The Centre, P.C. - Plastic Surgery Blog

See Your Way to Healthy Skin with Complexion Analysis - Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Great-Looking & Healthy Summer Skin -

Getting Ready for Summer, Pt. 2 - Friday, April 18, 2008

Maybe you're looking beyond just shorts and sundresses to swimsuit season, and thinking how loathe you will be to show your winter-flabby body, complete with the fat you haven't been able to shed since your "what the heck, it's Christmas" binge. If this is you, the Centre, P.C. has a number of treatments available that can help you get your body swimsuit-ready in time for that trip to the beach or even just down the road to your favorite swimming hole.

However, remember that cosmetic surgery, although miraculous, is not actually a miracle, and all treatments require planning and some sacrifice on your part for full effectiveness. The best procedure for you depends on what kinds of sacrifice you're willing to make and how long you have before you want to be able to dive into the water without fear of what you'll look like when you come out.

Nonsurgical Options

If you are looking to reduce your fat and improve your curves, and you are prepared to do some of the work yourself, Endermologie can help you make your dieting and exercise routine as effective as possible. Endermologie is a massage system that not only reduces stress which can induce unhealthy eating habits, but also promotes good blood circulation which in turn increases your body's ability to metabolize fat. Not only does Endermologie help your body to metabolize fat, helping you to get rid of it, but it has been shown to significantly reduce that other major detriment to your swimsuit-ready body: cellulite.

Surgical Options

Depending on when you want to get into that swimsuit, especially if you're planning an island getaway or other special occasion for which you want to make sure you're ready, you might consider the surgical options for fat removal. Neither of these can be considered long-term weight loss options, but for eliminating localized fat deposits and/or skin laxity, they are excellent options.

Liposuction is a highly effective way of targeting unsightly bulges and deposits. The procedure can remove fat from areas of disproportionate accumulation. Abdominoplasty or other body lifts can not only remove fat, but also unsightly lax skin and stretch marks. Abdominoplasty can also tighten loose abdominal muscles. The sacrifice with surgical options is that they do require some significant downtime and recovery period before you will see optimal results.

Too Good to Be True

At this time, it's also good to remind you that not everyone is scrupulous in either their advertising or in their treatment, and if you are too desperate to try and look your best without making any sacrifice, you just may find yourself making a huge sacrifice and looking terrible to boot. There are two treatments in particular that promise great results, but are actually risky and ineffective, so we do not practice them. Thermage is a painful procedure with dubious results, essentially akin to microwaving yourself, and we do not believe the results to be worth the risk. Mesotherapy, marketed under such promising names as Lipodissolve, is not FDA approved, and may not only be ineffective, but dangerous as well. With no standard formulation, mesotherapy should be avoided until a formula is clinically proven to be effective and safe.

If you want to get your body swimsuit-ready for the summer, the Centre, P.C, is prepared to help you with a number of safe, effective options so you can look your best. Please contact us today to set up a consultation.

Getting Ready for Summer, Pt. 1 - Thursday, April 17, 2008

Spring has definitely come to northern Indiana and the Chicago area, and everywhere women are putting away the slacks, tights, and heavy winter skirts, and pulling the sundresses and shorts out of boxes to go back in the closet and drawers. And between storage and the hanger, you may decide to try on that short dress, only to make a frightening discovery: spider veins have crawled their way across your legs, and now there's no way you would dare wear a dress or shorts in public, no matter how nice the weather.

The good news is, though, that in just two or three weeks, your legs can get ready for showing off with sclerotherapy. Sclerotherapy is a fast, effective way to get rid of spider veins. In the treatment, your spider veins are injected with a solution that causes them to collapse and die, and then your body naturally removes the scabrous residue. The treatment takes from 15 to 45 minutes depending on the number of veins to be injected.

If you have spider veins and want to get rid of them, sooner is better than later, because for the two to three weeks that the solution takes to work, you definitely won't want to wear your sun dresses, shorts, or any other leg-baring fashion, although you most likely won't feel any pain and you won't be hampered from any of your other activities, although you can reduce your risk of blood clots or other complications by avoiding jogging, weight lifting, and prolonged standing. Every treatment will significantly improve the appearance of your spider veins, but you may need more than one treatment session to achieve your personal cosmetic goal.

To learn more about how sclerotherapy and other skin treatments can help you get ready for fun in the sun, contact the Centre, P.C. today to set up a consultation.

Take 'Em By Surprise with Your Roguish Eyes - Friday, April 11, 2008

Although many people consider body contouring operations in preparation for the summer swimsuit season, don't forget that other cosmetic surgeries are just as important. If you're strolling through the park one day in the merry merry month of May, you don't want your tired-looking eyes to give away your age. If you really want to look your youngest, you need to pay attention to your eyes. If you want eyes that convey energy, youth, and a fun-loving spirit, here are a number of procedures to consider.

Blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) is the best treatment for puffy lower lids, wrinkled eyelids, or sagging upper eyelids. In this surgery, which has a short recovery period, excess skin and fat are removed from your eyelids, making your eyes more open and youthful in appearance.

If you are troubled by the extent of the crows' feet around your eyes or the worry lines between your brows, Botox injections can help. The injections relax the tensed muscles that cause these lines.

If the main detriment to your eyes is the dark circles under them, then soft tissue fillers like Restylane might be the best solution.

To counteract the numerous fine wrinkles and crepey skin around the eyes, laser skin resurfacing might be the most effective treatment, but it can also make your skin very sensitive to sunlight for a long time. Consider lighter treatments, like an Obagi Blue Peel, which provide good results but do not make your skin sensitive for as long.

To learn more about making your eyes look refreshed and rejuvenated for spring, please contact the Centre, P.C. in Elkhart, Indiana, today to set up a consultation.

What Is Body Contouring? - Thursday, April 10, 2008

Body contouring, sometimes known as liposculpture, is the correction of the body's curves by altering the distribution of fat and skin in key locations. Some plastic surgeons will use the term "body contouring" to describe liposuction, because liposuction removes unwanted fat from some areas of the body, but true body contouring goes far beyond that. Body contouring may also involve lifts--abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck), or other body lifts, such as thigh lifts, or arm lifts, for example--if your body also has surplus or sagging skin. It can involve techniques like endermologie that reduce the uneven microcontouting of your body caused by cellulite. It can also involve the augmentation of breasts or their reduction, or their reshaping with a breast lift.

To learn more about what actual body contouring means, please contact the Centre, P.C. today to set up your initial consultation.

Soft Tissue Fillers - Friday, April 04, 2008

Here at the Centre, P.C. we offer a number of soft-tissue fillers for wrinkle treatment. The fillers we offer are the best available on the market today, and include Restylane and Radiesse.

Restylane has become the new standard in facial fillers. It is made of hyaluronic acid, a natural substance found in your skin, joints, and spinal column. It works as a moisturizer because it is hydrophilic, meaning that it collects and holds water, which is part of the reason for its longevity. Once injected, the body immediately begins to absorb and redistribute the hyaluronic acid, but as some of it moved away, the remaining hyaluronic acid fills the space with water molecules, so that the filler does not lose volume.

Radiesse works in a similar fashion, but instead of hyaluronic acid, Radiesse is made of a carboxymethylcellulose (a form of cellulose commonly used as a food thickener) gel, surrounding microspheres of calcium hydroxyapatite, a compound commonly used as a bone filler. Although the gel is immediately absorbed, the body fills in around the microspheres, which are slowly absorbed by the body.

Both these fillers provide excellent wrinkle correction for nearly all facial wrinkles. To learn more about facial fillers, contact the Centre, P.C. in Elkhart Indiana, to schedule a consultation.

Timing Cosmetic Procedures - Thursday, April 03, 2008

There are many occasions when people want to look their best. Sometimes people want to try and improve their appearance for their wedding (or anniversary), for a class reunion, or for a tropical vacation. However, many cosmetic procedures have a lag time before their full aesthetic effect is realized. This is true even for so-called noninvasive procedures. For example, laser skin resurfacing will sometimes leave your skin looking red or "sunburned" for a period of time before your skin heals and takes on the smoother, brighter, more even appearance that is the desired result. To make sure you look your best for that occasion, here's how long before you should have the procedure done:

• Chemical peel--2 weeks
• Botox or soft-tissue fillers like Restylane--3 weeks
• Sclerotherapy (spider vein treatment)--3 weeks
• Laser Skin Resurfacing--2 to 3 months
• Facelift--2 to 3 months
• Breast augmentation--3 to 4 months
• Liposuction--3 months
• Abdominoplasty--3 months

As you can see, there is a significant gap between the surgical and the nonsurgical procedures. A good rule of thumb is that the more dramatic the results, the longer in advance you have to plan on having the procedure.

If you have a special occasion and want to put your best face forward, please contact the Centre, P.C. today to set up a consultation.