The face is the primary aesthetic part of our body. When engaged in conversation or day to day interactions, we always look at the other persons face. It is the one characteristic of our body which distinguishes us from one another. A youthful face represents a more youthful person.

The “layer approach” to the face is the most comprehensive. The most superficial layer of your face is your skin. To correct the effects of sun damage, some plastic surgeons first recommend excellent skin care including good skin care products, IPL Photofacials, or chemical peels.

The next layers of your face are addressed by a facelift procedure. Also known as rhytidectomy, a facelift smoothes the loose skin on your face and neck, tightens the underlying tissues, and removes excess fat. Plastic surgeons perform most of their facelifts using new endoscopic techniques. With these techniques, a small endoscope measuring 5 millimeters in diameter is inserted through a small incision in the scalp. The entire surgery is performed under the facial skin resulting in no visible scars on the face. There is a quicker recovery with minimal bruising and swelling.

The deeper soft tissues of your face account for your cheeks and dark depressions under the eyes. The surgeon may recommend fat injection to augment cheeks or correct depressions in the face in conjunction with your facelift procedure. If necessary, your cheeks may also be augmented with cheek implants to improve their contour while giving you a more youthful face.

Cheek fat removal techniques are combined with spot facial or neck suctioning, or buccal fat excision, in which excess cheek fat is removed through a tiny incision inside the mouth, resulting in a more sculptured appearance to the cheeks. While the cheek augmentation makes the cheek bones themselves wider or more forward appearing, the buccal fat excision removes fat from chubby cheeks below the bones. Fatty tissue removed from the face or other parts of the body can often be liquefied and used to fill out thinning lips or small depressions of the face at this time.

Rhytidectomy can either be done alone, in conjunction with a neck recontouring procedure (cervicoplasty), forehead lift, or with other procedures you might desire. At your consultation, the surgeon will help you decide which option is best for you.

You may choose to have your procedure done at any of the local hospitals including Cedars Sinai, Century City, or Saint Johns. The surgery is best done with a light general anesthesia, with long acting local anesthetics added to minimize postoperative pain. After you are asleep, the surgery begins with the injection of a long-acting local anesthetic to keep you comfortable long after the procedure is over. If excess fat is present, your neck and face are sculpted by liposuction (liposculpture).

Incisions are made in front of your ear and continued behind your ear. The skin is next elevated from your face to reveal the deeper SMAS layer. This layer of your face includes all of the muscles of facial expression and is pulled upwards towards your scalp in order to correct the sagging effects of gravity on your face. The skin is then re-draped over your face and similarly pulled in an upward direction. In this manner, surgeons perform facelifts in multiple layers to assure long-lasting results. The incisions are lastly closed in a meticulous manner using multiple layers, paying special attention to place the scar in front of the ear in a location that will appear like a natural crease in the skin. The incisions behind the ears will be covered by the ear and therefore not visible.

In the endoscopic technique, your face is anesthetized as before. Small hidden incisions are made in the scalp and using a special camera (endoscope) along with special endoscopic instruments, the procedure is performed while visualized on a monitor. The skin is elevated away from the SMAS layer and the SMAS is suspended superiorly. The skin is then re-draped over the face and suspended in place with special sutures. A multiple layer approach to facial rejuvenation is again used to give you long-lasting results. The surgical scars are within the scalp and therefore invisible. The minimally invasive approach utilized in this technique leads to a more rapid recovery and shorter “down time.”

In both approaches, your face will be covered by special bandages after surgery which is used to lightly compress your skin in order to decrease any swelling.

After your procedure you will be resting comfortably in the recovery room. Please make arrangements for transportation home prior to your surgery. If you would like to stay at a post-surgical recovery center, please inform us ahead of time.

On the day of surgery, you will be perfectly comfortable and pain free due to the long-acting local anesthetic used. You may drink clear liquids, but avoid solid food as it may induce nausea. Take your medications as prescribed. It is important that you maintain your head elevated while lying in bed in order to minimize swelling. This is best done by placing 3-4 pillows under your back to sit up in bed. You must avoid flexing your neck for prolonged periods as this may jeopardize the skin on your neck. More than one pillow under your head is to be avoided, unless elevating your back simultaneously. Do not turn your head from side to side as this may disturb your neck recontouring procedure. Our office staff will be contacting you daily over the first week to address all of your concerns.

The first day after surgery is typically the most difficult. You should begin to walk around the house with assistance, and resume a regular diet. Continue to avoid large bites and foods which require strenuous chewing such as apples or steak. Let your face “set in place” by resting your facial muscles and avoid extreme facial expressions including prolonged conversations and laughter. Cold packs applied to your face will help reduce any bruising and swelling which may result. You may take a sponge bath with assistance, but keep your head clean and dry for 48 hours after surgery.

During the first week after surgery, you should walk around increasingly more. Do not lie in bed for prolonged periods as it may interfere with your nightly sleep while increasing your risk for complications. On the second day after surgery, your bandages will be removed and you may enjoy a shower. Switch from cold packs to warm on the third day after surgery in order to reduce any swelling or bruising. Your sutures will be removed at approximately 5 days after surgery. Over the next 6 to 8 weeks, you will experience 80% recovery from your surgery.

Dave Stringham is the President of LookingYourBest.com an online resource for plastic surgery. Learn more about lfacelift surgery and cosmetic surgery procedures at http://www.lookingyourbest.com/facialplasticsurgery/ and http://www.davidsayah.com/procedures/facelift.php.

Many women consult with plastic surgeons because of overly large or sagging breasts, a condition resulting in neck and shoulder pain, deep grooves in the shoulders from brassiere straps, skin rashes, and increased menstrual discomfort. In addition, these patients often experience emotional distress when friends (and even total strangers) thoughtlessly comment on the size of their breasts. Other women are bothered by sagging breasts, and while the size of their breasts may be acceptable, the undesirable shape makes them feel unattractive.

Enlarged breasts are often the result of hereditary factors or weight gain. Hormones also play a part in some cases where the breast tissue is actually more sensitive than normal to certain female hormones. Sagging breasts result from poor skin tone, stretching of ligaments during pregnancy and breast-feeding, weight changes, heredity, and the aging process. Either of these conditions can be corrected with the same basic operative procedure, and thousands of women each year undergo successful surgical alteration of their breasts.

During your initial consultation, you will be encouraged to discuss your desires, fears, expectations, and goals. In addition to reducing breast size, your plastic surgeon will strive to create a more aesthetically pleasing breast by improving shape and balance and creating breasts which are proportional to your chest and shoulders. No woman has breasts which are perfectly symmetrical in volume, shape, or position. Your surgeon will aim for improved breast symmetry in addition to a more youthful appearance (firm breasts with proper uplift).

A more shapely breast (lifted and reduced in size) is created by elevating the nipple (which normally remains connected to its nerve and blood supply) to a more acceptable position. If the nipple is enlarged, its size is reduced. The breast and torso are measured to determine the amount of reduction required, and a pattern is drawn on the breast. If necessary, the internal breast tissue is reduced and molded into a normal size and shape. Sometimes, during uplift operations, a small implant may be placed to add extra support and shape to the breast. Your plastic surgeon will discuss this with you before surgery.

New techniques in plastic surgery aim to reduce the length of incisions and scars in performing breast lifts and reductions. In traditional techniques the final incision lines are made around the areola (dark circle around the nipple), down the bottom center and horizontally under the breast and resulting in an “anchor scar.” More modern methods have limited the incisions to either just around the areola (small circular scar) or around the areola and down the center of the breast resulting in a “lollipop scar.” In particular cases, a significant breast reduction can be achieved by sculpting the breast using liposuction ( liposculpture ). All incisions are closed in multiple layers in order to minimize widening of the scars.

A comfortable bandage is fitted after surgery and worn for 48 hours. We recommend continued support of the breasts with a well-fitted, comfortable bra after reduction to prevent sagging. A small drain may be used to collect fluid for a day or two after the procedure to help decrease swelling and discomfort.

For the first two days after surgery, you will spend most of your time at home. You are encouraged to walk around your home, but will want to take a break from your daily routines. You may experience less discomfort than you expected, but will probably want a mild pain medication such as Tylenol. Stronger medication will be available if you need it.

By the third day you will be up and walking around. When you get up out of bed, try rolling on your side toward the edge of the bed and bring your knees up to your waist. Move your legs over the side of the bed and gently help yourself up by pushing up with your elbows. The idea is to let your legs do most of the work so your arms can rest. When you shower, gently wash your stitch line with mild soap, then apply a thin layer of a mild antibiotic ointment such as Bacitracin or Polysporin.

Most patients are driving by the fifth to seventh day, and return to work or school in one to two weeks, depending on the level of activity required and the rate of recovery. Half of the swelling is resolved in two weeks, three-quarters by one month, and the remainder in one to three months. Any change in sensation following surgery may be temporary; resolution can occur over several weeks to several months. Although breast-feeding is desirable for infants, it can have an effect on the operated breast, sometimes resulting in size reduction, and discomfort. This should be considered before a decision is made about breast surgery and subsequent pregnancy and nursing.

Dave Stringham is the President of LookingYourBest.com an online resource for plastic surgery. Learn more about breast lift surgery and cosmetic surgery procedures at http://www.lookingyourbest.com/breast/ and http://www.davidsayah.com/procedures/lift.php.

Many women consult plastic surgeons because of overly large or sagging breasts, a condition resulting in neck and shoulder pain, deep grooves in the shoulders from brassiere straps, skin rashes, and increased menstrual discomfort. In addition, these patients often experience emotional distress when friends (and even total strangers) thoughtlessly comment on the size of their breasts. Other women are bothered by sagging breasts, and while the size of their breasts may be acceptable, the undesirable shape makes them feel unattractive.

Enlarged breasts are often the result of hereditary factors or weight gain. Hormones also play a part in some cases where the breast tissue is actually more sensitive than normal to certain female hormones. Sagging breasts result from poor skin tone, stretching of ligaments during pregnancy and breast-feeding, weight changes, heredity, and the aging process. Either of these conditions can be corrected with the same basic operative procedure, and thousands of women each year undergo successful surgical alteration of their breasts.

During your initial consultation, you will be encouraged to discuss your desires, fears, expectations, and goals. In addition to reducing breast size, your plastic surgeon will strive to create a more aesthetically pleasing breast by improving shape and balance and creating breasts which are proportional to your chest and shoulders. No woman has breasts which are perfectly symmetrical in volume, shape, or position. Dr Sayah will aim for improved breast symmetry in addition to a more youthful appearance (firm breasts with proper uplift).

A more shapely breast (lifted and reduced in size) is created by elevating the nipple (which normally remains connected to its nerve and blood supply) to a more acceptable position. If the nipple is enlarged, its size is reduced. The breast and torso are measured to determine the amount of reduction required, and a pattern is drawn on the breast. If necessary, the internal breast tissue is reduced and molded into a normal size and shape. Sometimes, during uplift operations, a small implant may be placed to add extra support and shape to the breast. Your plastic surgeon will discuss this with you before surgery.

New techniques in plastic surgery aim to reduce the length of incisions and scars in performing breast lifts and reductions. In traditional techniques the final incision lines are made around the areola (dark circle around the nipple), down the bottom center and horizontally under the breast and resulting in an “anchor scar.” More modern methods used by surgeons have limited the incisions to either just around the areola (small circular scar) or around the areola and down the center of the breast resulting in a “lollipop scar.” In particular cases, a significant breast reduction can be achieved by sculpting the breast using liposuction ( liposculpture ). All incisions are closed in multiple layers in order to minimize widening of the scars.

A comfortable bandage is fitted after surgery and worn for 48 hours. We recommend continued support of the breasts with a well-fitted, comfortable bra after reduction to prevent sagging. A small drain may be used to collect fluid for a day or two after the procedure to help decrease swelling and discomfort.

For the first two days after surgery, you will spend most of your time at home. You are encouraged to walk around your home, but will want to take a break from your daily routines. You may experience less discomfort than you expected, but will probably want a mild pain medication such as Tylenol. Stronger medication will be available if you need it.

By the third day you will be up and walking around. When you get up out of bed, try rolling on your side toward the edge of the bed and bring your knees up to your waist. Move your legs over the side of the bed and gently help yourself up by pushing up with your elbows. The idea is to let your legs do most of the work so your arms can rest. When you shower, gently wash your stitch line with mild soap, then apply a thin layer of a mild antibiotic ointment such as Bacitracin or Polysporin.

Most patients are driving by the fifth to seventh day, and return to work or school in one to two weeks, depending on the level of activity required and the rate of recovery. Half of the swelling is resolved in two weeks, three-quarters by one month, and the remainder in one to three months. Any change in sensation following surgery may be temporary; resolution can occur over several weeks to several months. Although breast-feeding is desirable for infants, it can have an effect on the operated breast, sometimes resulting in size reduction, and discomfort. This should be considered before a decision is made about breast surgery and subsequent pregnancy and nursing.

Dave Stringham is the President of LookingYourBest.com an online resource for plastic surgery. Learn more about breast reduction and cosmetic surgery procedures at http://www.lookingyourbest.com/breast/ and http://www.davidsayah.com/procedures/reduction.php.

You may have recently encountered information about the Suddenly Slim Diet, online or elsewhere. However, you might not know just what it is. How can you tell if Suddenly Slim is the diet for you? Here’s some basic information about this diet to help you decide if you should use it as a weight loss method.

The Suddenly Slim diet is a weight loss program that uses meal replacement shakes and diet pills to help dieters reduce their weight. The program includes a number of different proprietary products, including Reneu, Slim N Up, Slim N Up Free, and Body FX. These products must be used with the diet in order to experience any effects from it, and can be expensive.

Each product has a high percentage of herbally derived ingredients. Some of these are chromium picolinate, green tea, garcinia campogia, kola note, dandelion root, chitin, hydroxycitric acid, cayenne pepper, and L-carnitine. Some people may be sensitive to one or more of these ingredients, and if you’re thinking about using the Suddenly Slim diet plan, you should read about each of them before purchasing their products.

Most companies producing diet supplements prefer to specialize in specific herbal ingredients. Suddenly Slim uses many of them, attempting to create a thermogenic effect in the body. The goal of the Suddenly Slim diet plan is to increase the metabolism and help the body burn calories without increasing the amount of exercise or significantly altering the diet (though meal replacement shakes are required.)

Like many extremely regimented diet plans, Suddenly Slim promises dramatic results, and in the first part of the diet, many people do experience significant weight loss. However, a portion of this loss may be water weight, which quickly returns. In addition, many people have trouble keeping weight off after using this kind of diet plan. That’s because they don’t learn proper portion control and good eating choices while on the plan. That makes it hard to eat correctly for maintenance when they stop using the supplemental products.

If you’re thinking about trying the Suddenly Slim diet, be sure to think carefully about the effects you’re hoping to get versus the cost of the plan. Analyze the ingredients carefully to make sure that you’re not sensitive to any of them, and investigate whether or not you’ll be able to maintain your weight once you stop using the products. For many people, this kind of plan can trigger weight loss, but that loss can’t be maintained. Choose any diet plan carefully, and if you’re not sure if it’s right for you, ask your doctor before starting.

Bob Reed has been reviewing diets for many years and takes pride in his honesty. For more information on the Suddenly Slim Diet check out his detailed review at the link below:

http://hubpages.com/hub/suddenlyslimdiet

Perhaps the single most important component of beauty is symmetry. Conscientiously or sub-conscientiously, we immediately search for symmetry when evaluating beauty. One of the great ironies of life however, is that no human being, not even the most famous of super-models, is perfectly symmetrical. If we were to measure our different body parts we would consistently find differences between the two sides. The length of our right arms will be different than the left, as will the size of our eyes, ears and legs.

The most common body parts to have differences are the breasts. It is exceedingly rare for any woman to have perfectly symmetrical breasts, yet it is this difference that is often most disturbing to woman. Whether one evaluates the size, shape, nipple position or location of the fold under the breast, one will find differences. Your local plastic surgeon might advise women to first evaluate and understand these differences before they begin the process of correcting breast asymmetry. The goal with correcting breast asymmetry is to restore reasonable symmetry between the two sides while understanding that perfection is rarely achievable.

There is no one solution that fits all women. Each woman presents with a unique set of circumstance that requires careful evaluation during the consultation process. Your plastic surgeon will perform a thorough consultation and evaluation to accurately asses each womans particular needs. Women who are candidates for correction of breast asymmetry include those who have:

One breast significantly larger than the opposite normal sized breast. One breast significantly smaller than the opposite normal sized breast. One breast that is too large and one breast that is too small.
Nipple positions than are different between the two breasts. Significant differences in shape between the two breasts. Failure of one breast to properly develop

The options for correction of breast asymmetry include a combination of any of the following: Breast Augmentation, Breast Lift, Breast Reduction, a release of constricting breast ligaments and breast expansion with reconstruction. As you can see, there are many options and the correct choice or choices can vary widely depending on a womans needs. A board certified plastic surgeon – certified by the prestigious American Board of Plastic Surgery, will carefully evaluate your particular asymmetry and work with you to create a plan tailored to correct your specific problem.

Most of these procedures can be performed in an outpatient surgical center, usually under general anesthesia. Woman can usually return home that day. Most require at least one to two weeks off of work and a minimum of two weeks of no exercise or lifting.

Each of these procedures is generally considered safe, especially when performed on healthy women. Like all medical and surgical treatment, there are risks, including bleeding, infection and the risks of anesthesia. However, these risks can be minimized especially when performed under the care of a highly qualified, board certified plastic surgeon.

The results from correction of breast asymmetry can be immensely satisfying to a woman. It can help to restore the beauty associated with symmetry, while simultaneously improving her sense of femininity and self-image.

Dave Stringham is the President of LookingYourBest.com an online resource for plastic surgery. Learn more about breast asymmetry and cosmetic surgery procedures at http://www.lookingyourbest.com/breast/ and http://www.mybestplasticsurgeon.com/breast-asymmetry.htm.

Learning to deal with diabetes is never simple. It is bad enough we have to live in a greed-based world filled with anxiousness, violence, media junk, and the like. However, those with diabetes can live healthy providing there lifestyles conformed with healthy diet, medications and exercise programs. Diabetes is a serious condition and this illness is the mother of all diseases in the world and it is a killer.
So,what is diabetes?

Diabetes is an illness that you can get if you do not take good care for your body and this include proper food intake. However, genetics contribute a major part in diabetes as well. In fact, hereditary is a hard cause of this disease. The disease can cause blindness, can lead to amputation of legs, or feet.

The major cause of diabetes is when your body is incapable of generating enough insulin to do what its supposed to do. This type of diabetes is curable. You will have to have proper medications, exercise and strict diet to maintain your health.

How would you know that you have this disease called diabetes? What are the diabetes symptoms?
If you go to your doctors on a regular basis, your doctor can monitor your health condition. If you have family history of this illness, let your doctor know so he/she can make random testing. A glucose test is needed to find diabetes. Blood lab tests are useful also to determine if you have this diabetes symptoms.

You should be aware of diabetes symptoms so that you can treat it early if ever it is curable. Else you can have proper diabetes management. Diabetes recipes or having an effective diabetic diet is piratically essential if you discovered you have a diabetes. Promoting a healthy living–by appropriate food in take as well as exercise help a lot to manage this disease.

Diabetes, once again is a serious disease since this in not partial because it can be on whoever–young or old, male or female, rich or poor. It is really important you obtain informations about diabetes symptoms, diabetic recipe or diabetic diet so that you are able to understand about it and make the necessary actions if in case it hits you.

You have to be aware that this illness can also lead to other diseases like meningitis, heart failure, etc. Again, it is a killer disease that can be present on anyone.

To read more, visit http://www.diabetesanddiet101.info/