The year 2012 was a time of economic revival for many areas, from auto to retail to plastic surgery. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, ASPS, reports that five percent more procedures were performed in 2012 than in 2011. This marks the third consecutive year of growth.

The greatest growth is in minimally invasive procedures. These tend to be cheaper, with shorter healing times. The ASPS indicates that they serve as an introduction as well. Invasive surgical procedures have not grown the way minimally invasive procedures have, but that growth will come.

The more minimally invasive the procedure, the more it has increased in the past year. Botox procedures and microdermabrasion are both up eight percent, while dermal fillers are up five. Laser hair removal saw a four percent increase, and chemical peels grew by two percent.

Conversely, some surgical procedures decreased in the past year. Breast augmentation, in particular, saw a decrease of seven percent. Liposuction fell one percent as well. Some other surgical procedures increased as well, such as facelifts, which grew six percent.

What does it all mean? Plastic surgery is on the rise, but some procedures are more popular than others are. Facial rejuvenation is still one of the most popular, and saw the most growth in the past year. Female breast augmentation dropped, but male breast reduction rose significantly.

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A great deal of time and effort goes into planning and proceeding with plastic surgery. Yet all too easily, some of the most basic questions are overlooked. How will the surgery affect the use of makeup?

Surgery, even minor plastic surgery, is still effectively an open wound in the body. This means that makeup acts as a contaminant, and the act of applying it is putting unnecessary stress on the wounded area. Makeup can, in some cases, lead to longer healing times or even infection.

Thankfully, most cosmetic surgery procedures heal quickly, so with a little caution you can go back to using makeup frequently if you desire. Each procedure is different, however, so you should ask beforehand how long you would have to wait. For example, a facelift affects much of the face, and takes ten or so days to heal enough for safe makeup application. A nose job or brow work only affects small areas of the face, so the rest of the face is fair game. Rhinoplasty procedures should be left alone for three or four weeks, while eye work takes around two weeks to heal.

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Question: I have been looking at the different options for plastic surgery of the face. It amazes me what can be done now. I think that I would like fat transferred to my neck to fill out the lose skin. Is this a viable option?

Answer: I do not think that fat grafting to your neck would be a wise decision to fill out any sort of laxity or lines due to the fact you would simply look like you had a fat neck after that type of procedure.  Most of the time what we would like to create is a very elegant neck line in most individuals which would require he elevation of the neck structures and the removal of any excess skin if needed.  Ultimately, a consultation with a board-certified facial plastic surgeon would allow you to have a customized treatment option that would best fulfill your desires regarding your specific anatomic concerns. 

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No, there really is not any significant possibility of cartilage shifting after the repair of a broken nose but there are certainly circumstances where the cartilage and bone have been altered such that there will be persistent asymmetry after the repair of a broken nose.  Classically, a broken nose involves the fracture and displacement of the nasal bones, one typically being depressed and one being pushed out from its normal location.  During repair of a broken nose, the depressed nasal bone is elevated and the displaced nasal bone is then pushed towards the midline so that they essentially lock back together again, and they create a midline appearance and symmetry to the nose that was present prior to the injury.  In certain circumstances, however, the cartilage just below the bone can be avulsed or separated from the nasal bone itself, and this may not be recognized during the initial evaluation.  The nasal bones can thus be reduced and placed back into their proper anatomic location but, due to the fact that the cartilage has been separated from the bone, there may still be a depression on one side or the other due to this dislocation of the cartilage from the nasal bones themselves.  This can be extremely difficult to analyze immediately after the injury due to the fact that there is typically some minor residual swelling but also due to the fact that the nasal bone itself is depressed and displaced and it is, therefore, very difficult to appreciate whether the cartilage is displaced relative to the bone or if the cartilage is just displaced due to the fact that the bone is malpositioned.  There really is no good way to try to correct the displaced nasal cartilage anyway and, for the most part, I tend to treat the nasal bony fracture and, should there be a resulting cartilaginous displacement, this can be addressed at a later date and, unfortunately, a second surgery.  I feel that an evaluation by a very experienced rhinoplasty surgeon would be very beneficial for anyone who has undergone treatment of a broken nose and yet still has unexpected consequences.

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A weekend facelift is simply a miniature facelift that can be performed in an office setting under local anesthesia.  Various names can be applied to this type of lift such as a lifestyle lift, a Quick Lift, an S lift, mini lift, and even many surgeons have made up their own names for this procedure but, all in all, they are very similar and have been well known for 30-plus years.  The procedure involves the application of some local anesthetic under the skin in and around the ear area.  Incisions are then made in and around the ear to hide them and then the skin is elevated, and portions of the deeper tissue are then lifted and secured to a more aesthetic position using sutures.   The excess skin is then reflected back, removed, and closed with more sutures that are removed typically in about one week.  This type of lift can be very nice for patients with early laxity that really do not require an extensive full facelift or for those that can either not afford the more sophisticated facelifting approach or are not healthy enough to undergo any sort of a more advanced surgical procedure.  Ultimately, I always recommend that patients seek out a well experienced facial plastic surgeon who can give various options regarding their facial rejuvenation.  I am always concerned if the surgeon only is capable of performing one surgical technique of facelifting because all of that surgeon’s patients would therefore qualify for that single technique, and obviously not all patients are ideal candidates for a specific surgical procedure.  I personally highly customize all of my facial rejuvenation procedures for each individual patient’s facial anatomic features.  That way, the patient’s rejuvenation is maximized, and even the overall natural appearance of the outcome is also maximized by this significant customization process.

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