Ask Our Surgeons
Northern Virginia Plastic Surgeons -Dr. George Weston, Dr. Robert Sigal and Dr. Byron Poindexter believe that collaboration is beneficial to both doctor and patient. Our cosmetic surgeons prefer to embrace the benefits of team decisions. This collaboration among Northern Virginia plastic surgeons gives patients access to the combined talents of the leading plastic surgeons in the United States and is just one more example of how dedicated our surgeons are to maximizing the safety and quality of services to their patients.
We are available to answer any questions you may have in regards to cosmetic plastic surgery.
Any information in the publications, messages, postings or articles on this website should not be considered a substitute for consultation with one of our board-certified plastic surgeons to address individual medical needs. Your particular facts and circumstances will determine the plastic surgery treatment which is most appropriate for you.
Though we ask for your full name on the form when you comment, we will NEVER publish your last name.
Popularity: 72% [?]
Comments (144)
Recent Comments » | Trackback URL
Hi,
I just had a baby 3 months ago and added about 40 pounds, I have lost about 15 of that and still losing. When is a good time to come in for consultation for a mommy makeover.
Thanks
Dr. George Weston Reply:
January 20th, 2012 at 4:51 pm
When you are within 10 lbs. of your ideal weight come in for a consultation. I bet we can make you look great!
Good afternoon – After a 100 pound weight loss (with about 40 still to go), I need a tummy tuck to get rid of the excess skin and fat….
What is the recovery time for such a procedure? Should I wait to do a surgery consult until I’ve completed the weight loss – would the extra weight loss make a difference?
Thanks in advance!
Dr. Byron Poindexter Reply:
January 18th, 2012 at 2:53 pm
Elizabeth.
Congratulations on the weight loss. In my opinion, the last 20 or so pounds don’t make a significant difference in the outcome. In patients like yourself, the weight of the extra skin and fat from the tummy tuck can be 10 pounds or more itself.
Most people need 2 to 3 weeks for recovery before going back to work, but this varies with individual healing and your work.
It is ok to have the consultation at any point. You may learn some other things you need to get done in preparation for the procedure so that when the time comes and you are ready, all is set to go.
Hope this helps.
Dr. P
I’ve been hearing a lot about lunchtime facelifts that promise to instantly take up to 10 years off one’s appearance in as little as 15 minutes with no incisions, stitches, general anesthesia, bruising or swelling, and no downtime.
I recently saw one, called the “Y-Lift”, performed live on the Dr. Oz Show. The procedure involved injections with a long needle and it seemed to plump up/define the patient’s face in the cheekbone and jaw and eye area. The doctor who performed the injections said that the patient could resume normal activities immediately and that the results could last up to 2 years. The price was around $8000.
Is this as good as a facelift? Does your practice offer this procedure?
Dr. George Weston Reply:
January 17th, 2012 at 2:52 pm
Thank you for your question! It has a multi-part answer. Firstly, a “lunchtime lift” by any name is not a true facelift. The procedure you saw demonstrated is simply injections of filler, probably Juvéderm™ (hyaluronic acid), in very large quantities. The result obtained is that of simple volume, not lifting, and can easily lead to a puffy, “overinjected” look that is increasingly common. With filler, more is not always better.
A true facelift addresses sagging skin and tissue at the level of the underlying musculature and structure of the face. And with a true facelift, the results are more dramatic and longer-lasting. With a facelift, as with any procedure, you will continue to age, but from a new, younger point. A facelift performed at any time might eventually require additional surgery to keep it useful in the future. Generally, however, what I see is when the patients come back ten years later after a facelift, they still look better than they did ten years before.
Juvéderm™ injections can be compared to the flame on top of the candle on the icing on the cake. It is a finishing touch that is most appropriately used in much smaller quantities than the procedure about which you are inquiring. We use it to restore volume or create definition in targeted areas like the nasolabial folds, under the eyes, the cheeks, the chin and jaw, in the lips, and other areas where a precise injection of filler can create symmetry and an appropriate amount of restored volume.
We often combine Juvéderm™ injections, or injections of the patient’s own fat, with Botox ® and with facial surgeries such as facelift, eyelift, browlift, necklift, lip lift, facial liposculpture, or around-the-mouth surgery.
Ultimately, a good rule is that minor procedures will have minor results. Skilled injections of Juvéderm™ and Botox ® can provide excellent results in addressing the first or minor signs or aging. These injectables can postpone a facelift, but cannot take the place of one. It’s also wise to note the cost of large filler injections, done repeatedly. A facelift may be more expensive, but it will cost less in the long run and give you better, lasting results.
It’s important to remember that any doctor can perform cosmetic procedures and call himself or herself a “cosmetic doctor.” At the Austin-Weston Center for Cosmetic Surgery, our doctors are board-certified plastic surgeons as well as members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. When choosing a doctor to perform your cosmetic surgery, make sure they are board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. The ABPS website has a surgeon search where you can begin to verify credentials at https://www.abplsurg.org/ModDefault.aspx?section=SurgeonSearch . Additionally, membership in the American Society of Plastic Surgeons can be verified at the ASPS website: http://www1.plasticsurgery.org/find_a_surgeon/ .
I hope this has been helpful to you. If you have more questions, or would like to learn more about your options for facial rejuvenation surgery, we invite you to call 703-893-6168 for your appointment for a free consultation with one of our board-certified plastic surgeons.
I am 41 years old and have just recently had a facelift. I had the very beginnings of jowls and definite marionette lines. Unfortunately the facelift did not address the marionette lines at all. I was considering having the marionette lines excised but was advised against it on RealSelf by every doctor who responded. The rest of my face looks pretty good. Not even any fine lines just marionette lines.
Are there other options to tighten the area around the mouth? The folds are dragging me down.
Thanks so much for your input.
Dr. Robert Sigal Reply:
January 17th, 2012 at 8:23 pm
Michelle -
Your best bet is to send me a couple of photos of yourself (smiling and in repose) so that I can see exactly what your options are.
Best regards,
Rob Sigal, MD
Can you perform facial surgeries in conjunction with liposuction on someone with Atrial Fibrillation safely? I do not have a severe case apparently and I am only on baby aspirin and Toprol XL.
Thank you
Dr. Byron Poindexter Reply:
January 18th, 2012 at 11:07 am
Thank you for your question! In itself, atrial fibrillation is not a contraindication to cosmetic surgery. We would assess your condition as a whole and in consultation with your cardiac physician. We invite you to come in for a complimentary consultation to further explore your surgical options. Please call us at 703-893-6168 to make your appointment and we will be happy to assist you.
I am 72 years old and had Juvederm under my eyes for the hollowness. Now there are grey blobs and swollen eyes instead. What do you suggest? Do i just need to get on with it and get a lower and/or upper eye lift instead?
Dr. Robert Sigal Reply:
January 16th, 2012 at 4:46 pm
I’d have you come in for a consult. We have the ability to “melt” the Juvederm with an enzyme. That will give a chance to see the eyes in their normal state. Appropriate plans can be made from there.
Dear Doctors, in 2000 I had breast augmentation in your center. I have saline implants under the muscle with the incision around the nipple. We are expecting our first baby in May, will I have any trouble breastfeeding?
Dr. George Weston Reply:
January 14th, 2012 at 12:05 pm
Breast augmentation rarely interferes with your ability to breast feed. The milk ducts are still connected to your nipples just as they were before your surgery.
Some women, however, cannot breast feed even though they have not had a breast augmentation. So the answer to your question is ” I don’t know ” but the odds are that you will have no problems. Good luck!