Cosmetic Surgery Center, Dallas | Dr. Rai

There are two categories of cosmetic surgery patients:
• Those who have always been unhappy with their appearance and have now decided to do something about it; and
• Those who were satisfied with their youthful appearance but now are feeling older and want to restore lost looks and confidence through rejuvenating procedures

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), 12.1 million people had plastic surgery in 2008. Of those, over 40 percent of the women stated that they were trying to improve their physical appearance after a divorce or some other significant life event. These are people who fall into the second category.

When you have been through a divorce, you probably feel emotionally upset and stressed. It would not be a good idea to rush into cosmetic surgery too soon. Some recovery time would be wise, to move on a bit, and marriage and family therapist Rachel A. Sussman suggests six to twelve months. Sussman practices in New York City.

During that six to twelve months you could make smaller changes, such as updating your wardrobe and hairstyle, or joining a gym and losing weight. Surgery is permanent and brings certain risks. You would want to be clear-headed in making the decision to go ahead with something like a facelift or breast augmentation.

Do it For Yourself
When a cosmetic surgeon is talking to a potential new patient, one question always considered is why that person wants to have cosmetic surgery. It is never a good idea to have surgery to please someone else. As an example, if a person’s marriage is in a separation stage and might be restored after some counseling sessions, that is not the time for a tummy tuck to please the separated spouse.

A good cosmetic surgery candidate is clear about wanting the procedure for themselves, for their own self-esteem and confidence. Certainly the results may please lots of other people but that should not be the reason for having the surgery.

If you have recently been through a divorce or another life-changing event, and are getting ready to consider cosmetic surgery, the next step would be a consultation with Dr. Rai. Please email our cosmetic surgery office today and we will be happy to schedule that for you.

There is currently an international dermatology conference in the UAE, at the Dubai Convention Center. It opened on Saturday and will run until April 28 and has over 5,000 dermatologists and plastic surgeons participating in it. There is also an exhibition running alongside it which showcases anti-aging cosmetic procedures.

Skin Care in Humid Areas
In very hot and humid areas such as the Middle East and India, care of the skin is extra important. If you neglect it, the humidity causes fungi to grow on your skin. The conference has many international skin care companies selling products for the hair and nails as well as for the skin.

Cosmetic Surgery for the Job Market
One Hassan Galadari, a cosmetic surgeon participating in the conference, is quoted in Gulf News as saying: “In this time and age people are becoming more competitive and you have to look good when seeking a job. An employer looks at the way you look.” This space noted a similar approach to hiring in China, in the blog posting entitled Plastic Surgery For Longer Legs?

In the UAE cosmetic surgery is not regulated as it is in the U.S. According to Galadari, “There are general practitioners and doctors from various specialties who are not properly trained to handle these procedures.”

The chairman of the conference, Dr. Ebrahim Galadari, is quoted as saying that the fields of cosmetic surgery and dermatology have gone through a huge explosion featuring “the good, the bad and the worthless”. Many physicians at the conference are from the U.S. and other countries and are demonstrating “what is hot and what is not in the field of dermatology”.

“It has become our responsibility as dermatologists to take care of patients first in the most humane way,” Ebrahim Galadari stated.

U.S. More Regulated
As cosmetic surgery patients, we are well-protected in the U.S. from unqualified medical practitioners. We also have regulated hiring practices that prevent an employer from hiring a person based on perceived physical attractiveness.

Dr. Rai is a board-certified plastic surgeon and participates in continuing education every year. He belongs to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, which keeps him in touch with his peers and with new ideas, technology, and techniques. He also belongs to state and local professional associations, appears on television and radio, and is very involved at Medical City Dallas Hospital.

To learn more about the rejuvenating procedures we offer, such as breast enlargement, facial fillers, and endoscopic tummy tucks, please contact cosmetic surgeon Dr. Rai for a free consultation.
 

 Dr. Agarwal, a cosmetic surgeon at Castlefield Clinic in Manchester, England has published some assessments of celebrity faces. He is looking at their skin condition in relation to their age and making a professional guess as to what procedures they have had or could benefit from.

• Demi Moore (age 46) – her skin needs a course of chemical peels to brighten it up and smooth out the emerging fine lines. It appears that she is having Botox® treatments for the forehead, which is making it look smoother than the lower facial areas.
  
• Nicole Kidman (age 41) – started with an excellent complexion and has looked after her skin well. Her lips seem to have had facial filler treatments or lip implants, which have been a bit overdone, creating an unnatural look. A preventive lower face lift would help her keep her good looks.
  
• Sarah Jessica Parker (age 43) – has kept her natural elegance and aged well. She seems to be having Botox® injections around the eyes and forehead. A series of chemical peels would help with the under-eye areas and with the papery and slightly pitted skin.
  
• Jennifer Aniston (age 40) – has kept good facial muscle tone and has few lines. She could remove them and also give more glow to her complexion with some chemical peels.
  
• Kim Katrall (age 52) – has arrived at the age when a lower face lift would help against the constant pull of gravity. Treating the slight jowls now would give her a tighter jawline that would last well. She appears to be having Botox® treatments for the forehead, which looks smoother than the rest of her face. A chemical peel would help with the lower facial lines.
  
• Madonna (age 50) – has cared for her skin well and looks great for her age. A series of peels would give her skin a more renewed look. Her main problem is her hands which need plumping up with a dermal filler.
  
• Kylie Minogue (age 40) – is aging very well. She is a declared fan of Botox® injections and has a smooth forehead. Perhaps radio wave treatment would take care of the lines beginning to appear at the corners of the eyes. 
  
  If you would like to rejuvenate your face, the first step would be to contact cosmetic surgeon Dr. Rai for a free consultation. He would be happy to answer questions, make suggestions, and explain how various procedures could benefit you.

Latisse is a new product for enhancing the eyelashes, which in December, 2008 obtained FDA-approval. It is manufactured by Allergan, a medical devices company which also makes silicone gel breast implants.

Latisse comes in a kit with sterile, disposable applicators. It is applied across the upper eyelid as you would apply eye liner, and absorbed by the eyelid skin. A treatment period is four months of daily application, after which your eyelashes will be significantly longer, thicker, and darker.

Some doctors are concerned about side effects. One side effect is redness and irritation on the eyelids, which typically disappears within days or perhaps weeks. The side effect which is concerning some doctors is potential change in eye color.

The FDA clinical trials did not test Latisse for use on the lower eyelids. Using it on the lower lid is off-label, meaning that it is legal but not specifically approved by the FDA. The trials focused only on upper eyelid use so as to minimize ocular exposure to the Latisse active ingredients. However, many patients would likely use it on the lower lids, and the consequences of this are unknown.

One of the eye doctors voicing his reservations about Latisse is Stuart R. Seiff, M.D. He is emeritus professor of ophthalmology at the University of California, San Francisco and also the current president of the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS). Having participated in the Latisse clinical trials, he states that their focus was on the effectiveness of Latisse, rather than its safety.


He stated in Cosmetic Surgery Times that “… patients with light irises run the risk of increased iris pigmentation and eye-color change — they should be cautioned in this regard as part of informed consent.” It is not known if this color change would be permanent or not.

When a new product receives the FDA’s approval for marketing, that does not mean that all testing stops. There will be ongoing large trials of Latisse which will presumably focus on these concerns and more data will be obtained over the next year or two.

Meanwhile, if you feel that your eyes need cosmetic improvement, you might consider blepharoplasty to remove sagging and puffiness in the eyelids. BOTOX® Cosmetic is another option, as it can smooth out crows feet and forehead lines near the eyes.

Please schedule a personal consultation with cosmetic surgeon Dr. Rai if you would like more information on cosmetic procedures for the eyes. 

The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS) recently published their 2008 Procedural Survey. These surveys are based on responses given by AACS members.

They found that in 2008, cosmetic surgeons had a 29 percent rise in female clients although they also had a two percent drop in male clients. The interpretation put on those figures is that women will continue to invest in their appearance even in a struggling economy, whereas in those tougher times, males will scratch it off their To Do list.

The three cosmetic surgeries most often performed were:
• Liposuction;
• Breast augmentation; and
• Eyelid surgery.

The three most popular non-invasive cosmetic procedures were (in this order):
• BOTOX® injections;
• Laser hair removal; and
• Dermal fillers based on hyaluronic acid

Laser Technology at the Forefront

Researchers found that over the last three years, there has been a great increase in people asking for laser skin resurfacing. For males it has been up 456 percent and for females, up by 215 percent. As well, laser hair removal rose to the number two spot after BOTOX® among the non-invasive procedures.

This discovery lead AACS President Patrick McManamin, MD to remark, “Cosmetic surgery technology is advancing at the speed of light.” He mentioned the two advantages of laser procedures – that they give effective results and a short recovery period. So it would appear that perhaps laser procedures are recession-proof. McManamin also mentioned that laser skin resurfacing has become less expensive since 2002, dropping its cost by approximately $450.

At the Cosmetic Surgical Center we offer all the procedures mentioned above. The dermal fillers we offer include Restylane, which is a hyaluronic acid-based filler and very effective. BOTOX® Cosmetic is always very much in demand and you can see some of the results on our Before and After BOTOX® Gallery.

If you are interested in looking younger and would like to know more about the surgical and non-surgical ways of accomplishing that, please contact cosmetic surgeon Dr. Rai today for a free consultation.
 

Earlier this month, a plastic surgery team at Brigham and Woman’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston performed a partial face transplant. They replaced the entire midface:

• Nose
• Hard palate
• Upper lip
• Skin
• Muscles for facial expression

The team included seven plastic surgeons and an Ear, Nose and Throat surgeon, as well as nurses and anesthesiologists. They spent 17 hours without any break on this surgery and were watched by many medical residents.

This is just the second facial transplant ever done in the U.S. The patient has chosen to be anonymous and will not be given any interviews. It is not known what caused the need for a facial transplant.

What made it all possible was the generous donor family. The New England Organ Bank talked with the donor family and obtained their consent. Face donations require family consent. Other donation types require only that the donor be registered, and this information can be on that person’s driving license.

History of Organ Transplants

BWH has been a leader in transplant surgeries and has acquired a worldwide reputation. They started in 1954 with a kidney transplant, donated by a man to his brother. That was performed by one Dr. Joseph Murray (and his team), who in 1990 received the Nobel Prize for medicine.

Now kidney transplants are often performed. BWH did 100 kidney transplants in 2008. Since 1984 they have performed 560 heart transplants.

Organ transplants are major plastic surgery done for health or survival reasons. Cosmetic surgery is plastic surgery done for cosmetic reasons. At the Cosmetic Surgical Center, Dr. Rai offers a wide variety of cosmetic surgeries, on the face, breast and total body, for both men and women. Some are non-invasive, such as the popular facial fillers and BOTOX®.

To learn more about how cosmetic surgery could give you a more youthful appearance, please call or email our cosmetic surgery office today for a free personal consultation.
 

In 2008 cosmetic surgeries declined about nine percent, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). But already in 2009 there are reports of increased interest – not so much among people who want to look younger for social reasons, but among those who want it for career reasons.

People who work in a “young business” like music or television are feeling the need to look more refreshed and youthful because of the competitive market. They are not relying on their years of experience and knowledge of their field.

This is true of both men and women. Recently the ASPS did a survey and found that women were hoping that cosmetic surgery would give them a more competitive edge in their job searching and career. Of the 756 women in this survey, in the wide age range of 18 to 64, about 13 percent said they would consider having a cosmetic procedure for the sake of increased confidence and viability in the job market.

Another three percent reported that they had already had a cosmetic surgery for that reason. Seventy-three percent believe that a youthful appearance is important in getting hired, getting a promotion and getting new clients.

Response from Plastic Surgeons
Some cosmetic surgeons have begun responding to this increased demand by offering quicker procedures, such as a “wide awake facelift” which uses local anesthetic rather than the general anesthesia usually given for a traditional facelift. That allows for both a quicker recovery and lower cost.

Many are offering package deals for facial fillers, which smooth out wrinkles and lines, giving a younger look. This is popular among those in their 40s and 50s who are competing with people ten or twenty years younger.

Having cosmetic surgery procedures is viewed as an investment in a person’s career and future and the potential problem of being unemployed is solved by use of loans from healthcare financing companies.

At the Cosmetic Surgical Center, we work with CareCredit, a financing company that offers excellent terms and no-interest or low-interest loans.

To learn more about the procedures that will quickly give you a younger look, please contact our cosmetic surgery office for a free consultation. We serve Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas.

At the British Psychological Society Annual Conference in Brighton last week, a study was presented about mood findings related to BOTOX® injections. Twenty-five people were part of the study, done by Cardiff University and Court House Clinics in London.

Twelve of the participants were given BOTOX treatments around the forehead area, treating frown lines. The other thirteen were given dermal fillers or other cosmetic skin treatments. Two weeks later, all were asked to complete a mood questionnaire.

When the data was compiled and analyzed, researchers found that there was no difference between the two groups in how effective they thought their treatments had been, as cosmetic facial enhancers. But those who had been given BOTOX were significantly less anxious, irritable and depressed than the other group. Researchers concluded that BOTOX had influenced the mood of those who received it.

Supporting the Feedback Theory
BOTOX works by temporarily paralyzing the muscle where it is injected. When injected into the frown muscles, it prevents frowning for about four months. The study authors concluded that their results supported the theory that there is feedback between a person’s emotions and their habitual facial expressions.

When a person habitually frowns, they feel chronically more negative. When unable to frown, a person feels less emotional negativity, and instead feels calmer and happier.

Medications traditionally prescribed for depression have some negative side-effects. If BOTOX were to be used for this purpose, the side effect would be a younger-looking face. Of course, the effects of BOTOX are temporary and retreatment would be necessary. But that is true of medications too – they must be taken regularly for an ongoing result.

At the Cosmetic Surgical Center, we offer BOTOX injections as well as dermal fillers. They are both popular for facial rejuvenation and both effectively give a smoother, more fresh look to the face.

If you would like to know more about the different ways of smoothing wrinkles and lines and achieving a younger look, please call or email our cosmetic surgery office for a free consultation. We serve the Dallas and Fort Worth areas in Texas.

The high popularity of BOTOX® injections to smooth out frown lines and other wrinkles on the forehead and around the eyes has led to development of competing similar products.

Fifteen European countries have approved one called Azzalure® including Portugal, Denmark, France, and most recently, the U.K. Cosmetic surgery in the U.K. has been growing by 25 percent each year but at the end of 2008, the British Government passed some legislation to tighten it up. One stipulation was that only a qualified doctor may give BOTOX® injections and this will apply to Azzalure also.

Like BOTOX®, Azzalure is based on the botulinum toxin and works the same way, by temporarily relaxing (paralyzing) the specific muscle where it is injected. It will be used particularly for frown lines (glabellar lines).

The two companies which have been offering Azzalure together are Galderma, an international dermatology company, and Ispen, a European pharmaceutical company. They created their partnership in 2007 and conducted clinical trials on more than 2,600 patients, to establish Azzalure’s safety and effectiveness as a cosmetic procedure.

Reloxin® Waiting for FDA Approval
Since 1991, Ipsen has been marketing Azzalure in 73 countries as a therapeutic drug with the trade name of Dysport®. It was used for various motor disorders and muscular spasticity such as occurs with cerebral palsy and cervical dystonia.

In 2006, Ipsen gave the rights to another company, Medicis (manufacturer of Restylane and Perlane) to promote and distribute Azzalure in the U.S. with another trade name, Reloxin®. It is currently in FDA testing but expected to receive approval in the near future.

To learn more about ways of smoothing facial lines and wrinkles, please contact our cosmetic surgery office today for a personal consultation with Dr. Rai.