by Jeanette Hames

“I want you to help me age to my best advantage.” Many individuals are searching for a long-term plan to maximize their ability to slow down the aging process and although you can’t turn back the hands of time, effects can be dramatically slowed down and improved with the arsenal of anti-aging treatments available today.

“Not everyone wants a facelift. Some would rather have a smaller procedure or no surgery at all, and I feel it’s essential to be able to provide what my patients want,” says Dr. DeJoseph, Double-Board-Certified Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon with advanced training in facial plastic surgery, aesthetic laser treatments and injectables.

“We want to help you attain beauty for life, and the following is our recipe to looking great at every stage of your life,” says Dr. William E. Silver, Triple-Board-Certified Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon specializing in not only face-lifting procedures, but in revision rhinoplasty, otoplasty and revision and reconstructive surgery of the head, neck and face. “We all know that as we age, our bodies change,  but the aging process actually speeds up as we age,” explains Silver. “Gravity, weight changes, lifestyles, environmental and hereditary factors all play an additional role in the aging process. Our skin becomes loose due not only to gravity, but loss of collagen and elasticity noticed first under the eyes, the cheeks and jawline.”

There are many surgical and nonsurgical ways to improve your appearance and reverse the effects of the aging process. Exercising, eating healthy, not smoking and sunscreen are vital. In addition, many nonsurgical medical, skincare treatments and procedures enhance the way we look, plus offer longer lasting solutions to reduce the effects of the aging process and stimulate the production of collagen and elastin to actually reverse the hands of time.

The goal at Premier Image Cosmetic & Laser Surgery is to empower you to make the right choices with Age Management to Your Best Advantage. Following is the doctors’ overall step-by-step recipe to “Beauty for Life”…

Teens/Twenties:

Young people with physical differences such as protruding ears, large noses, uneven breasts and skin disorders feel especially self-conscious and are often less assertive in school and less active in their social lives. Surgery to correct these differences, plus medical-grade skincare treatments and products to improve the appearance and health of the skin can help boost confidence and socialization during these critical years. Good skincare and sun protection are important essentials at this time

Thirties/Forties:

Approaching “mid-life” can be scary. It’s paramount to re-consult with your plastic surgeon on an annual basis for re-evaluation and update of your treatment plan that incorporates your individual changes, concerns and goals. Photographs are updated and reviewed chronologically, the skin is re-examined, and current health factors, medications and lifestyle are reviewed.

“One may begin to notice the “11’s” or creases between the brows, as well as fine lines around the eyes or crow’s feet.” says DeJoseph. “Smile lines deepen and some notice lines around the mouth, too.” Sun damage and hormonal changes causing hyperpigmentation of the skin begin to appear.

Many mothers notice drooping breasts and a no-longer-flat tummy no matter how many sit and weight maintenance are increasingly important, but often following weight fluctuations, it may be time to explore surgical procedures such as a breast lift or tummy tuck to regain your appearance,” says Dr. Marc Klein, Board-Certified by the American Board of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. Klein limits his procedures to the body, and is as one of America’s top plastic surgeons for breast enhancement, tummy tucks and liposuction.

Fifties/Sixties:

Life doesn’t come to a halt after 50 or 60—far from it. Today, people work and have active social lives well into their 70s. Fillers can be combined with Botox to create a browlift and reduce the signs of aging around the eyes and forehead. Used in proper combination and administered optimally, fillers and injectables can wipe 10 years from a patient’s appearance without surgery.

“It’s not a matter of injecting a filler  into a groove or wrinkle; it’s a matter of re-supporting the tissues and re-volumization,” DeJoseph explains. Premier Image Cosmetic & Laser Surgery offers leading-edge use of fillers and injectables— liquid lifts as they sometimes call them. Minimal downtime is a big reason for the popularity of liquid facelifts.

Silver suggests that patients should consider fillers and injectables as an intermediate solution. “They represent a bridge, if you will, for those patients who need to have an aging-face problem addressed, but are not yet ready for surgery,” he says. Silver advises that these procedures must be touched up once or twice a year.

“One must consider other minimal incision and minimal downtime surgical procedures such as the endoscopic Browlift and Mid-Facelift or the “QT” Mini Facelift when weighing out your options,” says Silver.

The “QT” Mini Facelift is a minimal-incision facelift developed by Drs. Silver and DeJoseph for patients who just can’t afford much time away from their busy lives, but desire a fresh, rejuvenated appearance. The “QT” Lift offers all the benefits of a traditional full facelift, but with minimal down-time. Many patients return to their busy lives within three to five days.

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Photography by Jack Tuszynski.