Mothers and daughters shop together, travel together, laugh together and consider themselves best friends. But in today’s day and age, it’s realistic that these duos even share the experience of plastic surgery. I have noticed a trend in couples cosmetic surgery, including husbands and wives, sisters, friends, and, the most popular of all, mother/daughter plastic surgery. I have had the privilege to perform surgery on many mother/daughter surgeries. It’s interesting to witness the differences in the desired outcomes from surgery on two ladies merely one generation apart. Expectations vary greatly from mother to daughter because, as our bodies change with age, so do our ideals, our identities and our social groups and activities. For daughters, plastic surgery strives to achieve aesthetic perfection by enhancing and maintaining youthful contours and curves. Mothers, more often, desire restoration to a more youthful, rejuvenated version of themselves without the appearance of surgical enhancement or dramatic change.

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) reports that there were nearly 11.7 million surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures performed in the United States in 2007, including an increase in couples cosmetic surgery. The majority of the cases seem to be mother/daughter plastic surgery. While we don’t know what the increase is linked to, speculation is that the shared surgical experience increases mother-daughter bonding. Overall, mother-daughter bonding can occur through simple moral support, the shared experience itself, and/ or the recovery time spent together. The most popular mother-daughter plastic surgeries include facelifts, tummy tucks, nose jobs and breast surgery.

In my experience, whether the surgeries are done at the same time or separately, once a family gains trust in a plastic surgeon, it is only a matter of time before mothers, sisters, aunts and uncles come into the office with questions and “wish lists” for better bodies and more youthful features.

And remember….. being healthy is always beautiful

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We have all seen it… The numerous magazines that line the shelves at the check-out stand, speculating on which young Hollywood starlet has undergone which surgical procedure. We have all combed the pages, comparing the before and after photos, trying to determine, “Is her nose smaller? Are her cheekbones more sculpted?” I, myself, have been asked numerous times by these same publications to contribute my thoughts as to whether or not these beauties have been surgically altered.

At times, one can wonder, “Aren’t they beautiful enough already? Was the surgery really necessary? I barely notice a difference anyway.” However, these young Hollywood stars are actually reflecting a growing trend in plastic surgery, the “less is more” approach. Gone are the days when the wealthy 50-something housewife disappeared for the summer to the South of France and came back with her face stretched unusually tight. Today’s approach towards cosmetic surgery is much more subtle, much more natural looking and largely beneficial to patients of all ages. In my practice, I see more and more young and attractive clients who are seeking multiple, minimal refinements to improve their overall appearance. A “good” result is achieved when friends and family tell you how wonderful you look, but they can’t quite place their finger on what it is that’s different about you.

Traditionally, patients came to a plastic surgeon with a major complaint, “My breasts are too small, my nose is too large, etc.” Today, more and more patients are coming to the
office and asking the surgeon to recommend numerous ways to improve their appearance. A skilled doctor with a good aesthetic sense can suggest refinements that the patient may have never considered before, but will lead to a more beautiful or handsome look overall. Finding a doctor who utilizes computer imaging can be especially helpful in this search. Using computer imaging, the surgeon can not only describe to you what you will look like after the surgery, but can show you an actual image of yourself with the suggested changes. While reviewing your new appearance with your surgeon, you can suggest more or less dramatic change which can be applied to your computer image on the spot! Overall, most people are truly amazed by how drastically they can improve their appearance by undergoing only a few minor cosmetic procedures.

No matter what procedure you are considering, make sure that you find an honest and genuine surgeon who will listen and work with you to achieve your aesthetic goals. A good plastic surgeon will not only be able to suggest beneficial procedures that you may not have considered before, but will also be able to tell you “no” in order to keep you from doing too much!

And remember….. being healthy is always beautiful

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It’s the New Year so are you ready for a New You? There are many different things that can be done to make yourself look fresher and younger in the New Year. These procedures can range from “simple” to “surgery” and they can all improve the way you look in and out of clothes.

Let’s start simple. There is no better way to lose weight and look healthy than exercise and diet so I always recommend trying these tried and true approaches to getting your body in shape as a first line of attack. Exercise and diet do not only help you lose weight, but they also improve your health, lean body mass and heighten your metabolism. All of these things will make you look and feel more beautiful.

On the other hand, we all know, exercise and diet is difficult particularly in a society abundant with hectic work schedules and fast food restaurants. I personally subscribe to the philosophy of “no pain, no gain” but even with habitual dieting and exercise we all still have our “trouble areas”. These “areas” are the ones that always seem to remain no matter how hard we exercise and diet and they are also the first areas to grow larger with the slightest bit of weight gain. In woman, the most common trouble areas are the outer thighs, hips and abdomen (muffin top and saddle bags – ouch) and in men it is the abdomen and waist (love handles and spare tire). Liposuction is a powerful tool to sculpt and remove these unwanted bulges especially when exercise has made them all the more apparent and stubborn. There are many different types of liposuction but they all have one thing in common – they remove fat effectively and safely. Just remember, liposuction is not intended for weight loss but rather for improving overall body contouring. Having said that, lipo-sculpting can give the appearance of significant weight loss since fat is strategically removed from areas that give the body slimmer lines and sexier curves.

A new year is here and with it you can look your best whether it is through exercise, diet, surgery or a combination of all three. If surgery is not in your budget or lifestyle, non-invasive procedures can touch up your body for the beach with faster recovery periods and affordable prices. These procedures include such things as removing unwanted hair, tightening skin and reversing prior sun damage with lasers and chemical peels. State-of-the-art technology and highly trained professionals can now also provide injectable fillers and peels that offer impressive results with minimal downtime. A beautiful body never goes out of style, so bring on a healthy and beautiful one in ‘09!

And remember being healthy… is always beautiful

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Now that the holidays are over, so goes the temptation to enjoy all of the wonderful treats they had to offer. But From the turkey and pumpkin pie of Thanksgiving to the large family feasts of Christmas, New Years and Hanukkah, it may have been hard to resist home cooking and office dinner and cocktail parties.

What can be done is we can get rid of a few extra pounds after the holidays! As is the case all year round, the key is balancing proportions and to try not to overeat. The second is keeping the pounds off with a little exercise sprinkled in between the holiday treats. Of course when these pounds do not seem to want to leave and you are holding your weight beyond the holidays, liposuction becomes a viable alternative.

Although liposuction is not intended for weight loss, it is very effective in giving people the appearance that they have lost a great deal of weight. Although maybe only 5 lbs. of actual weight may be removed with liposuction it can give the appearance of 20 lbs. of weight loss. Because the waistline is often targeted, it is not unusual that patients may go down several clothing sizes after liposuction!

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