While “Extreme Makeover” is great entertainment, few people want their makeover to be “extreme.”  Most people simply want to have their outside match the way they feel inside.  “Extreme” surgery is rarely needed to reach these goals.  And you don’t need to travel far to receive “cutting edge” aesthetic care.  Many of the newest treatments were developed, at least in part, right here in Central New York.

Facial Rejuvenation requires treatment of both proportion and texture.  With rare exception, these treatments require only a local anesthetic.  Recovery is often faster and easier than you might expect.  Some patients resume some of their “normal” activities within 24 hours.

A rested, youthful appearance is focused on your eyes.  Using your own tissue, fat grafts and micro-fat injections help “frame” your eyes by reducing or removing the dark shadows that make you appear tired or older than you feel. 

For fatty jowls, micro pulsed ultrasonic liposuction eases removal of your unwanted fat.  The tissue removed can is usually re-injected where needed, such as under your eyes, your cheek-bone, lips, or even your chin.  Like skin grafts, injected fat takes on a new blood supply, creating the potential for a permanent volume restoration.  Many patients see their fat grafts still present years later.

Jaw lift surgery is a simpler treatment for those with either very relaxed facial skin, or with dramatic skin excess.  In place of the time and extensive surgery of traditional facelift surgery, jaw lift is limited to just the area of loose skin.  Under your loose skin, permanent supporting sutures relieve tension, then the skin excess is removed. 

While medically prescribed skin care can dramatically improve your skin, Photo-Dynamic Therapy, or PDT specifically targets sun damage, pre-cancerous skin changes, and many early skin cancers.  Just as the sun causes lines and wrinkles, a common PDT side-effect is improved skin quality, including a reduction in fine wrinkles and lightened age spots.  Any body area, including sensitive areas like your neck and chest, can be treated.

For non-smokers, British research has shown that specialized low intensity light treatments can stimulate up to 40% improvement in skin elasticity.  Because this treatment is thought to work by stimulating self-repair cells in your skin, pre-treatment before surgery may accelerate recovery from surgery.

Body Contouring includes removing unwanted fat and skin excess, such as the effects of pregnancy on your tummy.  Pulsed ultrasonic liposuction (pUAL) offers new flexibility for less invasive alternatives to enhance your body shape.  Typical pUAL recovery time is 7-10 days, but some patients have returned to limited work more quickly.  While surgery helps re-shape your figure, it cannot replace diet and exercise for weight control and health maintenance.

Similar to the way ultrasound is used to loosen grime from your jewelry, ultrasonic liposuction “loosens” fat, making it easier to remove.  Pulsed ultrasonic liposuction preserves the benefits for fat removal, while reducing risk of ultrasound related skin injury.  Often, skin in pUAL treated areas tightens dramatically.

For both men, pUAL is especially effective in treating “love handles.”  Some men have seen their waist return to a size not seen since high school.

For most women, pUAL tummy-tuck (a combination of pUAL liposuction and removal of loose skin) can give results comparable to traditional tummy-tuck surgery.  By avoiding extensive tummy tuck surgery, recovery is usually “easier” and less painful.

Fat removed during ultrasonic liposuction can be processed and re-injected wherever you need added volume.

As a women, if your breast size is causing you pain (or other symptoms), breast reduction surgery will likely relieve your symptoms.  If you are concerned about scars, or if you plan children in the future, pUAL breast reduction has been used to remove up to 5 pounds of breast tissue from each breast using a very small incision under your breast.  In a CNY study comparing “traditional” to UAL breast reductions, all patients saw similar improvements in the breast related symptoms.  Several women have successfully nursed after pUAL breast reduction surgery.

For men, excessive breast size is called gynecomastia.  While this can result from a medical condition, in most cases, no cause for male breast enlargement is found.  Because UAL is extremely effective in dense fat, such as breast tissue, pUAL has helped reduce male breasts up to a B+ cup size without need for open mastectomy surgery.  For men of any age, the impact on your body image can be dramatic.