Cosmetic plastic surgery includes surgical and nonsurgical procedures that enhance and reshape structures of the body to tighten and improve the appearance of skin, adjust facial features, and much more. It also may be used for medical purposes, such as for people who have experienced trauma, to restore the function of a body part, or to repair scars from surgery.
Summa Health plastic and reconstructive surgeons deliver complete aesthetic solutions, including:
A facelift (rhytidectomy) is a surgical procedure that lifts and tightens sagging, loose, drooping or wrinkled skin on the face and neck to create a smoother and more youthful appearance. Contrary to popular belief, a facelift is not a procedure that involves your entire face. Rather, it focuses on the lower half, from just below your nose to the bottom of your neck. The specific incisions will vary based on your needs and the preferences of your surgeon.
During the procedure, facial tissues are lifted, excess skin removed, and skin replaced over repositioned contours. Procedures commonly done along with facelifts include neck lifts, nose reshaping, forehead lifts, or eyelid surgery.
Nasal deformities are anomalies in the shape and/or function of the nose. Various medications can help manage symptoms, such as analgesics, decongestants, antihistamines, and steroid sprays. However, the most common solutions are rhinoplasty surgery, which reshapes the nose, or a septoplasty, which surgically straightens the cartilage between the nostrils.
Rhinoplasty, otherwise known as a “nose job,” refers to any surgery that repairs or reshapes the nose. While some patients have a medical reason, such as to relieve or improve breathing problems or correct a birth defect, it can also be used to increase or reduce the size of the nose, narrow the shape of the nostrils, change the shape of the bridge or change the angle of the nose.
Sometimes called a "boob job" by patients, breast augmentation (augmentation mammoplasty) refers to a procedure that increases the size or changes the shape of the breasts using breast implants or a fat transfer. This procedure can also restore breast volume lost after weight reduction or pregnancy, achieve a more rounded breast shape, or improve natural breast size asymmetry.
An abdominal lift (abdominoplasty), commonly known as a “tummy tuck,” can improve the shape of the abdomen by removing excess fat and skin and restoring weakened or separated muscles in the abdomen. An abdominal lift can improve the appearance of loose or sagging skin, but cannot remove stretch marks.
During a buttock lift, excess skin and fat are removed from the buttocks. The remaining skin is repositioned to create a more toned look. A buttock lift can be combined with an augmentation procedure to alter the shape or size of the buttocks with implants or fat grafts.
An arm lift (brachioplasty) is a cosmetic surgical procedure to improve the appearance of the under portion of the upper arms. During an arm lift, excess skin and fat are removed from between the armpit and elbow. The remaining skin is placed back over the newly repositioned contours to create a more toned look.
Body contouring is a procedure used to eliminate and/or reduce excess fat and skin after massive weight loss. It also improves the shape and tone of underlying tissue, resulting in smoother body contours and a more normal appearance. Examples of common body contouring procedures include an upper arm lift (brachioplasty), breast lift (mastopexy), abdominal lift or “tummy tuck” (abdominoplasty), and thigh or buttock lift.
Often used along with lifting procedures to achieve a better contour, surgical-assisted liposuction is a technique that uses hollow suction tubes to remove fat. The tubes are narrow and can be placed through small incisions. Liposuction is rarely used as a sole procedure in patients who have lost a lot of weight, however, because it does help to tighten skin. In fact, removing fat from under inelastic loose skin makes the loose skin worse.
As skin ages, it loses fatty tissue that results in the appearance of lines or the skin looking droopy. Injectable dermal fillers, a non-surgical treatment, are gel-like substances that are injected beneath the skin to plump thin lips, enhance shallow contours, soften facial creases, remove wrinkles, treat varicose and spider veins, and improve the appearance of scars. Summa Health cosmetic experts use a variety of FDA approved filler products, including Botox, to provide temporary or long-lasting improvement. They are very predictable and have relatively minimal risks and side effects.
A more complex injectable procedure, autologous fat injections use fat harvested from the patient's own body. The fat is re-injected into the face to enhance fullness, fill creases or build up shallow contours. It involves determining a "donor area,” such as the abdomen or buttocks, and extracting the fat through liposuction. The suctioned fat is transferred as a graft, which has to redevelop a blood supply in order to survive.
New procedures and advanced technologies offer cosmetic surgery patients more options than ever before. Make an appointment with a board-certified Summa Health plastic surgeon to help you reach your aesthetic goals.
