Nip This Tuck That

Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery “Tip of the Day” from Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon, Dr Francis Palmer.

The Wall Street Journal had a story about Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery today….Breast Augmentation with Breast Implants is now the most popular plastic surgery procedure or at least it was in 2009. This is from data collected by one of the three organizations of surgeons who perform plastic and/or cosmetic surgery procedures like Breast Enhancement/Augmentation , Face Lifts and the like.

Liposuction was dethroned as the most popular, most commonly performed, plastic surgery procedure and was actually down about 17% from the previous year. The article also noted, which we have discussed here numerous times in the past, the increasing trend towards less invasive procedures. This was my motivation behind creating our minimum incision Face Lift the “Palmer Celebrity Face Lift” which was featured on ABC’s hit TV show “The View”. Botox and fillers like Restylane, Radiesse and Perlane remained popular.

Rhinoplasty was mentioned only in passing but according to my calculations, of published data from all three surgical groups who perform plastic and cosmetic surgery, remains the top or one of the top plastic surgery procedures performed year after year.

It is true that Breast Augmentation is popular and Silicone Breast Implants have gained popularity since the FDA lifted their restrictions some time back. I have seen two sets of patients that are interested in Breast Augmentation with Breast Implants. The first group are young women who have small breasts and would like the size and or shape improved. Silicone Breast Implants are available for women 22 years of age or older. Younger women would need to use Saline Breast Implants.

The second group of women interested in Breast Augmentation are those who have had children, or are older and wish to regain a more aesthetic breast size and shape using Breast Implants. These women may also need some form of Breast Lift along with the Breast Implants. I believe that all Breast Implants should be placed below the muscle which offers an additional layer of tissue above the Breast Implant.

Dr Francis Palmer
Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
“What’s Your Number..the palmer code.”

Here’s Today’s Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery Tip:

The day after the Academy Awards with all the gorgeous and handsome celebrities on the red carpet it’s natural for our thoughts to turn towards our own self improvement through plastic and cosmetic surgery treatments and surgical procedures.

If you are looking to make yourself more attractive, be sure that you understand what facial features are the most important from an aesthetic point of view. According to my new book that defines and identifies beauty, there are three top facial features in a beautiful or handsome face. The Cheeks, Eye Area and the Lips.

Of these three features, the Cheeks are the most aesthetically important and should be considered in all cases of facial rejuvenation, where the goal is to look naturally youthful, as well as younger faces where the goal is a more beautiful face. This should be the main focus of any plastic and cosmetic surgery procedures, treatments or surgery. From Botox, Restylane, Perlane, Radiesse, Cheek Implants, Face Lifts, Eyelid Surgery or Lip Enhancement/Augmentation.

Face Lift techniques that overlook shaping the cheeks to a naturally, youthful shape miss the mark, in my opinion, as they leave the face over-pulled, windswept or otherwise unnatural in appearance. I have found in over 20 years of performing Face Lifts, that tightening and removing just the right amount from the face combined with shaping of the cheeks either with fillers like Perlane and Radiesse or with Cheek Implants gives the face a youthful, natural beauty that is otherwise not achievable. This was my inspiration for creating our “Palmer Celebrity Face Lift”.

Dr Francis Palmer
Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
“What’s Your Number..the palmer code.”

The Palmer “Celebrity Lift” is a minimum incision Face Lift that’s combined with aesthetic shaping of the face. This 90 minute, minimum invasive, procedure has the SMAS lifting of the much more invasive, older types of Face Lifts but can be performed with or without anesthesia. The recovery time is measured in hours…not days, weeks or months because the procedure is less invasive. In fact, most patients travel back home to Asia, Europe or across the US in as little as 3 days following the Face Lift procedure.

The Celebrity Face Lift is often combined with a reduction of the fatty tissue within the nasolabial fold (NLF) the accumulation of which occurs with facial aging. Further facial refinements are accomplished by improving the cheek’s volume and shape. Male cheeks are made to be more angular, while women’s cheeks are converted to a softer, more rounded shape in the front of the face. The shape of the chin and jawline may also be addressed. Facial shaping can be accomplished using Fillers like Radiesse or Perlane and/or with Cheek and/or Chin Implants. The Lips can be made fuller using Restylane, Juvederm or my favorite lip implant (Alloderm Sheets). Botox can be used to soften lines of the forehead, Crow’s Feet or around the mouth for the finishing touches.

The result is a face that appears youthful, more attractive and the opposite of the dreaded over pulled, wind swept appearance.

Dr Francis Palmer
Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
“What’s Your Number..the palmer code.”

Hollywood Stars Beauty Fantasy by Dr Francis Palmer

Photo Credit: Steve Granitz Wireimage

Grammy’s 2010 Taylor Swift: Taylor looks beautiful in this blue dress but what if we had a magic wand and could change her appearance to make it a perfect face, what would we consider doing?
1. The eyebrows are low, so perhaps some Botox to the eyebrows or a Brow Lift.

2. The left cheek is a bit more flat than the right so a little soft tissue filler to shape and contour the cheek using either Radiesse

3. The upper lip is thin compared to the lower lip, so perhaps either a soft tissue filler to the lip borders using Restylane or Juvederm or a semi-permanent lip implant like Alloderm that seems to last about 7 years.

4. The nose is a little thick and a Rhinoplasty (nose job) could thin and refine both the nasal bridge and tip.

This is, of course fantasy, and a make believe exercise but still fun and exciting to imagine. So what’s her “Face Number” now: 86 Fantasy Makeover Face Number: 99 with 100 being perfect.

Dr Francis Palmer
Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
What’s Your Number…the palmer code book

***Disclaimer: This information is provided for entertainment and educational purposes only and is not intended to imply the above mentioned person has had, or will ever have any type of plastic surgery treatment or procedure or any affiliation with Dr Francis Palmer.

Plastic Surgery from Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and Hollywood has been in the international news lately and frankly, some have been questioning if enough is enough.
I have been writing for years that plastic and cosmetic surgery is all about the individual and can’t be clumped together in a global discussion without loosing all meaning. Take a closer look at plastic and cosmetic surgery treatments like Botox, Radiesse and Perlane or procedures like Face Lifts, Eyelid Surgery, Rhinoplasty, Cheek Implants, Chin Implants and Breast Implants just to name a few.

1. Each patient seeking any of these treatments or procedures is an individual with individual wants, needs and expectations.

2. Every patient will start from a different aesthetic point…“Number“…or you can think of it as a level of attractiveness that makes them unique.

3. Plastic and Cosmetic surgeons use different variations of treatments and surgical procedures to accomplish the desired aesthetic results and even when they would do things exactly alike (I believe this to be highly improbable if not close to impossible) their level of skill, training and experience will still vary and thus effect the ultimate outcome.

Given all these variables, I do not believe that you can look at any one celebrity or “pseudo-star” and judge plastic and cosmetic surgery as an industry or movement. Nothing more than a frank discussion of that particular patient, that particular outcome and that particular surgeon would be accurate. In my 20 years as a Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon I have seen wonderful results and I have turned many patients away for their unrealistic expectations or aesthetic requests. I feel that it is the ultimate duty of each and every patient to learn what is required for them to make an educated decision about their appearance and how to effectively improve it when and if they so desire. Do not let any plastic and cosmetic surgeon do a procedure or treatment on you that you do not understand and agree with the planned aesthetic goal. Not aesthetically astute? Learn more about “Your Number”.

Dr Francis Palmer
Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
What’s Your Number…the palmer code book

We have mentioned Radiesse and Perlane as two soft tissue fillers that we use to shape the Cheeks, Chin, Jaw line and face. Here’s an article on the subject.

Dr Francis Palmer
Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
What’s Your Number…the palmer code book

Continuing with our theme of Beverly Hills as a destination for plastic and cosmetic surgery medical tourism, we are now proud to offer IChat, for our Mac clients, with an internet consultation. Our Beverly Hills office has offered telephone consults with e-mai (drfpalmer1@aol.com) evaluation of photos to discuss my findings and recommendations. We find this service a valuable way to communicate with our out of town, out of state and international clientele. You can have a consultation from the comfort of your home or office thus saving the time and expense for your trip to have the surgery. Now we have added IChat as a more personal way of communication during your plastic and cosmetic surgery consultation for Face Lift, Brow Lift, Eyelid Surgery, Breast/Cheek/Chin/Lip Implants, Rhinoplasty, Otoplasty, Tummy Tuck, Liposuction, Botox, Radiesse, Perlane or Juvederm.

Steps for your IChat consult with us:

1. e-mail us at drfpalmer1@aol.com that you are interested in a telephone or IChat consultation and include jpeg photos of the areas you wish to discuss. If your initial e-mail does not include photos or if we believe that other views are required, you will be informed of the type of photos that we require for your evaluation.

2. Schedule a day and time for your phone consultation or your IChat. This can be done via e-mail or by telephone 310-652-9583 (monday through friday 9-5 PST.

3. Send us your AIM account name so we can add you to our buddy list in order to initiate the IChat.

Dr Francis Palmer
Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
What’s Your Number…the palmer code book

Traveling to Beverly Hills for your plastic and cosmetic surgery treatments and procedures is quite common. Los Angeles, of which Beverly Hills is a part, has long been a tourist destination because of the balmy weather and proximity to Hollywood’s stars and celebrities. But on any given week, you can find patients at our clinic from Hong Kong, Tokyo, Paris, London, Barcelona, Soel, Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Moscow, India or China. This week, our patients have traveled to Beverly Hills from the Middle East, Asia, Europe and from across the US for their Face Lifts (Celebrity Lifts), Rhinoplasty, Eyelid Surgery, Browlifts, Cheek Implants, Chin Implants, Breast Implants for Breast Augmentation, Lip Augmentation, Botox, Perlane and Radiesse Injections.

This is commonplace for us as we have had this type of geographical diversity to our clientele for many years…in part due to my dual practice in London from 1994 through 2000. Although I no longer travel to London for work, our practice was established, over those years, as international in nature and our office adapted to accommodate and communicate with people who were traveling over great distances. I adopted a method where our out of town and country patients could e-mail us photos (drfpalmer1@aol.com) for evaluation coupled with a scheduled telephone discussion of my review and recommendations…which is basically a telephone consult with me after I reviewed their photos. This allowed patients to speak with me without traveling here for their consultation thereby allowing them to save that travel time for their actual surgery. This has worked out very well for the past 15 years.

We realize that traveling here to Beverly Hills is less convenient than having your procedure in your own city or country but in these cases, you come here for the experience, training and level of quality that is Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery. Beverly Hills has always been synonymous with the very best, the top quality plastic and cosmetic surgery procedures because that’s what our clients demand from us. This past week alone, I am revising plastic and cosmetic surgery procedures that these patients have had in their respective cities and countries because for one of numerous reasons they did not achieve the desired aesthetic results. As a result, they have come to us seeking revision and refinement surgery to become more attractive. I realized that for us it’s commonplace but for those of you contemplating the travel, it may seem somewhat daunting and so I decided to speak to those of you who may find yourself in that position.

First and foremost I think it’s important for you to remember that the only uncertainty in all of this is your travel to our office in Beverly Hills. Although plastic and cosmetic surgery is serious business, it is what we do day in and day out and have for 20 years, so once you do arrive here, for us It’s no different than if you lived right here in Los Angeles. At that point, we take over and do what we do. From our accredited operating room to the after care facility, post surgical follow up appointments, post surgical medications and instructions…everything is planned out for you so you can breathe easy. When it’s time for you to fly back home, you will be ready and happy that you made the journey.

Dr Francis Palmer
Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
What’s Your Number…the palmer code book

Radiesse and Perlane remain a real option for shaping the Cheeks, Chin, Jaw Line and face. Filling in the nasolabial folds (NLF) is quick, easy and effective.

Watch Dr. Palmer on ABC’s The View discussing Cheek Augmentation with Radiesse and his minimum incision Face Lift The Celebrity Lift.
Dr Francis Palmer
Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
What’s Your Number…the palmer code book

Radiesse can be used to shape the cheeks, chin and jawline. You can also fill in the nasolabial folds and marrionette lines with Radiesse. The effects last ~ 12months and seem to decrease around the 9th month after the initial injections. Radiesse can now be mixed with numbing solution (Lidocaine) which makes the injections much more comfortable. The entire treatment takes about 10-15 minutes and you can walk out of our beverly Hills office with a more youthful, attractive face.

Cheek area can be shaped and softened. The chin can be augmented and shaped. The jawline can be widened, augmented and given an increased flare imparting a more rugged, angular and handsome appearance to the face. The height of the nose can be increased and of course the facial folds and indentations can be filled using Radiesse.

There may be some residual swelling for a day or so using Radiesse over Perlane but some of our patients are willing to have that for the added longevity of the correction ( 12 months versus 9 months in our opinion).

Because the filler lasts about a year, you must be certain that the Radiesse is injected in the right place in the proper amount in order to make your face more aesthetic and naturally attractive. We have seen numerous patients, who had Radiesse injected elsewhere, where the face was deformed because the cheeks were too large…too wide or some other aesthetic issue. Learn the proper facial and body aesthetics you need to know in my new book: “What’s Your Number…the palmer code.
WE frequently combine Radiesse injectios with nasolabial micro-lipo and our “Celebrity Face Lift” to make people look 10 years younger in 90 minutes or less.

Dr Francis Palmer
Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
What’s Your Number…the palmer code book