Your Unique Complexion Profile Is the First Step to Complexion Health and Vitality

Through the new VISIA in-depth analysis of your unique facial characteristics, it is possible to design a facial rejuvenation and skin care program customized just for your specific complexion. The VISIA system’s multi-spectral imaging and analysis gives your plastic surgeon or skin care specialist a clear, multidimensional 'picture' of the individual aspects of your complexion which contribute to your overall appearance by identifying your skin's condition both on the surface and beneath your skin's surface. The VISIA imaging system measures features such as evenness and wrinkles to identify sun damage, and VISIA provides the most comprehensive means available for identifying all aspects of your complexion’s health.

Utilizing VISIA’s accurate imaging of your complexion, your skin care professional or plastic surgeon can design an optimal skin rejuvenation plan for your unique combination of facial characteristics and present you with options to help you realize the complexion you desire. Based on your individual complexion profile, your facial rejuvenation program will also include personalized recommendations for an ongoing skin care health plan, with VISIA imaging as an invaluable aid in monitoring your complexion’s vitality and checking effectiveness of your skin care regimen during a treatment plan.

Your skin complexion is the window through which your image is shown to the rest of the world. The VISIA Complexion Analysis system provides the information necessary to accurately individualize a facial rejuvenation and skin care regimens to match your unique complexion. A VISIA imaging session uses multi-spectral imaging and analysis to capture key 'visual' information of six key areas affecting your complexion's health and its appearance. These areas include wrinkles, spots, pores, color variation/evenness in the your skin's tone), evidence of bacteria within your skin's pores, and UV damage. In addition, the VISIA analysis sustem provides a precise and informative comparison of your complexion’s characteristics to those of others that share your same age and skin type.

Bigger, Easier, Better - LookingYourBest.com Reaches for the Next Level

LookingYourBest.com, the nationwide reference guide to a Who's Who of America's Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeons, offers more than just a bold new look with its comprehensive re-tooling. It offers an enhanced experience.

The first aspect of the new LookingYourBest.com that will surely catch the eye is the new layout and color scheme. The old, sterile layout with its pastel colors blending out to the window's edge has been supplanted by a sharp, clean page set against a rich chocolate tone, with deep rose accents and a commanding presence. In all the site wears a more focused, sophisticated feel that visitors are sure to appreciate.

The visual changes, however, belie the underlying metamorphosis that now makes it even easier to seek out doctors and procedures by multiple criteria. A simplified menu and site structure are two of the keys to the improved ease of use, despite the addition of even more data than before. LookingYourBest has long been an excellent source for finding and comparing professionals in aesthetic medicine, both locally and nationally. Now, the search function in both the gallery and surgeon areas has been simplified and visitors are treated to informative videos and 3D procedure animations to further enhance their search.

There's an important difference in the underpinnings as well, though a casual visitor may not even notice. Nevertheless, by streamlining the site's code, the programmers at LookingYourBest have sought to improve what is often the most important aspect of a web site; browsing speed. The new LookingYourBest.com loads faster and is more intuitive than ever.

Nose Reshaping Can Harmonize Facial Features

Most people don't realize that the basic techniques for performing cosmetic rhinoplasty (nose reshaping) originated from reconstructive plastic surgery. The first operation closely resembling "modern" cosmetic rhinoplasty was developed by a plastic surgeon in 1845! Since then, many refinements to the technique of nose reshaping have occurred, allowing for the wonderful results we see in cosmetic surgery today.

Stories in the media have claimed that teenagers are flocking to plastic surgeons to have their noses done, but in reality this procedure is performed very selectively. Teenagers who have the physical and emotional maturity for cosmetic surgery may undergo rhinoplasty as early as 14 or 15, or possibly older for boys. There is no upper age limit for rhinoplasty surgery, as long as you are in good health. Nose reshaping is sometimes performed in conjunction with a facelift or other rejuvenative surgery to correct aging changes of the nose such as a drooping tip.

The goal of rhinoplasty, at any age, is a natural-looking nose that achieves a harmonious balance with your other facial features. In the earlier days of rhinoplasty, patients and their surgeons tended to think in terms of an "ideal" nose, and this ideal often varied only slightly from patient to patient. Today, plastic surgeons are sensitive to the unique aesthetics of each individual's appearance. This includes factors such as ethnicity and the strength of other facial features. Some patients are looking for only subtle improvements, while others desire more substantial changes in the appearance of their nose. An important part of your rhinoplasty consultation with your plastic surgeon is the discussion of your personal goals for surgery.

Facial Rejuvenation: The Difrerence Between Collagen and Dermal Fillers

Cosmoderm (Human Collagen):
Human collagen does not require skin testing prior to treatment. Collagen is injected just under the surface of the skin to help soften the appearance of facial lines. It is also used to enhance the appearance of lips. Results are immediate and last between 2-4 months. Learn more about Collagen Injections.

Hyaluronic Acids:
There are 2 FDA approved hyaluronic acid dermal fillers available. They are Restylane® and Juvederm®. Juvéderm™ Ultra and Juvéderm™ Ultra Plus are indicated for injection into the mid to deep dermis for correction of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds (such as nasolabial folds). Side effects were usually mild to moderate lasting 7 days or less and included temporary injection site reactions like redness, pain, firmness, swelling and bumps.

The choice of which dermal filler to use is individual. Factors that influence this are: Areas to be treated, depth of wrinkles, skin texture and cost. A combination of dermal fillers and Botox® treatments can be performed at the same time. These options are best determined during a consultation with a skilled, experienced and qualified Plastic Surgeon. Be sure to have all your questions answered and you fully understand your chosen procedure prior to having the procedure. Do not take this step lightly. Proper pre-procedure planning and research can ean the difference between a successful result and a nightmare.

Breast Reconstruction Options

The circumstances of individual patient can help to decide what is the best method of breast reconstruction that can be used. The goals of breast reconstruction surgery are to re-create a breast which matches the opposite breast, or in bilateral cases, to reconstruct two breasts to the patients’s desired size. During Breast reconstruction surgery. the nipple and areola are also reconstructed. It is recommended that one consult with a plastic surgeon prior to a mastectomy procedure. This allows the Surgeon and his team to plan a treatment that is best suited for each patient, even if the patient decides to wait to have reconstructive surgery at a later time.

Immediate breast reconstruction occurs when reconstruction of the beast is done at the same time as a mastectomy. The immediate reconstruction method has the advantage of usually saving the patient from undergoing at least one subsequent operation, and this has been proven to provide significant psychological benefit, as the patient never has to experience the total loss of a breast.

Delayed breast reconstruction is a beast reconstruction surgery performed at a later date. The Surgeon may recommend this method for some women, especially if radiation to the chest area is required after the mastectomy. Delayed reconstruction is appropriate for some because radiation therapy following breast reconstruction can increase complications after reconstructive surgery.

Los Angeles Breast Reconstruction

Time isn't the only thing that marches on. The miracles of modern medicine are marching to a drum beating faster than many would have thought possible even a few short decades ago. Take silicone breast implants, for example. I remember when, in the '90s, the words "silicone" and "implant" instantly conjured the word "leak" if used together in the same sentence. Not so, today, and the next step in silicone is already available on a limited basis in the U.S. and awaiting FDA approval. These cohesive gel, or gummy bear, implants hold a lot of exciting potential.

Already popular in Europe for their natural looking and natural feeling results, gummy bear breast implants have a consistency that allows the implants to maintain the commonly requested teardrop shape. Plus, clinical studies have demonstrated that cohesive implants have the lowest rate of capsular contracture (hardening of the breasts) and leakage of any implant ever studied.

Dr. Steven Teitelbaum is an energetic supporter of this new technology, and is developing the educational material that one implant manufacturer will use to credential surgeons who intent to use them following FDA approval. He has been using cohesive gel implants since 2000, and is the only surgeon in California asked to participate in the clinical trials of all three cohesive implant manufacturers. If you have considered breast reconstruction in Los Angeles, schedule a consultation with Dr. Teitelbaum today.

Male Cosmetic Surgery, Gynecomastia in Santa Monica

A greater number of men will develop gynecomastia than will not, and of those who receive male breast reduction surgery, more are getting other procedures at the same time. These men are having liposuction of the waist, love handles and stomach, and chin, and also otoplasty (ear surgery). Why is it that cosmetic surgery gaining popularity among men? Perhaps it's due to today’s competitive business environment, which puts pressure on even men to look younger and more vigorous. Looking thinner and more fit is an advantage professionally and socially for men, too.

Cutting tissue, or excision, was at one time the only solution for gynecomastia. Liposuction, more often associated with body contouring around the waist, can address the softer fat deposits of the chest. Most men will require a combination of excision and liposuction, as excision is still necessary for the glandular gynecomastia tissue, which liposuction does not address effectively. Surgery involves some risk, so schedule your consultation with a board certified surgeon to learn more. Considering his experience in plastic surgery for men, Dr. Steven Teitelbaum can help you in making the decisions that are right for you.