As we all know, one of the things you really can’t avoid in this life is Gravity. Unless you fancy a sneaky trip to Space, it’s a sure fact that What Goes Up is Coming Back Down. Or – in aesthetic terms – what starts off perky, ends up a little saggy.

In the case of Face Shape, gravity works its magic here as anywhere by pulling all areas downwards.

 Where Does Gravity Affect?

This is most obviously manifest by:

•  lowering of the eyebrows
• heaviness of the upper eyelids
• excess skin in the lower eyelids
• sinking of the apples of the cheeks
• formation of jowls
• excess skin in the neck region

 Whilst these typical signs of aging tend to fill people with dread, each can be treated.

1st Steps for Treating Gravity of the Face

As an initial course of action, a lifetime of healthy vitamin-rich diet, plenty of exercise, using sun protection (whilst avoiding harsh weather exposure in general), moisturiser and serum usage and avoiding smoking or alcohol will certainly stand you in good stead for holding off gravity in the face for longer.

Unfortunately, however, even with the best will in the world nobody can prevent the aging process forever.

Non-Surgical Treatments for Gravity of the Face

At this point, the first step is often non-surgical procedures of which there are a whole host specially suited to each of the problems listed above:

•  lowering of the eyebrows – Muscle Relaxing injections can help relax the Active muscle that causes the brow to drop
• sinking of the apples of the cheeks – Dermal Fillers can be used to plump out cheek volume
• Aged and damaged skin – Genuine Dermaroller Therapy

Surgical Treatments for Gravity of the Face

However, depending on your age and how advanced the affects of gravity already are on your face, you may find that you need a consultation with a specialist surgeon regarding surgical procedures as non-surgical treatments cannot deal with large amounts of excess skin or heaviness, particularly in the upper eyelid region or jowls (although advances in non-surgical treatments like the Nefertiti Neck Lift may be of interest to you!) 

• Low brow position – brow lift surgery
• Heavy upper Eyelids – Upper blepharoplasty are removing the excess fold on the upper eyelid.
• Lower eyelid – Lower blepharoplasty tightening up of the skin of the lower eyelid and removing puffiness.
• Jaws and Necklift – Face and Necklift procedures.

 Whichever route you decide to take, gravity may be an inevitable fact of life but it is not one that you need to take “lying down”: if you want to do something about the affects of gravity in your face, you can achieve extremely successful results through both non-surgical and surgical procedures for reversing the inevitable effects gravity takes in our face.

Contact Aurora Clinics for more information on 0800 328 5743 / info@aurora-clinics.co.uk

So here’s a re-cap on the New Year’s Resolutions that it’s actually worth making (you know, the ones that you shouldn’t give up on after the first month)*.

3 New Years Resolutions That Will Help Your Cosmetic Surgery:

1. Quit smoking – both smoking and being overweight puts patients at higher risk for wound healing problems after cosmetic surgery procedures.
2. Get your Body Mass Index down to an optimal, stable level (ideally below 30) – Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck) procedures particularly benefit from weight being at a sustainable level prior to surgery. So, too, do Breast Augmentation and Uplift (Mastopexy) procedures where your surgeon’s good work can be undone if you dramatically change weight after surgery.
3. Improve your skincare regime – whilst facelifts, botox and dermal filler treatments can do wonders for your facial appearance, prolonged youthful beauty in the face comes from the glow of great skin condition. The best skin regime for stimulating collagen (the factor which makes us look younger and healthier), repairing and regenerating involves layering a serum and a moisturiser, packed with Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Niacinamide. We highly recommend the Flavo C range (stocked in our Aurora Clinics branches).

Although cosmetic surgery can make dramatic improvements to you, physically and emotionally, it is not a “miracle cure” alone: there are often other contributing factors in your lifestyle that will effect the outcomes of your surgery, the results achieved and how long they may last.

So isn’t it great news that some of the things you can do to help this are typical New Years resolutions, anyway!  

It really is in your best interest to begin the New Year on a healthy note if considering 2012 surgery.

So, Happy New Year from all here at Aurora Clinics: Let’s make it a beautiful one…but, above all, a healthy one!

*For New Years’ resolutions you should let fall by the wayside, think: never eating chocolate again, being a Size 0 by March or Marrying Prince Harry. Sorry, ladies – it aint gonna happen.

Mr. Adrian Richards (Consultant Cosmetic and Plastic surgeon at Aurora Clinics) always says he likes to “think about face lifts as if they’re either divided into short scar or full face lifts”.

Mini (Short Scar) Face Lifts:

There are so many different types of facelift available.  But the typical ‘mini’ face lift is a short-scar technique. This involves a scar hidden in the hairline and infront of the ear. As the name suggests, it is a fairly short scar or ‘minimal scarring’ technique – hence the ‘Mini’ part! 

A short scar face lift differs from a full face lift in that a full face lift involves a further scar going up in the fold behind the ear and back into the hair. This obviously involves considerably more scarring, but the full face lift does provide more dramatic effects than the mini face lift…the mini is typically the first step for patients having a facelift at a slightly younger age, or with less excess skin than those who might be candidates for a full face lift. The average mini facelift patient is in their 40s or early 50s, with some facial ageing and descent, but their neck is not significantly loose.

Types of mini face lift methods do vary. At Aurora Clinics, we offer the MACS mini facelift (minimal access cranial suspension) where the tissues of the skin underneath the face are held up with permanent stitches to the fascia in the temporal area, making them very firm and improving the tightness to give a ‘lifted’, rejuvenated effect. We also offer the Hollywood facelift with our partner surgeon Dr. Alexandra Chambers although this is a less common procedure as the results are really quite subtle; just a little lift for those who are not at all ready for a more dramatic facelift procedure but feel they do need some tightening in the facial area. There are advantages to mini face lift procedures: cheaper costs, quicker recovery times. But for those who are slightly older, with more facial descent or wanting noticeable effects the full facelift may be a better option.

The Traditional Full Face Lift

The full face lift is also sometimes called the ‘Traditional’ facelift because it is so famous and commonly performed! Used for people who are slightly older (usually from 55 or 50 upwards), typical full facelift candidates have some degree of neck laxity or excess skin in the eyelid region too. For this reason, the Full Facelift procedure is frequently combined with a Neck Lift or Blepharoplasty (Eyelid Correction). 

During Full Facelift surgery, the surgeon adds a backwards vector in this area to pull the neck backwards and to tighten the neck tissue. In patients who have a significant amount of laxity in the neck, an incision can be added under the chin to tighten up the skin in that direction and the muscles in the platysma muscle of the neck are often often repaired at the same time. The scar in a Full facelift goes up in the fold behind the ear and back into the hair, with the surgeon concealing this as much as possible under the hair. As the scarring is more noticeable with this approach, many men (or ladies with short hair styles) may prefer to opt for a mini procedure like the MACS. Very noticeable tightening and rejuevenating effects can be achieved, however, with a full facelift whilst still maintaining a natural appearance if you select an expert facelift specialist for your surgery.

We hope that this has explained some of the basic differences between Full Facelift Surgery and a Mini Face Lift. If you would like more advice or clarification about these procedures, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0800 328 5743 .

Dear Aurora Clinics,

I am considering having a Facelift (Face Lift) procedure.

However, I am a man with very short hair.

Do you think this procedure will be suitable for me or will the results look poor due to obvious scarring with my hair?

Answer :

Thank you for your recent enquiry.

The Hollywood facelift is suitable for men with short hair as the incision is located within the skin on the temple.

The Hollywood facelift, unlike other types of facelift, does not involve a scar in front of the ear which can be of a significant benefit for men.

My colleague Dr Chambers does specialise in the Hollywood facelift treatment and if you feel that you would like to discuss the best way forward for you, please contact us on 01844 214362 to schedule an appointment with her.

Are Celebrities Good Adverts for Cosmetic Surgery?

On balance, we feel that many celebrities are not particularly good adverts for cosmetic and plastic surgery. Here are the reasons why:

Celebrities who are in the press for having had cosmetic or plastic surgery are frequently those who have had very obvious ‒ and sometimes extreme ‒ changes made to their bodies. It is true that a large number of celebrities do have some sort of cosmetic treatment, although mostly this is relatively minor treatment such as Botox anti-wrinkle injections. However, it is the ones who have excessive plastic surgery that tend to draw attention from the media and therefore give the public a skewed view of the results that can be obtained from plastic surgery, which are generally positive and ideally not obvious.

Understandably for many celebrities it is very important for their careers that they maintain a fresh and natural look and a large number of people in the media have treatment surgery performed in order to achieve this.

These treatments would typically include natural looking Botox and dermal filler treatments to reduce the excessive lines on the forehead and lower face that tend to develop over the years, together with a good skin care regime and protection from a high factor sun block. It is notable, for example, that very few newsreaders frown a great deal, implying that many of them have been treated with natural amounts of botox to achieve very normal results. The aim with good plastic surgery is to limit the changes that occur with age by producing a revitalised appearance that makes you look like yourself, but is a more fresh and youthful version.  This is commonplace throughout the media industry but our attention is usually drawn to the following types of cases.

Celebrities who have had Excessively Large Breast Enlargement Surgery

If it is very obvious that someone has had a breast enlargement surgery, then generally the implant is too big and unnatural for their physique. In the vast majority of cases breast enlargements are performed in order to restore the volume of the bust to match the person’s overall body shape, especially with regard to the hips and shoulders. Typical sizes of implants we use in breast enlargements at the Aurora Clinics range from 250 to 350 cc, compared to many of the people in the media who have had obvious breast enlargements, where implants of over 700 cc have been used.

Celebrities who have had Excessive Facial Treatment

The aim of our facial treatments at Aurora clinics is to make you look natural and as far as possible to limit signs of aging. We have all seen people who have had excessive surgery carried out, with face lifts and the injection of materials into the face, producing a very unnatural tight look which is usually considered very unattractive. If it is so obvious  that a person has had plastic surgery, then the best results have not been achieved. While many celebrities in the media do have face lift and eye procedures, the vast majority will look normal and you will not be able to tell that they have had treatment. The few exceptions to this rule give a very inaccurate view of plastic surgery which unfortunately puts many people off considering it.

Dear Aurora Clinics,

Could you tell me if a MACS Facelift can be carried out using twilight sedation?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Answer :

Thank you very much for your enquiry.

It is certainly possible to perform a MACS facelift under twilight sedation if this is your preference.

This would involve a milder dose of general anaesthetic, so that you are sedated but not fully unconscious throughout your MACS facelift operation.

The initial thing to do would be to schedule a free consultation with one of our specialist surgeons to see if you are suitable for a MACS lift.

Alternatively, if you send us a photograph of your face from five different angles which would include straight on, at a 45° angle from the right and left and a photo from the side, we would be delighted to give an opinion as to whether you would be suitable for a MACS Facelift.

Many thanks for your enquiry. We look forward to meeting you in the near future and offer a free consultation should you decide to proceed further.

Best Wishes,

The Aurora Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery Team

 A “litigation tidal wave” is causing the alarm. That is: journalists, hot on the heels of Cosmetic Surgery Today website, reckon that the spiralling compensation culture in the UK could force Cosmetic Surgeons to up their prices in order to cope with huge (and often unfounded) lawsuits.

 Admittedly, there are a growing number of unscrupulous companies out there, preying on people in the Recession. You may have seen their adverts in the back pages of glossy women’s magazines, luring you with riches if you set-up your surgeon and claim compensation for the slightest thing. Whether you were honestly unhappy with your cosmetic procedure or not, somebody desperate for money could be tempted by the promise of all that money for a few white lies.

 But it is the repercussions of doing so that the Daily Mail article focuses on. The costs involved in legal battles over cosmetic surgery claims can be colossal – businesswoman Penny Johnson recently launched a lawsuit of £54million against her surgeon for an alleged botched facelift, and has already run up £3million in legal fees. If increasing numbers of patients decide to go down this route, many Surgeons would indeed have to pay out for much more substantial legal insurance policies and, in order to recoup their costs, would probably raise their prices considerably. Others could be forced out of business entirely.

 The real victims, therefore, would be all the prospective patients who might need surgery in the future but could no longer afford it. Those surgeons who could afford to pay the much higher insurance and continue in business would inevitably be far more cautious about which cases they treated, so many people who might benefit greatly from surgery could find themselves turned away.

 The surgeons themselves are making no greater profit and, in many cases if the allegations are proven to be bogus, the claimant will not gain anything either. Even when the award is given, if the surgeon cannot pay it and is forced into bankruptcy, the claimant will still gain “justice” but not full cash compensation. It is the lawyers who therefore stand to benefit most , capitalising on their ‘no-win-no-fee’ promises and exploitation.  

 Aurora Clinics completely supports and upholds the view of cosmetic surgeon Mrs CC Kat, that “it is every patient’s right to be protected by the law”: in cases that are genuine, it is perfectly acceptable to expect justice and compensation. However, the problem is of patients being encouraged to claim compensation in cases that are not truly negligent. Or, as Aurora’s Mr Adrian Richards points out, the disproportionately large amounts that they are being awarded. “How does £54 million compare to £15,000 awarded for soldiers who loose both legs in Afghanistan?” Mr Richards marvels.

 It is therefore in the hands of the patients and how they decide to behave as to how this matter evolves. Patients’ rights have always been protected in the UK, and will continue to be so, but the amounts paid have always been reasonable. Rest assured, however, Aurora fans, that we certainly have no plans to start doubling the price of procedures just yet…

The terms ‘plastic surgery’ and ‘cosmetic surgery’ are often used interchangeably or cause confusion: many people in the UK think that ‘plastic surgery’ is just the American term, when in fact it is a completely different field.

When looking into procedures to change the way you look, it is important to get the basic terminology correct so that any research you do or requests you make return the best results.

Plastic Surgery was developed during the Second World War, when everyday surgeons had to learn the art of patching up serious injuries and repairing facial damage with as little scarring as possible. The term originates from the Greek word ‘Plastikos’, meaning “to mould or reshape”, which is deceptive as it now makes people think of artificiality and Barbie Dolls! Modern Plastic Surgery is a highly-skilled, specialist discipline tailored towards reconstruction i.e. fixing and rebuilding parts of the body or face which have become damaged (perhaps through accident or ill-health) or were born genetically “abnormal” in the eyes of the patient. Patients may be referred for Plastic Surgery for medical reasons, so there may be a Doctor’s influence behind the decision to undergo surgery.

Common Plastic Surgery procedures include Rhinoplasty (Nose Reconstruction) after breakage; Breast Reconstruction after Breast Cancer or Cleft Lip Repair.

Cosmetic Surgery, on the other hand, is usually for aesthetic reasons to an otherwise “normal” body although this is often not merely for vanity but to improve a person’s self-confidence and self-esteem (see our previous blog: Are Most Cosmetic Surgery Patients Vain?) . Cosmetic Surgery is elective (entirely the patient’s own decision) and not for medical reasons.

Popular Cosmetic Surgery procedures include Breast Augmentation (enlargement); Abdominoplasty (Tummy-Tuck); Liposuction; Mastopexy (Breast Uplift) and Facelift.

Some procedures obviously could fall into either category, depending entirely on the reason for having treatment. Whilst Rhinoplasty due to breakage is Plastic Surgery, for example, if a patient opted for this procedure purely because they felt their nose was a bit large, it would be Cosmetic Surgery. That said, somebody with a clearly out-of-proportionally huge nose could be argued to be having Plastic Surgery in this region: it becomes an interesting debate on “what is normal”.

Understanding which type of procedure you require is important as it could affect your approach to getting treatment.

If you think you need Plastic Surgery, for example, you may want to research these specific types of procedure in books and websites targeted at Reconstruction for abnormalities / medical issues. If you have not already got a GP referral, you may also want to make an appointment to do so as reconstructive surgery to correct, or improve, congenital abnormalities and injuries will usually be carried out free of charge on the NHS.  See this NHS web-page for more information on securing NHS funding for Plastic Surgery: http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/890.aspx?CategoryID=68&SubCategoryID=154

For Cosmetic Surgery, there a number of procedure options and Surgeons to choose from. It is hugely important to do your research carefully, pick a reputable BAAPS-registered surgeon who you feel comfortable with after consultation and be totally certain of the results you would like, what your surgery will involve and the potential complications. There are numerous articles related to this in the Aurora Clinics Blog archives.

Thanks to the following sources for informing and guiding this article:

http://www.carefair.com/Skincare/Treatments/Plastic_and_Cosmetic_Surgery_2490.html

http://www.essortment.com/articles/facial_vs_plastic_surgery_boyd_4554.htm

http://www.articlesbase.com/womens-health-articles/plastic-surgery-the-difference-between-reconstructive-surgery-and-cosmetic-surgery-338728.html

Stoppard, Miriam. What’s the Difference between plastic and Cosmetic Surgery? Daily Mirror. 25/01/11.

Do you think nip/tuck is only for women?

Think again because there are many options available for men and becoming increasingly popular in the UK.

Here are some statistics to start with:

• The top cosmetic surgery procedures for men in 2007 include liposuction, rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery, male breast reduction, and facelift.
• The top non-surgical procedures for men in 2007 include botox, micro-dermabrasion and skin peel.
• The total number of cosmetic surgery procedures including non-surgical processes performed on men in the US was almost 1 million in 2007.
• In the UK, Rhinoplasty (nose reshaping) was the top cosmetic surgery procedure for men. According to BAAPS, 716 men underwent this procedure, which is an increase of 36% since 2006.
• The biggest increase recorded so far has been in male abdominoplasty or tummy tucks at 61% in 2007
• Another cosmetic surgery procedure for men that witnessed an increase is liposuction and the increase was by 18%. As of date, it is considered as the 2nd most popular cosmetic surgery procedure for men
• The third most popular cosmetic surgery procedure for men is breast reduction, which has increased by 27%. BAAPS members conducted 224 procedures on men for breast reduction in 2007 vis-à-vis 177 procedures in 2006

So what are the top 3 cosmetic surgery procedures for men in the UK?

Rhinoplasty (Nose Job): This is the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure in men, mainly amongst the 20+ age-group. The surgery can be performed internally (inside the nose) or externally. It takes 2-3 hours.

Liposuction: This is a popular cosmetic surgery procedure among men who are in their early or mid 30’s. In 2007, almost 582 liposuction procedures were carried out on men in the UK. The total time for the surgery mostly depends on the size of the area where liposuction has to be conducted and the amount of fat taken out.

Male Breast Reduction (Gynaecomastia):  This is an increasingly common procedure in the UK so men should not feel in any way shy or ashamed to come forward for it. Between 2007-2008, there was a 44% increase in the UK in Male Breast Reduction operations, and a lot of men choose to combine this procedure with Liposuction. Sometimes linked to obesity, but more often simply a genetic flaw in average-sized men, this relatively simple procedure is a confidence-boosting option for image-conscious men.

The demand for cosmetic surgery has grown in the UK (as in the US and the rest of the world) over the last few years. This trend has been fuelled by the stars and the celebrities of the world. The cosmetic surgery market in the UK has grown at a rapid pace over the past 5 years and includes both non-surgical and surgical procedures. At the end of 2007, it was worth £493m and showed an annual growth rate of 69% since 2003.

According to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), the actual number of  UK consumers for cosmetic surgery is quite small compared to the US Market. In fact, the number of people undergoing cosmetic surgery is less than 0.05% of the total British population. One of the reasons cosmetic surgical procedures have not been widely accepted in the UK may be because they are not easily affordable for every consumer. But in the last few years, due to rising disposable incomes amongst young men and women, procedures like liposuction and breast augmentation have seen rapid growth. One of the major drivers of this market is the technological advancement of less-invasive techniques, especially in the field of facial surgery. This has encouraged many older people who are opting for eyelid surgery and face lifts.

Another important factor that has led to the growth of the cosmetic surgery market in the UK is the expansion and availability of various non-surgical procedures thanks to state-of-the-art technology. One of the recent examples is the dermal filler treatments whose effectiveness and non-surgical nature is encouraging more women to try different types of facial treatments. Apart from this, there have also been advancements in laser technology, another form of non-surgical procedures.

Here are some facts and statistics given out by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) for 2007:

• In 2007, BAAPS members carried out almost 32,453 surgical procedures, which is a jump of 12.2% since 2006 which saw 28,921 surgical procedures
• Women topped the cosmetic surgery procedures list with 91% while men lagged behind with only 17.5% opting for cosmetic surgery procedures.
• 29,572 procedures were carried out on women in 2007 vis-à-vis 26,469 in 2006
• Most popular cosmetic surgery procedure was facelift and showed a rise of 36% in 2007 as against 2006. In total 4,468 procedures were for facelift