It’s not necessary to have major plastic surgery to look your best. In fact, small changes are usually more effective — and far more natural-looking — than big changes. Quick fixes such as facial skin resurfacing can produce impressive results over time.
There’s no doubt there’s a huge demand for these procedures. Registered nurse Joanne Shiffman has owned Face First Laser Clinic in Monterey, California, with her husband, Dr. Howard Shiffman, for the past five years, and said they’re typically booked up at least six weeks out.
“The big focus these days is neurotoxins and fillers, and reversing sun damage,” said Joanne Shiffman.
However, as she points out, just because something can be done quickly doesn’t mean there isn’t some planning involved. You can’t get Botox and then the next day go to your high school reunion looking wonderful; there may be redness or swelling at the injection site that takes several days to clear.
Some procedures do require a bit of recovery time; others might have to be done multiple times for best results, Shiffman says.
“Even in a few weeks’ time, we can get your skin looking pretty darn good,” said Shiffman.
The process starts with an evaluation, where the client comes into the office and talks about what she or he would like to change. The medical professional can talk about what’s available as far as treatments, and then a timeline can be worked out, said Shiffman.
“Most people say they want to look better, but still natural,” said Shiffman. “We want to make people look a little bit younger without looking ‘done.'”
There are a variety of skin procedures that improve appearance, taking away redness, dark spots and fine lines; overall texture is also smoothed out. Face First offers a selection that includes the LimeLight Facial, Laser Genesis and Cutera Titan. These light-based treatments are non-invasive and don’t burn the skin; recovery time is minimal, although it may take several treatments for optimum results.
Another skin treatment that is effective and easy is the old standby Retin-A, according to Dr. David S. Goldberg, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Monterey. “It’s the only prescription medication that really treats wrinkles and rejuvenates the skin,” he said. It’s found under several brand names as well as in generic formulations.
These skin treatments can smooth out scars from acne or other causes; some also are useful in taking off precancerous skin growths.
The next step up in facial rejuvenation is laser resurfacing of the skin, done with a CO2 fractional laser, which can significantly reduce wrinkles. A high-energy beam of light is used to heat the dermis, the underlayer of the skin, which stimulates new collagen to grow. The laser’s intense heat causes the outer skin layers to peel away, but new skin cells grow back, ultimately resulting in a more youthful appearance.
Dr. Christopher Dannaker, a board-certified dermatologist who has offices in Monterey and Beverly Hills, said that the laser resurfacing is usually done in six treatments over a three-month period, and there may be redness and irritation for as long as a week following each treatment. But the results are thought to last much longer than in other skin treatments.
As far as public opinion is concerned, the top plastic surgeries in the state of Michigan have the distinction of having a 100% success rate and are the most preferred of all.