Windows of the Soul
September 16, 2013 - Rhys Branman, MD
Many say the eyes are the windows of the soul. Perhaps they are. Unfortunately, as we age people may see less of those windows because of eyelid ptosis. Eyelid ptosis is that drooping of the upper eyelid that not only makes you look tired and old, but can also partially block your vision. An upper eyelid lift, or blepharoplasty at Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center can work wonders to rejuvenate your face and make you look younger and refreshed. In fact, many cosmetic surgeons say this is one of the procedures that truly gives your looks the most bang for... 
Autumn is coming soon. One more nice thing about this season of colorful leaves, longer shadows and cooler nights, is that you can actually hide cosmetic surgery better. Many times people you know will notice a change but will not be able to put their finger on just what has changed about you. Perhaps they wonder if you lost weight over the summer with all the activity, or you are merely refreshed after a vacation. Is it that new hairstyle or different makeup? If you are in the market for cosmetic procedures, you can prepare your audience by changing your... 
The sun's UV rays cause over 90 percent of skin cancers. We all know by now that UV rays damage the skin. So let's talk about what kind of skin damage this can cause, and how chemical peels and other treatments can help. Radiation from the sun changes what is called "gene expression." Gene expression is what makes a particular cell able to function. All of our cells have the complete DNA code within them, yet each cell knows its specific job. This why UV rays can cause cancer; they actually can alter the DNA of your skin cells taking... 
One of the biggest trends in cosmetic surgery this year has been brachioplasty. Yes, women have been ogling Michelle Obama and Jennifer Aniston's arms! It has been claimed that the rate of upper arm lift (brachioplasty) surgeries have soared to over 400% from previous years. One article stated that "Over 15,000 women got an upper arm procedure in 2012, which is an increase of 4,378% since 2000." In actuality, the numbers are deceptive because really those numbers reflect only about 300 more women than previously. No one is quite sure why this particular statistic was played up so much. However,... 
Although there are lots of reasons not to have a tummy tuck immediately after a C-section, there is absolutely no reason not to have abdominoplasty later on after you have recuperated from your pregnancy. In fact, a tummy tuck may minimize the scar from the C-section. Some women ask why they cannot have both procedures at the same time. Last year a study concluded that: "Although it may appear that it is quite worthy to combine two surgical procedures in the same setting, saving the patient from future surgery and general anesthesia, the higher incidence of postoperative complications, unesthetic results,... 
Has cosmetic surgery become a status symbol? Is beauty a commodity? It is quite possible that in this time of affordable cosmetic surgery that beauty has become a commodity. As technology evolves, so does access to cosmetic surgery. In the past cosmetic surgery recipients were perceived only as patients, not the savvy consumers they are today. Cosmetic surgery has indeed become synonymous with status and upward mobility. In the past, cosmetic surgery was something to be hidden, kept secret and be ashamed of. Not anymore! Gone are the days when a nose job was condemned. The technology of cosmetic surgery... 
The face shows aging with the increasingly wrinkled and blotchy appearance of the skin. But those are just the superficial changes. In the past people attributed the aging of the deeper facial structures primarily to gravity. We now know that the primary cause of structural facial aging relates to deeper photo damage (to the SMAS) and repeated contractions of certain facial muscles deeper still. Gravity only continues to abet the aging process begun by changes in these deeper tissues of the face. Your facial muscles have deep and superficial pads of fat, which allows smoother movement of the facial muscles.... 
Aging is hard on women in particular. Not only are women dealing with the health related issues that men deal with, but women are also expected to continue to look good. One could argue that this is fast becoming true for men too, and in fact many more men have been seeking cosmetic surgery to slow the visible aspects of aging. But the hardest pressed to keep their looks, in our culture, are women. One of the mistakes women make when seeking cosmetic surgery, is to try and recreate the body and face they had years ago. This will not... 
Changes in the face are the most obvious during the aging process. Aging may be tougher on women than men in our culture. Let's take a look at some of the most obvious signs of facial aging. You may have heard the term "keep your figure or your face." This refers to the loss of volume in the face as a person ages. Consequently, heavier women with more body fat retain more volume in their faces. However, most women are not happy being overweight, so this is not a desirable trade off. Then of course there are the wrinkles. One... 
They're calling it "pillow face" and it's all over the tabloids. What is pillow face? Any puffiness in the face of a female celebrity is being called pillow face. You might remember back in April of 2012 when Ashley Judd was accused of "having work done" and being criticized because her face looked so puffy. Ms. Judd slammed the media back with forceful statement about this "misogynistic assault on all women" by saying "We are unable at times to identify ourselves as our own denigrating abusers, or as abusing other girls and women." This year Anjelica Huston became the target... 