BluePrint to the Aesthetic Consult

FEBRUARY 2015

Today’s aesthetic patient does not want to look good . . . they expect to look fantastic! These patients have high treatment expectations and are willing to pay for great results even in a difficult economic climate. Let me echo that again: patients are willing to pay for great results. But, the results and the experience must be extraordinary. This all begins with the critical aesthetic consult. I believe that the consult is the single differentiating factor between thriving practices and those that struggle.  I continue to be amazed (and disappointed) in the lack of time and effort, many practices dedicate to the consult.  
Understanding a patient’s cosmetic goals goes a long way to achieving complete patient satisfaction and long term loyalty. The main purpose of all aesthetic consults is to find the “Real Reason” why your patient wants to look better —it almost always has very little to do with the initial stated reason. When in fact you find this reason, it yields a raw emotional response from the patient.  If you can evoke that emotional response, you are on the threshold creating a loyal patient for life, but this takes time, effort, and good listening skills.  As I’ve said many times, it’s about paying attention to the details.
Always try to avoid the temptation to prejudge the patient. It is important to understand that it’s not their hormone level or the size of their wallet. It’s the wiring of their DNA; some patients are just wired for aesthetics.  Those that are, will seek your services and if satisfied beyond their own expectations, will pay happily for them.
In every patient consult, first ask the patient to identify their facial features that they like. Tastefully point out what you see as their positive features and congratulate them on these great genetics. Then, with their permission, honestly and carefully show them the issues that need to be addressed.  I call it “Face Whispering.”
Patients often have a specific cosmetic concern but rarely see other areas in need of treatment. I call this mono- or selective focus. To fully engage the patient in a successful discussion on full face reflation that will yield the best result, you must first convince the patient to look beyond their single concern and describe the face in a three-dimensional way.

As part of my blueprint to the consult I also find that showing patients their baseline photographs is very effective in gaining their confidence.  I have a dedicated camera room and take many pictures daily. I show patients their baseline photos from all views so they can see the whole face.  In addition, I give patients an assignment to bring in a youthful picture of themselves, say in their early twenties.  By comparing this youthful photo with their baseline, I’m able to discuss harmony, balance and symmetry, and identify for them areas that require attention. It is important to tell patients that the goal is not to make them look “20 again,” rather to restore some of their natural features to look great for their age. This whole exercise helps patients understand why we look at and treat the whole face.
Simply put, the consult is integral to the success of your practice.  If you truly want to take your practice to the next level, improve your patient consultation style; dedicate more focused time to your patient in order to understand his/her expectations and desires; carefully transition them to focus on the whole face; and finally, incorporate the most innovative products and techniques into practice.  Earn their trust and the right to treat them, create an extraordinary result and watch the barrier of price disappear.
Article by B. Kent Remington, MD, FRCP
Co-Founder, The Aesthetic BluePrint


This Article is brought to you Courtesy of Dr. Mark Bishara and The Paragon Plastic Surgery & Med Spa

 
 

In 2012, more than 330,000 women in the United States elected to have breast augmentation surgery; worldwide, that number exceeded 1.5 million.
About 30 percent of the women who get breast implants are in their 20s. They often report being self-conscious about their lack of development or embarrassed about their breasts being asymmetrical or uneven. About 35 percent are women in their thirties, many of whom lost breast volume after childbirth. Some want to recapture their pre-pregnancy breast size, while others liked the breast fullness they had during pregnancy and want to recreate it with implants.
Whether women are having cosmetic breast surgery, their goals are similar: They want to look feminine, natural and proportional. They want their clothes to fit better.
In consultation, women ask dozens of questions about the safety, durability and longevity of saline and silicone gel implants – the two types that are approved for sale by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Silicone breast implants- The most popular choice

Silicone breast implants are filled with silicone gel. The gel feels a bit more like natural breast tissue. If the implant leaks, the gel may remain within the implant shell, or may escape into the breast implant pocket. A leaking implant filled with silicone gel will not collapse.
If you choose silicone implants, you may need to visit your plastic surgeon regularly to make sure the implants are functioning properly. An ultrasound or MRI screening can assess the condition of breast implants.
Silicone breast implants are FDA-approved for augmentation in women age 22 or older.

Are Silicone Gel or Saline Breast Implants Better?

There is no simple answer to which type of implant is best for you. If a saline breast implant leaks, it is just salt water that is easily absorbed by the body. When compared to silicone, it also has less of a chance of leaking or hardening. The main benefit of silicone is that it feels more like a normal breast and is less likely to cause rippling. However, silicone may rupture without you knowing it, and has a higher chance of hardening (capsular contracture).
This Information is Brought to you courtesy of Dr. Mark Bishara and The Paragon Plastic Surgery & Med Spa

 
 

Breast augmentation, also called augmentation mammaplasty, involves surgical placement of an implant behind each breast to increase its volume and enhance its shape. Often, after weight loss, childbirth, or as a result of aging, the breasts lose volume and their shape changes. Also, many women choose to have their breasts enlarged in order to satisfy their desire for a fuller bustline. Breast augmentation can be performed at any age after the breasts are developed.

Silicone Breast Implants:
Silicone implants are pre-filled with silicone gel — a thick, sticky fluid that closely mimics the feel of human fat. Most women feel that silicone breast implants look and feel more like natural breast tissue.
They come in different sizes and have either smooth or textured shells.
Silicone gel-filled breast implants are approved for breast augmentation in women age 22 or older and for breast reconstruction in women of any age. They are also used in revision surgeries, which correct or improve the result of an original surgery.

BENEFITS:

  • Positive aesthetic results, and data has shown patients often receive a substantial psychological boost.
  • It is often possible to return to work within a week, depending on the nature of your work.
  • No scientific evidence that breast augmentation increases the risk of breast cancer, autoimmune disease, or any systemic illness.
  • No evidence that breast implants affect pregnancy or ability to breast-feed.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:

  • Every surgical procedure carries some risk. Potential complications may include reactions to anesthesia, blood accumulation that may need to be drained surgically, and infection.
  • Changes in nipple or breast sensation may result from breast augmentation surgery, although they are usually temporary.
  • When a breast implant is inserted, a scar capsule forms around it as part of the natural healing process. The capsule may sometimes tighten and compress the implant, causing the breast to feel firmer than normal. If the capsular contracture is severe, it may cause discomfort or changes in the breast’s appearance. Additional surgery may be needed to modify or remove scar tissue, or perhaps remove or replace the implant.
  • Breast implants can make performing and reading mammograms technically difficult. Placement of the implant underneath the pectoral muscle may interfere less with mammographic examination.
  • As with other surgical implants, breast implants cannot be expected to last forever. If a saline-filled implant breaks, its contents are harmlessly absorbed by the body, usually within hours.
  • Pregnancy can alter breast size in an unpredictable way and could affect the long-term results of breast augmentation.
  • As of May 2000, Federal regulation prohibits breast augmentation for purely aesthetic surgery in women less than 18 years of age

This Information is brought to you courtesy of Dr. Mark Bishara and The Paragon Plastic Surgery & Med Spa

a recent article in the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS discusses how women like how their selfies look using filters, and then head to their doctors to help create what they see.

 
You is the new you. Years ago, people seeking cosmetic surgery would bring pictures of celebrities to their doctor — and ask for “Angelina Jolie’s lips,” “Kate Beckinsale’s nose” or “Kim Kardashian’s butt.”
But now people bring their selfies — filtered through Instagram.
“This is a huge trend,” says Upper East Side surgeon Dr. Elie Levine. “People are bringing in pictures of themselves taken at a favorite angle or filtered, and saying they want to look like that.”
Anyone can nowadays, thanks to Photoshop — which even Beyoncé uses to always look her best in pictures.
But real life requires real solutions, and that’s where the Instagram-aided knife comes in.
Central Jersey mom Geri Hubner says she became obsessed with her growing wattle after staring at photos from her daughter’s wedding. She started using photo filters but then came to the ultimate real-world conclusion:
“I wanted to look like that all the time,” says Hubner, 56.
So she called facial plastic surgeon Dr. Andrew Miller in Edison, showed him the Instagrammed pictures and sprung for a neck lift, which can run $10,000 to $20,000.
“He’s an artist. I should have done this years ago,” says Hubner, who says the surgery and week-long recovery were relatively painless.
Queens resident Nancy Chacon, 32, also showed her best face on Instagram, using “either the Inkwell or Sutro filters, or the sepia tones, to hide blemishes.”
It worked — too well, she admits: “I decided I wanted people to see that person in person.”
So she got some laser treatments and broadband light photofacial therapy at Levine’s Manhattan clinic. It cost about $1,000, but her complexion is in the clear.
“So many people asked, ‘What are you doing to your face? You look so young!’ ” she says. “It was worth it.”
Huber also got Botox, for about $300, and injections of Juvederm, which runs about $1,000 per syringe. The result is smoother and fuller skin.
“I now have cheekbones,” she says. “It’s put a real skip in my step.”
These women aren’t alone: The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery says there’s been a 33% bump in procedures driven by self-awareness from social media since 2013.
Midtown plastic surgeon Dr. David Shafer has clients pleading for a “social-media makeover” every day.
“They whip out their cellphones and start flipping through their pictures, saying, ‘I want to look like this all the time,’ ” he says.
Doctors can respond with an arsenal of minimally invasive, lunch-break treatments for under $1,000. The changes are big, but friends and family often don’t know that any work was done.
“I only tell my closest, tightest girlfriends that I’m doing this. Everyone else thinks I just look really well-rested,” says Janet Ross, 47, from San Francisco, who relied on the Amaro filter to soften her selfies before Dr. Jonathan Kaplan used Belotero fillers to reduce the lines around her eyes and mouth.
“I don’t want to look like one of the ‘Real Housewives,’ ” she says. “I just want to look like myself, but better.”

INSTAGRAM 101

The boom in Instagram-fueled cosmetic surgery may sound shallow, but it’s a step in the right direction for an industry where too much work can leave clients looking grotesque.
“Clients are not trying to look like a whole different person anymore,” says Dr. Andrew Miller, who is based in Edison, N.J. “We always stress taking what you have naturally and making it better. Otherwise, people can look really weird, with lips that are too big, a jawline that’s unreal.”
As a first step, here are some ways to tweak your selfies before contemplating surgery:
Soft, warm Instagram filters such as Rise and Toaster deemphasize pores and imperfections by highlighting your skin.
Black-and-white filters are universally flattering. They eliminating red or ruddy complexions and automatically make ho-hum classy.
Blur imperfections with the softer Willow filter, or go bold with the high-contrast Inkwell.
The duck face works: Purse your lips and shoot down from a higher angle to highlight cheekbones, conceal double-chins and emphasize your eyes.
Before you snap the shutter, shake up your hair by doing a quick punk rock head-bang, or ruffle your fingers through it to give limp strands a quick boost.
 
This Article Brought to you Courtesy of Dr. Mark Bishara and The Paragon Plastic Surgery & Med Spa in Mansfield & Southlake, TX

 
 

Read our article in the latest issue of the Arlington Today Magazine February Feature Issue, Docs You Need to Know.  There is an article about our own Dr. Mark Bishara highlighted in the magazine.
www.MarkBisharaMD.com