Total Body Surgical Blog

What does Christmas have to do with Cosmetic Surgery??? Well let's talk about it. 

Christmas is rapidly approaching believe it or not, it is only a few weeks away.  Now is the time to start thinking about gifts and what can be done for the new year.  Many don't think about anything Cosmetic, but let me help you change your mind.  Instead of that sweater, tie, or other gift that will be worn on Christmas day and then never seen again, how about giving something that can be seen every day!! There are a number of things that are affordable and can make you or your loved ones look and feel better.....much more useful than a sweater!!

First:  Laser hair removal.  We have pricing on laser hair removal that are the best in the country.  If you have young ladies in your life, this is a great gift.  At $50 per area per treatment you can give the gift that keeps on giving for about $300 per area.  No more razors, always ready for summer wear...what a gift.  For guys, we must bring this up carefully but if you listen well, the opening usually comes up so pay attention.  We can remove hair on the face, bikini area, and under the arms on women and for men, chest and back hair removal is all the rage.  Call the office at 918-786-7780 and we can get you a nice gift certificate to put under the tree!

Second:  Botox or dermal fillers.  Everyone has heard of Botox and many of us use it regularly.  It is a great help in reducing wrinkles in the face, stopping excessive sweating, and relieving headaches.  In many cases our loved ones are already using it so why not pre buy and save some money!!  We have special pricing on pre-bought Botox at $9 per unit.  If you figure the average number of units at 30, that is $270 per treatment....very affordable.  The treatments take about twenty minutes and last up to 6 months.  You can take care of his or her whole year with one gift certificate.  Dermal fillers like Radiesse or Juvederm can also be pre purchased at a special price.  These are used to fill nasolabial folds (the wrinkles between the base of the nose and the mouth) and marionette lines (wrinkles from the side of the mouth).  They last about a year.  We also do the so called liquid face lift that fills the cheek area getting rid of lines under the eyes and in the cheek.  This is very rejeuvenating and less traumatic than the real thing.  We are offering a syringe of filler for $400 (usual price $500) and if you purchase more we will lower the price on multiple syringes.  Either of these gifts will get you big kisses.  Call us at 918-786-7780 and we will get you a nice certificate.

Third:  Venous sclerotherapy.  This is the time to get rid of those ugly spider veins before we are back in shorts.  These treatments are done in the office and are fairly quick.  Normally we charge $350 per session but for Christmas, we will lower that price to $300.  What a nice gift to give....getting your legs back, being able to wear shorts again without embarassment.  For a nice gift certificate, call 918-786-7780.

Fourth:  Liposuction.  This can be a little more of a touchy subject but if your significant other is continually complaining about belly fat, saddle bags, love handles, muffin top, fat arms, any other area or combination of areas, they are asking for liposuction but don't know how to say it.  Smaller areas are perfect for liposuction with short recovery time and amazing results.  We have all the specialized equipment too.  Laser liposuction is amazing at helping tighten up the skin after removing the fat.  We will give you a 10% discount on the first area and a 20% discount on a second area.  That is up to a 30% discount on two areas of liposuction.  That means that you can give a gift that will change those complaints into complements.

Fifth:  Breast augmentation.  College students, wives, and girlfriends are always talking about having breast implants to improve self image by improving appearance.  What better gift to give.  We have the best pricing on silicone and saline implants right here in Grove.  Christmas is a great time to schedule and take advantage of the winter to heal up and be ready for summer. 

There you have it...some great ideas for Christmas gift that I guarantee will be appreciated.  Dr Miller and I or our nurses are also ready to help if you have questions about what is appropriate.  Call us today at 918-786-7780 and GET YOUR SHOPPING DONE early for once!!!!

Last week we discussed how Botox can be used to prevent some wrinkles and soften others.  It is a great product and is now more affordable than ever.  Today I would like to briefly discuss what to do about those wrinkles that won't go away with Botox or those that Botox is not appropriate for....what can we do with them??

The most common complaints I see about facial appearance AFTER Botox have to do with residual wrinkles or sunken spots around the mouth.  Here is a common picture that shows and labels the areas we are discussing.  As we age, the face loses volume..ie fat.  We get it where we don't want it and lose it where we'd like to keep it....go figure!

When the volume is lost, of course the skin falls a little creating a hollow area.  When not too severe, these areas can be helped tremendously by replacing the volume with either harvested fat or some other material.This picture demonstrates a before and after of a nasolabial fold filled with Radiesse....Nice result I think.  The area is softened quite nicely.  This is done in the office with very little discomfort and an immediate result.  We could also use Juvederm in this area.  Both fillers last a year or more and there are few problems with them.

Another area commonly complained about is the Marrionette line area.

  Here we see in the before picture how the nasolabial folds are prominent and the marrionette lines are too.  These lines are present at the corners of the mouth and cause the lip corners to turn down.  When filled, the result is pretty amazing.  You get a much more youthful appearance with no surgery and no recovery time.

  A third area complained about is the glabellar area.  Botox works to soften this area but when the lines persist, it is a great place to fill.

These three areas are the most commonly treated spots that we use fillers on.  At Total Body Surgical I use Juvederm and Radiesse.  I think they both work very well.  As I said, they both work for about a year.  We do injections in the office and it takes very little time.  There is no recovery time and the worst problem that can arise is a bruise. 

At Total Body Surgical we have a great deal of experience with many fillers.  For the remainder of the summer we will offer a special on fillers.  If you pay full price for one syringe you get the second one at half price.  That means you get two syringes for $775 and Botox for $9 per unit if you mention this blog.  I use Botox with fillers as it helps them last longer.

We look forward to seeing you soon.  Call 918-786-7780 to set up your time!!

Click on one of the buttons to see other specials currently running.

I here it all the time....if I had only known, I would have had a tummy tuck when I had.....fill in the blank.  I must say that one of the great things about having experience and credentials in two fields (General and Cosmetic Surgery) allows me to offer a number of options that many cannot.  Of course Cosmetic procedures can be combined.  We do it all the time...tummy tuck with liposuction....face lift with eyelid surgery....tummy tuck with breast lift or augmentation....and the list goes on.  I will usually combine procedures as long as it takes less than around 4 hours.  I feel that this is a safe limit for anesthesia and for me this is about the limit of concentration for me and the surgery crew.  If I think adding procedures can be done in this time limit and it makes sense, we can do it.  If not, we divide the procedures into different days.
But what about combining cosmetic and Non-cosmetic procedures??  At Total Body Surgical we do them all the time.  It saves time and money for our patients.  One anesthetic and one recovery period gets people back to normal quickly instead of doing both twice.

The most common combination is a hysterectomy and tummy tuck.  This is an ideal combination.  The incision for a hysterectomy is low and transverse in the abdomen.  The tummy tuck incision is in the same area.  Hysterectomies are usually a fairly quick procedure and when combined with a tummy tuck the 4 hour time limit is more than enough time to do both, with considerable time to spare.  At Total Body Surgical we enlist (or are enlisted by) the OB/GYN surgeons Dr Thomas or Dr Dietz.  Most women having hysterectomies have had one or more children with the common pooch, stretch marks, and loose skin that goes along with it.  It is the perfect combination....one anesthesia....one recovery.

The second most common is hernias and a tummy tuck.  Many people have belly button, inguinal, or incisional hernias that need to be fixed.  These repairs can be done in conjunction with a tummy tuck very easily.  Depending on the size and location of the hernia I can either fix it laparoscopic or open.  The incisions are not made through the skin as the skin is moved out of the way during the tummy tuck.  The repair can be done with mesh if needed and AGAIN, one anesthetic and one recovery period!! 

The third procedure is the cholecystectomy.  The most common general surgical procedure can easily be done in conjunction with a tummy tuck.  The skin is moved as with a normal tummy tuck, then the gall bladder is removed through laparoscopes and the tummy tuck is completed.  There is no sign of the procedure afterwards and only one anesthetic and one recovery. 

Procedures that do not fit with cosmetic surgery are bowel surgeries.  These procedures are "dirty" procedures by nature due to bowel contents and just don't fit due to infection risks.

Sooo, if you were thinking about a tummy tuck and then had the bomb dropped that you also need a cholecystectomy or hysterectomy or hernia....come see us at Total Body Surgical and we may be able to save you time and money.  Check our portfolio page and see if you can pick which tummy tucks were combined procedures....there are some!!!

Call 918-786-7780 or fill out a contact form and we will call you.  Don't forget our special offers on liposuction, treatment of nail fungus, lap bands, and fillers.  Please feel free to write comments or suggestions for other blog topics AND like us on FB!!!

Sorry about the late post this week!  Spent the weekend in Oxford, MS at the Ole Miss, Arkansas game.  Oxford is a great place to visit and I recommend it to all.  The game was fun.  One of my daughters went to Ole Miss and the other is currently a Hog!!!

This week we are going to discuss the unusual uses of fillers.  Last week I talked about the normal uses around the mouth and in the nasolabial folds.  I hope you all got to read it. 

There are a number of uses for fillers that are a little out of the main stream.  The first is in the nose.  There are a number of people that present with complaints of imperfections in the shape of their nose and they are not ready for rhinoplasty, OR, they have had a less than perfect rhinoplasty and have persistant defects.  In these cases I will use Radiesse or Silikon 1000 to help re-shape the bridge of the nose or fill defects.  With Silikon 1000 the fix is permanent and therefore I like to correct in stages so as not to overcorrect.  Fillers are a great way to a non surgical rhinoplasty.

A second out of the mainstream use of fillers is for cheek augmentation and filling the nasojugal fold....the line we get below the eye from the corner of the eye onto the cheek.  This is done in those that do not want an implant or fat grafting.  The filler is essentially placed where an implant would sit over the cheek bone.  It is a great way to rejuvenate the mid face without surgery.  It is done in the office and usually requires several syringes of product.  I usually use Radiesse as it offers more volume per syringe for the same price.  I like to call this the liquid face lift.  It is not perfect but does do a good job.

The third use is in rejuvenating the hands.  As we age, we not only lose fat in the face, we also lose it in our hands.  Many times we work on our face and body then forget the hands. Hands age quickly due to sun exposure.  Fillers or fat can do a great deal to make the hands look much younger.

The fourth place is for acne scarring.  Laser resurfacing can do a great deal to smooth out scarring that occurs from acne.  When they become too deep for the laser....fillers can help.  I usually use Juvederm or Silikon 1000 in very small amounts to help level these areas.  In some cases subcision or release of the scar must be done first and this is done in the office with some local anesthetic.

The last place I will talk about for fillers is the lips.  Believe it or not....they get smaller too!!  Adding volume to the lips is a great way to rejuvenate.  Voluptuous lips are what all the girls want!!  I like to use Juvederm, and for those who want a permanent fix...Silikon 1000 in a gradual fill.  Both are great and can make you look outstanding....

Enough about fillers I think.

Remember our special offers on fillers, liposuction, lap bands and treatment of toe nail fungus!!

918-786-7780...and like us on Facebook Please!

The past two weeks we have discussed the common and uncommon uses for Botox and similar neurotoxins in the management of facial and neck wrinkles.

The next question is "what are my options when Botox doesn't work"??

The next easy step to correcting a wrinkle that is too deep for Botox is a Dermal Filler.  Traditionally, fillers are used for diminishing nasolabial folds as pictured here....

These are lines that form from the lower edge of the nose to the lateral edge of the mouth.  They occur as fat is lost from the mid face and the skin begins to sag.  Lipoatrophy, or fat loss occurs with age and hormonal changes in us all.  This volume should be replaced, and that is what dermal fillers are used for.

The second most common area is the oral commissure or Marrionette line at the lower lateral edge of the mouth.  In this picture there are many other areas shown and fillers can be used for most of them with glabellar lines, perioral lines, and lip augmentation rounding out the most common uses.

What are fillers anyway?  Dermal fillers have been around for some time.  They have gotten progressively better with time, the biggest improvement has been the length of time they last.  Most modern fillers stay around for a year or more and some are made to stay around forever.

One of the most common fillers is Juvederm.

It is made of hyaluronic acid (a normally occurring substance in the body) that has been cross linked to make the molecule very large.  This makes it hard for the body to digest it so it stays around longer...up to 12 months.  It also has a numbing agent within the product to ease the discomfort during injection.  Juvederm and other hyaluronic acid fillers can be used almost anywhere in the face including the lip.

Another common filler is Radiesse Radiesse is made of Calcium hydroxylapatite in a sugar base that promotes collagen development when injected.  It cannot be used in certain areas of the face but is a great product for the more common areas except lips.  It is mixed with lidocaine to make injections nearly painless as well.

I think both of these products are very good and at Total Body Surgical we use them both, sometimes in combination. 

Of the permanent fillers, I like Silikon 1000.  Silikon 1000 is made to use in the eye but due to its high quality, it can be used as a filler if used carefully.  Of course it is off label and not FDA approved.  I like to use it to volumize lips and to treat some acne scars.  It works great when done properly and is permanent.  This can be very economical over time.

Next week I will talk about the more unconventional uses for fillers....some you may not have thought of.

Come see us today at Total Body Surgical and take advantage of our special offers.  Call 918-786-7780 where Cosmetic Consultations are complimentary!

NOW UNTIL THANKSGIVING....BUY ONE FILLER (Juvederm or Radiesse)AND GET THE SECOND ONE AT HALF PRICE!!!!!

Last week we discussed (and hopefully dispelled) many of the myths about the use of Botox.  The FDA  has approved the cosmetic use of Botox in the  Glabellar region or the area between the eyes and forehead.

However, off label uses for the medicine have become common place.  I like to use it around the eyes to elevate the brow, treat crows feet, and to open the eye to show more of the iris or colored part of the eye.  Botox is VERY effective in these areas and due to the small size of the muscles, it requires only a very small amount.

  Notice the "crows feet" around the outer aspect of the eye and the hypertrophy or enlargement of the muscle below the eye.  Botox works extremely well to smooth these areas creating a more youthful look.

Another area that can be improved is the neck.  Many men and women develop banding of the muscles that lead to wrinkling of the skin.  Botox relaxes the muscles that cause the banding and the skin smooths very well.

A third area is around the mouth.

Many people start to form lines around the mouth due to the pursing motion of the muscles around the lips and loss of volume.  Smoking, using a straw, pursing the lips all create the lines.  When used carefully, Botox can help smooth these areas.  Add some volume and the mouth appears much younger.  Be warned that it may create some temporary weakness and this should be expected.  The chin area can also be smoothed with botox.

Another off label use is for Masseter muscle enlargement.

This can occur due to genetics or teeth clenching.  Botox can weaken the muscle and allow it to shrink giving the face a less angular look.

Botox can also be used to treat hyperhydrosis or excessive sweating.  The best area to treat is the under arm but it is also effective on the palms and feet.  Many people have this problem that cannot be resolved with anti-perspirants.  A simple test done at the time of treatment shows where the sweating is most profuse and small amounts of botox are injected.  It is very effective and seems to have good longevity....6 months to a year.

These are just a few of the off label uses for Botox.  There are many others and more are tried all of the time. 

Next week I will discuss volume replacement with dermal fillers and other things such as fat or implants.

Be sure to check our liposuction, nail fungus, and lap band offers.  Many are taking advantage of them, saving significant money, and getting GREAT results!!

Cosmetic consultations are complimentary so call today 918-786-7780 or fill out our contact form!

Watch this video for a little laugh....

http://youtu.be/nB7wtLMsm5c

This little cartoon displays many of the myths about botulinum toxin and its use in making us look younger.  Botox, made by Allergan, and Dysport, made by Medicis, have been around a long time.  Other similar products are on the horizon and these newer products will be just as effective and may drive down the cost.

For this blog I will refer to all of them as Botox as it is the most notable. 

Botox was originally marketed for muscle disorders that caused spasm, disfigurement, and pain.  It worked very safely and very well.  As time went on, many of us realized that wrinkles in the face were caused by common muscles of expression that, over time, cause the skin that overlay the muscles to crease.  The areas most commonly noticed are in the forehead, between the eyes, and the crows feet around the eyes.  They are caused by us raising our brow as if surprised: forehead wrinkles, looking concerned: the "elevens" between the eyes, and smiling or squinting in the sun: crows feet.  It was noticed that when these muscles are weakened with Botox, the wrinkles were markedly reduced.  Over time, FDA approval was requested and granted for Botox use in these areas for cosmetic reasons. 

Treatment with Botox started off being only for the "wealthy" as the cost was high.  Also, there were many misconceptions about the complications that could occur and fear due to rumors of deaths from the proper use of the product. 

Here are the facts:

1.  Botox and other similar products are very safe.  The amount injected by qualified injectors is so small that there is essentially no risk of any serious complication.  As with any other injection, there is the small risk of bruising and if the medication is injected into the wrong muscle group there could be some brow droop or eyelid droop that is self limiting.

2.  Botox is not an anesthetic.  It does not cause numbness where injected.  It does weaken the muscles but when done correctly, they can still be moved, just not with as much force.

3.  Botox does not work immediately.  In some of the smaller muscle groups it works quickly (within a few hours), in the larger muscle groups it may take as long as a week.

4.  Botox is not permanent.  In the typical patient, it lasts about 4 months.  Some shorter and some longer.  The average patient receives Botox every 4 to 6 months.

5.  Some wrinkles may not disappear with Botox.  Deep wrinkles that have been present for some time will be softened after injections but probably will not go away. 

6.  Botox does not "fill in" wrinkles.  It simply slows down the underlying muscle strength and if the skin is able, it will smooth out by not being wrinkled by muscle contraction.

7.  Botox is now becoming very affordable.  Prices, due to increasing competition, have fallen.  Also, as new products come to market, the price of the product should fall, allowing us to charge less.  The average price of a treatment now is around $250-$300 where it used to be twice that much.

8.  Treatment with Botox usually takes less than 10 minutes.  I use the smallest needle I can get and it is essentially painless.

So, there you have it!  Hopefully these points will help dispense many of the myths that surround Botox use.  It is one of the most effective medications I have ever used and patient satisfaction exceeds any other medication when used on the right people. Like Total body Surgical on Facebook and get Botox at $9.00 per unit!!! Don't forget our liposuction special pricing and the newest treatment for toenail fungus!!

Call or fill out our form for a complimentary cosmetic consultation....918-786-7780!!!