More and more couples are considering plastic surgery as the ultimate gift. However, it is important to weigh the risks and benefits of any aesthetic procedure, as well as choosing the surgeon, and setting that are right for you.

There are benefits to coming in for a consultation with a loved one, but decisions about individual surgeries should only be made by the person who is going to undergo the procedure. Additionally, couples who are both undergoing procedures should time their surgeries so that the other person can be available to care for their partner when they have surgery.

For anyone considering aesthetic surgery, Here is some important advice:

Breast reduction surgery, technically known as reduction mammaplasty, is designed for such women. The procedure removes fat, glandular tissue, and skin from the breasts, making them smaller, lighter, and firmer. It can also reduce the size of the areola, the darker skin surrounding the nipple. The goal is to give the woman smaller, better-shaped breasts in proportion with the rest of her body.

If you're considering breast reduction, this will give you a basic understanding of the procedure- when it can help, how it's performed, and what results you can expect. It can't answer all of your questions, since a lot depends on your individual circumstances. Please be sure to ask your doctor if there is anything about the procedure you don't understand.

The Best Candidates for Breast Reduction

Breast reduction is usually performed for physical relief rather than simply cosmetic improvement. Most women who have the surgery are troubled by very large, sagging breasts that restrict their activities and cause them physical discomfort.

In most cases, breast reduction isn't performed until a woman's breasts are fully developed; however, it can be done earlier if large breasts are causing serious physical discomfort. The best candidates are those who are mature enough to fully understand the procedure and have realistic expectations about the results. Breast reduction is not recommended for women who intend to breast-feed.

Your New Look
Although much of the swelling and bruising will disappear in the first few weeks, it may be six months to a year before your breasts settle into their new shape. Even then, their shape may fluctuate in response to your hormonal shifts, weight changes, and pregnancy.

Of all plastic surgery procedures, breast reduction results in the quickest body-image changes. You'll be rid of the physical discomfort of large breasts, your body will look better proportioned, and clothes will fit you better.

In the abdominoplasty, postoperative scarring is significant and may take from six months to a year for resolution; it will never disappear completely. Most often abdominoplasty is performed as an outpatient procedure under general anesthesia. Routine activity can be resumed within ten days, but sports and exercising are prohibited for six weeks to allow the muscle to heal properly.

During the actual treatment you should be very comfortable, feeling only some mild pin pricks or stinging. Most patients are impressed at the ease of these treatments. If you are experiencing significant discomfort during the session please advise the plastic surgeon as there are often other remedies to ease any pain you might be feeling.

Although BOTOX® may look easy to administer, it is not this aspect which is most important to the outcome. The clinician's experience and "aesthetic eye" is the key to a great outcome with BOTOX®.

Treatments take 20-30 minutes unless you opt not to have your skin numbed prior to the injections, then the treatment should take less than 10 minutes. Several tiny injections are given in the areas that you and your provider have decided upon. They usually are barely appreciable in sensation or appearance following the injection. You can reapply makeup to the treated areas immediately after the session.

There are no specific after care instructions. If this is the first time you have had Botox injections, you will not notice any change for at least 3 days and the complete effect will take up to 14 days.

Side effects from Botox are very rare, but headaches can occur temporarily after the injection – especially in patients who suffer from frequent headaches. Ironically, Botox injections often help with frequent headache patients once the Botox takes effect. Bruising can occur although very infrequently. If you are prone to bruising or are on blood thinners please notify your caregiver; special techniques and recommendations will be used to try to minimize your bruising risk. If bruising does occur it will not affect your final result and typically is minor enough that makeup coverage will conceal it.

It is always recommended that anyone considering a cosmetic or plastic surgery procedure first consult with a qualified, and experienced cosmetic surgeon. Proper research and pre-procedure planning is an important step in a decision to undergo a cosmetic procedure, and one that should not be taken lightly. Ensure you fully understand the procedure, its risks, and have a realistic expectation of the results.

Just as women can be self-conscious with under-developed breasts, large, heavy or hanging breasts can cause both embarrassments and difficulties all of their own. Surgeons understand that over-development of the breast can cause self-esteem issues, an inability to exercise, difficulty with posture, backache and unwanted attention.

Plastic Surgeons have spent many years perfecting the short scar approach to reduce the breast size, relieve the sagging and improve the breast contour and shape. The nipple is not removed or replaced. He will preserve ducts and sensation to the nipple, although some ability to breast-feed may be reduced. Scars are inconspicuous and can be easily covered by most bathing suits and low cut clothing.

Breast augmentation is a procedure used to enlarge small breasts and create a balance for breasts of different size or proportion. Breast implants are used to add fullness to breasts that have decreased in size or begun to sag due to age or pregnancy.

Breast implant options basically can be narrowed down to two types: silicone gel and saline (or salt water) filled. Most breast enlargement procedures use saline-filled implants; although some situations still warrant the use of silicone gel implants for best results. Recent advantages in implant technologies offer options that create a more natural look than ever before.

It remains that with any elective cosmetic surgery, it is very important for women considering this procedure to be given informed consent. This means that anyone considering having permanent implantation of a medical device is made aware not only of the risks of the operation itself, but also of the lifelong risks of having implants.

Day to day skin care of the face is equally important to one's appearance as peeling, resurfacing, and augmentation procedures.

Plastic Surgeons and Skin Care Specialists alike employ some of the latest and most effective methods of skin restoration available today. Only a qualified expert can provide such dermatological care. These processes use beautifying products that can remove any blemishes and discolorations while at the same time promoting the growth of new, healthy skin. The new cells will be rich in the natural chemicals that are necessary to make skin supple, yet strong. You’ll love your renewed vibrance!

Laser Skin Resurfacing
Time, sun, wind, and gravity all take their toll on the skin. The laser is the ultimate technology for precise aesthetic removal of deeper lines around the eyes, lips, cheeks and forehead. Some facial scars can also be improved with laser surgery. Your surgeon will review your medical history, examine your skin type and pigmentation to determine if laser resurfacing is appropriate for you.

Chemical Peels
Depending on one's goals, skin type and degree of skin aging you may benefit from any one of a variety of chemical peeling procedures. Different peeling agents will produce different degrees of skin penetration resulting in variable improvements in facial wrinkling and fine line improvement. Your plastic surgeon will review with you which peeling agent would be best for you.

The most common reason for breast augmentation surgery is a desire for larger breasts. In general plastic surgeons not recommend cosmetic breast augmentation for women under 18 years of age. Many women requesting breast augmentation have lost breast volume after pregnancy and nursing or simply with aging.

WHAT CHANGES CAN BE EXPECTED?

The breasts will be larger. A sagging breast can be lifted The most appropriate size implant is determined after a physical examination and is a joint decision between you and your plastic surgeon. Some women want only a very small implant, to restore the breast size and perhaps shape they had before childbearing. A small percentage of women want very large breasts. This may not be advisable, because there may not be enough support in the breast tissues, and too large an implant in these women can cause thinning of the skin or increase the risk of "capsular contracture." This is a hardening of the breast caused by shrinkage of the normal scar envelope that the body makes around any implant.

Lip augmentation procedures increase the size of the lips to make them fuller and can also be used to define the vermilion border of the lips. Upper and lower lips can be treated individually or at the same time.

Lip augmentation can be accomplished either surgically or with the injection of temporary (dermal) fillers. Autologous fat injections to the lips are a longer lasting alernative to the dermal fillers.

During the fat injection procedure, fat is harvested from another area of the body, usually the abdomen, and the fat is separated, purified and injected with small needles into the lips. Because not all of the fat will survive, the lips are over-corrected at first so that the final result will meet your expectations. The procedure can be done as an outpatient with some light sedation anesthesia. This is often performed in conjunction with other procedures. The result can last 6 months to several years. Occasionally patients may wish to repeat the procedure.

The Mini Lift (also referred to as a Short scar face lift) is a less invasive procedure with a shorter recovery time than its more traditional cousin, the full face lift. The Mini face Lift is an ideal procedure for women who are just starting to note deepening lines on their face, sagging of the skin over their lower face and jaw line, and perhaps some laxity of their neck.

You may be a good candidate for this procedure if you are a woman in your early 40s and don't want to wait for noticeable signs of aging to alter your appearance. The Mini Lift is also a useful secondary procedure if you have previously had a face lift and are starting to notice the signs of age again making an appearance.

A Modified Face Lift is the right choice if you are a woman in your late 40s or early 50s and notice more laxity in your face and neck but still not very much. You surgeon will help you determine whether you are the right candidate for this procedure.

In a Modified Face Lift, the incision made to the face is similar to the Mini Lift but extends behind the ear, and there may be need for an additional incision under the chin. This allows Dr. Lofman to reposition the fallen soft tissues and tighten the lax neck muscles as well as remove more redundant skin than a Mini-Lift would allow.

The Full Face Lift is designed for you if older than 55 or have significant laxity of the soft tissues of your face and neck. While it requires a longer incision, skillful surgical technique ensures the incision is placed inconspicuously.

The Full Face Lift effectively restores your youthful appearance and should give you back at least 15 years that time has taken away. This is achieved by tightening the underlying lax muscles, doing so in a way that does not leave the typical signs of a face lift.

A face lift may also be combined with other facial procedures such as eyelid surgery or a brow lift. During your private consultation with your chosen plastic surgeon, he/she will explain in full detail the varying aspects of these different procedures and what other techniques may be available to help you achieve realistic results.

Filler agent treatments for facial aging are one of the most rapidly growing areas of cosmetic medicine. When a plastic surgeon evaluates patients who desire facial rejuvenation, they consider a three prong approach. Surgery and skin care can be vital to obtaining the best result, but the third prong includes fillers. They are a wonderful adjunct in many patients. They can improve the result of surgery in most, but in some, fillers can provide enough improvement that surgery can be delayed.

So what are Dermal fillers? They are products designed to be injected into the skin to correct and soften lines or furrows. They can also be used to increase lip volume. There is a dizzying array of products available that are made from different substances. Some products are derived from animals, and other from cadavers. Still others are bio-engineered. I currently prefer Juvederm. It is made from a substance called hyaluronic acid, which is a natural component of human skin. There is no risk of allergy, so skin testing is not required in advance of treatment. It is a gel formulation, unlike some earlier generation products that are particulate in character. The gel injects smoothly and does not result in lumps or bumps under the skin.

View Breast Implant Surgery Before and After Photos