharoplasty (upper/lower) and the rest respond beautifully to volume restoration using fillers also called liquid lifts.  Botox is the champ for preventing future wrinkling…Injectables I use today offer immediate rejuvenating results, and optimize any surgery.  Read more at: http://www.DAVinciplastic.com

A recent study evolved out the Beauty field reports that 80% of those surveyed would want only a qualified, facial plastic surgeon to treat their aging face.  

Hope you’re having a great, sunburn free summer!  Remember the hat, glasses, sunscreen, water….and see my other blogs for being safe in the summer months.

Steven Davison M.D.

At DAVinci….I combine the supreme elements of art and surgical science.

This decade ushers in droopy brows, volume loss in the lower facial third and deep neck bands from loose, baggy skin. These changes will be much less drastic if you started doing anti aging procedures in your 30’s or 40’s.  But, it’s never too late to start.

The goal is balance.  Each part of the face ages at a different pace. If you can address these changes, as they occur in each area…you can maintain a natural balanced look, which allows the face to continue aging as a whole.  For example:  if you focus only on the eyes and do not include the brows or upper cheeks, you will age with a disjointed look between one facial feature and another.

ANTI AGING OPTIONs – Traditional Facelift Having a facelift in your 50’s and 60’s slows facial aging so you’ll always look at least 10 years younger than you really are.  There are several facelift variations (see previous blog) but the goal is: to restore natural curvatures to your facial features while maintaining the right amount of volume in the right places.  Men and women in this season of their lives opt for facelifts when injectables and other noninvasive treatments fail to work as effectively as they once did. A facelift done at this age lasts for years and may only require minor touch ups such as excess skin removal later in the 70’s.

Blepharoplasty – Corrects hollows, under eye bags and volume loss around the under eye area and sagging, bags and deep grooves of the upper eye area as well as volume replacement.

Browlift is the option of choice when injectables fail to give the needed lift.  Browlift restores the brows back to a more elevated and natural looking, more youthful position.

Necklift removes loose skin and fat, which is always a dead giveaway to your true age. Liposuction is often used to remove excess fat deposits and help sculpt this area.  The results are long lasting and help to restore facial balance.

Many Hollywood celebrities in their 60’s look 40ish. Many admit they have had work done all through the aging process in order to stay looking younger, healthier and more vibrant.  Goldie Hawn, Susan Sarandon & Morgan Fairchild look fabulous…just to name 3 of the many celebs.

Fillers vs. Surgery…this is of course the most common question.  I answer in my next blog.

Helping You Keep Your Best Face Forward,

Dr. Steven Davison

My last blog introduced you to the idea of “aging across the decades.”  Aging in your 40’s is the next decade I want to cover while listing today’s age defying options for this season of aging.

First: some benefits of starting anti aging treatments early:

• You will heal better and faster with less downtime (if any)
• Costs could be greatly reduced by avoiding surgery (for example)
• Aging may actually be “halted” – doing surgery early preserves the facial structure before it would normally fall…
• Support mechanisms for muscles and tissues…by doing early intervention…you’re supporting the structure that can change the lane of aging you were genetically set up to follow! 

AREAS of FACIAL AGING in YOUR 40’s & HOW to DELAY AGING

• Eye Brows become sparse and thin, may descend causing the upper eyelids to appear “hooded.”
• Eyelids change as puffiness in the upper and lower lids becomes visible and lines, wrinkles and bags appear and start to settle in.

AGE DEFYING OPTION #1: Lower lid blepharoplasty to correct hollows, under eye bags and volume loss. Under eye bags and bulges are a universal problem among women in their 40’s.  It shows up as as fat in the cheeks diminishes, bags develop and the eyelids look longer.  Blepharolplasty (lower) corrects the sagging, bagginess, and deep grooves that also form.  Fat can be used (a natural, long lasting volumizer) to replace volume and reverse those signs of deficient or displaced fat. Lower blepharolplasty can be equated with replacing old beams in your house.  You are actually placing new support systems and structure to your face while reversing aging and restoring youthfulness.

OPTION #2: Mini Facelift – If you have a mini facelift in your 40’s (as many are doing today), you will experience less invasiveness and better results that will keep you looking 5, 10, 15 years younger…always!  The mini focuses on the upper or lower 1/3 of the face and employs well hidden incisions. Underlying muscles, brows and cheeks get boosted to restore youthfulness and better structure to your face.  Results typically last 12 to 15 years.  The more elastic your skin is, the longer the results hold up.

Well, I’ll give more details on the procedures later on.  Now, I just want to work through the phases of aging and offer life changing and face changing options.  This info applies to men and women of all ages and stages.  It’s never too late to start.

Helping You Keep Your Best Face Forward is What I Do!

Dr. Steven Davison