cosmetic surgery – Dr. Lopa Gupta

Cosmetic Procedures: Supply & Demand

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, cosmetic plastic surgery includes surgical and nonsurgical procedures that reshape normal structures of the body in order to improve appearance and self-esteem. Healthy individuals with a positive outlook and realistic expectations are appropriate candidates for cosmetic procedures. Plastic surgery is a personal choice and should be done for yourself, not to fulfill someone else’s desires or to try to fit an ideal image. Because it is elective, cosmetic surgery is usually not covered by health insurance.

While any cosmetic surgery may seem vain, many people say these treatments have improved their lives. For example, South Korea has the highest ratio of procedures per capita. Surgeons in the Asian country perform around 20 procedures per 1,000 people. It has been estimated that between one-fifth and one-third of women in Seoul have gone under the knife, and one poll reported by the BBC puts the figure at fifty percent or higher for women in their twenties. The U.S. ranks second on a per capita basis, with 13 procedures per 1,000. Japan places third with 10 procedures per 1,000, according to numbers from the society.

Here are some of the top 8 cosmetic surgery procedures in high demand:

1. Breast augmentation surgery, also known as augmentation mammoplasty, is the surgical placement of breast implants to increase fullness and improve symmetry of the breasts, or to restore breast volume lost after weight reduction or pregnancy. Breast augmentation surgery involves using breast implants or fat, referred to as fat transfer breast augmentation, to increase the size of your breasts or restore breast volume that has been lost after weight reduction or pregnancy.

2. Surgical body contouring following major weight loss removes excess sagging fat and skin while improving the shape of the underlying support tissue. The result is a more normal appearance with smoother contours. Dramatic weight loss has many benefits. But after weight reduction surgery, or any substantial amount of weight loss, the skin and tissues often lack the elasticity to conform to the reduced body size. Body contouring procedures may include:

• Facelift: sagging of the mid-face, jowls, and neck, • Breast lift: sagging, flattened breasts; • Tummy tuck: apron of excess skin hanging over the abdomen, • Lower body lifts: sagging of the abdomen, buttocks, groin and outer thighs, • Medial thigh lift: sagging of the inner, outer and mid thigh, and • Arm lift: sagging of the upper arm

3. Rhinoplasty (“nose job”) can improve the appearance and proportion of your nose, or correct a breathing problem associated with the nose. Rhinoplasty surgery can change:

• Nose size in relation to facial balance, • Nose width at the bridge or in the size and position of the nostrils, • Nose profile with visible humps or depressions of the bridge, • Nasal tip that is enlarged or bulbous, drooping, upturned or hooked, • Nostrils that are large, wide, or upturned, • Nasal asymmetry

4. Dermal fillers: As we age, our faces naturally lose subcutaneous fat. The facial muscles are then working closer to the skin surface, so smile lines and crow’s feet become more apparent. The facial skin also stretches a bit, adding to this loss of facial volume. Other factors that affect the facial skin include sun exposure, heredity, and lifestyle. Injectable dermal fillers can plump thin lips, enhance shallow contours, soften facial creases, remove wrinkles and improve the appearance of recessed scars. Dermal fillers can also help to diminish facial lines and restore volume and fullness in the face.

5. Laser hair removal: is a non-invasive technique that uses highly concentrated light to penetrate hair follicles and inhibit future hair growth. Laser hair removal is effective for most parts of the body. But, because it only affects actively growing hair follicles, it may take several laser hair removal treatments to provide significant hair reduction. Additionally, while laser hair removal effectively slows hair growth, it doesn’t guarantee permanent hair removal. Periodic maintenance treatments may be needed.

6. Microdermabrasion treatments use a minimally abrasive instrument to gently sand your skin, removing the thicker, uneven outer layer. Collagen is a protein in your skin that’s abundant when you’re a child and makes skin appear taut and smooth. Collagen production declines as we age, resulting in looser, uneven skin. Microdermabrasion helps to thicken your collagen, which results in a younger looking complexion. This type of skin rejuvenation is used to:

• Improve age spots and blackheads, • Improve hyperpigmentation (patches of darkened skin, • Exfoliate your skin, Resulting in a refreshed appearance, • Lessen the appearance of stretch marks, • Reduce fine lines and wrinkles, • Reduce or eliminate enlarged pores, • Treat acne and the scars left by acne.

7. Surgical hair transplantation involves removing small pieces of hair-bearing scalp grafts from a donor site and relocating them to a bald or thinning area. Techniques include punch grafts, mini-grafts, micro-grafts, slit grafts and strip grafts for a more modest change in hair fullness. Flaps, tissue-expansion and scalp-reduction are procedures best for patients who desire a more dramatic change.Baldness is often blamed on poor circulation to the scalp, vitamin deficiencies, dandruff, and even excessive hat-wearing. All of these theories have been disproved. It’s also untrue that hair loss can be determined by looking at your maternal grandfather, or that 40-year-old men who haven’t lost their hair will never lose it. But, here’s the truth about hair loss: Hair loss is primarily caused by a combination of: • Age, • Change in hormones, • Family history of baldness.

If you and your doctor have determined that hair transplants are the best option for you, you can feel comfortable knowing that board-certified plastic surgeons have been successfully performing this type of procedure for more than thirty years.

8. Ear surgery – also known as otoplasty – can improve the shape, position or proportion of the ear. It can correct a defect in the ear structure that is present at birth, or it can treat misshapen ears caused by injury. Ear surgery creates a natural shape, while bringing balance and proportion to the ears and face. Correction of even minor deformities can have profound beneﬁts to appearance and self-esteem. Specifically, ear surgery can treat:

• Overly large ears– a rare condition called Macrotia, • Protruding ears occurring on one or both sides in varying degrees- not associated with hearing loss, and • Adult dissatisfaction with previous ear surgery.

Choosing The Best Plastic Surgeon

Cosmetic surgery positively changes millions of lives every year, but even small minimally invasive procedures are huge life changing decisions, especially if it is your first procedure. It is decisions like these that must be made with the utmost care to ensure a safe procedure and smooth process. The first step in this due diligence is to make sure you are working with a board certified cosmetic surgeon.

But what is board certification, and what is the process for a doctor to become board certified?

There are a lot more than just one “board”. To perform cosmetic surgery in the New York or any where in the United States a doctor does have to be board-certified by the state, but does not have to be “board-certified” by any specialty board.

These boards also do most of the necessary due diligence for you. They ensure that the physician completed medical school, has agreed to a code of ethics, completed residency, has a unrestricted medical license, has an acceptable peer-reviewed record, and has agreed to continuing their education in their specialty.

The next step is to look at doctor’s experience. How long has this person been performing the procedure you want to have done, and is it what they specialize in? There are a surprising number of examples of doctors (and even dentists) who don’t specialize in plastic surgery performing plastic surgery procedures. As cosmetic surgery becomes more popular, the industry has become as much about marketing online and offering discounts and less about quality.

But here is the most important reason to choose an experienced, board certified surgeon – they have better outcomes. In studies of complications and reviews, the verdict is clear. The rate of satisfaction is much higher among board-certified doctors.

Dr. Lopa Gupta is licensed by New York State and Connecticut as well as being a board-certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology.

Plastic Surgery: The Difference Between Men And Women

Women have always undergone the vast majority of plastic surgery procedures in the United States. It is estimated that women get 91% of cosmetic procedures, and while this ratio hasn’t seen much change, the number of men getting cosmetic surgery procedures is increasing quickly.

Many men that go under the knife say they do so because of ageism in the workplace. This is especially true in the booming tech sector in which millionaire teenagers are commonplace. 34% of cosmetic surgery procedures performed were 40 to 54 year olds.

The most popular procedure for women by far is breast augmentation and interestingly, for men breast reduction is the fourth most popular procedure. Men mostly choose to undergo a reduction mammaplasty to achieve a decrease in discomfort from large breasts, or a more proportionate breast size.

Nose reshaping is the most popular procedure for men in the US and they get about a quarter of the total number of nose reshapings, which is impressive considering men only account for 9% of total procedures performed.

There are many similarities between men and women when it comes to plastic surgery.

Eyelid surgery is a less invasive procedure that can make the patient appear younger by treating saggy skin, bags under the eyes, and wrinkles of the lower eyelid so its no surprise it makes both men and women’s top five list. In fact, eyelid surgery is the second most common procedure for both men and women and continues to grow in popularity. Liposuction, which is done to remove excess fat deposits, also makes both lists coming in at third for each.

The fifth most common procedure for both men and women is a facelift which reduces signs of aging in a variety of ways.

Another common procedure for men that is rarely performed on women is a chin augmentation. A chin augmentation is meant to reshape the chin or make it appear larger. It can be done using the existing bones or with implants.

The Five Most Popular Cosmetic Surgery Procedures

As cosmetic surgery becomes increasingly mainstream and popular, the top procedures remain relatively constant. These are the top five plastic surgery procedures of last year.

Breast Augmentation – Almost always a the top of the list, the number of breast augmentations increased last year, albeit very slightly. A breast augmentation is clinically referred to as augmentation mammaplasty. It is done to increase fullness and projection of the patient’s breasts, improve the balance of the patient’s figure, and enhance the patient’s self-confidence.

Nose Reshaping – Down a significant 9% from last year, nose reshaping, or rhinoplasty, has decreased in popularity. Nose reshaping is popular if a patient is unhappy with the shape, size or angle of their nose, or if their nose is not in proportion to the rest of their face. Some patients also undergo the procedure if they are having trouble breathing.

Eyelid Surgery – A specialty of Dr. Gupta, eyelid surgery increased the most in popularity with the number of eyelid surgeries up 6%. Eyelid surgery is popular if a patient has loose or sagging skin that disturbs the natural contour of the upper eyelid, in some cases this impairs the patient’s vision. Correcting drooping lower eyelids or bags under the eyes are popular reasons to get procedures done as well.

Liposuction – A procedure to remove fat from a patient. The operation is most often done on the abdomen, thighs, and buttocks but can be performed on the arm, neck and various other places. Eyelid surgery surpassed liposuction in 2012.

Facelift – Joining the top five in 2011, facelifts continue to grow in popularity. The surgery is performed to improve the aesthetics of the face and neck and make the patient look younger. Patients with sagging anywhere on their face, loose skin and fatty deposits, or even loss of skin tone make great candidates.