Facial Surgery: Tops Cosmetic Procedures in 2012
According to CNN, For the first time in six years, the number of people enhancing their breasts and plumping their buttocks is declining. The number of people opting for lift, injections and laser for faces is growing.2012 saw a record number of people undergoing cosmetic procedures, with more than 14.6 million procedures performed in total, an increase of 5% over the year before. Breast augmentation remained the number one cosmetic surgery, a position it's held since the FDA ended the silicone gel implant moratorium in 2006. However, in 2012, the number of women undergoing this procedure declined 7% from the year before, with just over 286,000 breast enhancements performed. In 2012, the number of people undergoing injection of facial wrinkle-fillers such as Restylane and Juvederm increased 5% to nearly 2 million. The current buzzword in plastic surgery is "laser." Last year, nearly 2.2 million laser or IPL (Intense Pulse Light) treatments were performed, up 6%. Last year, face lifts were up 6%, eyelid lifts up 4% and cheek implants up 6%. Overall, this could be the beginning of an upcoming surge in facial anti-aging surgeries, as more and more people discover that the temporary benefits of injectables and minimally invasive procedures can hold off the years only so long.Facial Enhancement: Options Available

  • Facial Wrinkle FillersInjectable facial implants, also known as wrinkle fillers, dermal fillers or facial soft tissue fillers, are medical device implants approved for medical use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to fill in facial wrinkles in order to create a smoother appearance. The material used include: collagen, Hyaluronic acid, calcium hydroxylapatite, Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) and Polymethylmethacrylate beads (PMMA microspheres). The absorbable (temporary) injectable Wrinkle Fillers are FDA approved for the correction of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and skin folds, such as nasolabial folds. Nasolabial folds are the wrinkles on the sides of your mouth that extend towards the nose. They are commonly referred to as "smile lines" or "marionette lines." Intense Pulse LightThis therapy is based on high-intensity pulses of light that penetrate the skin. There are several different machines that emit different wavelengths of IPL to penetrate different distances into the skin. IPLs use flashlamps, computer-controlled power supplies, and bandpass filters to generate light pulses of prescribed duration, intensity, and spectral distribution. The light energy is converted to heat energy to treat skin conditions such as age spots, sun-damaged skin, cutaneous lesions (such as warts, scars, and striae), benign pigmented epidermal lesions (such as freckles and melasma), and vascular lesions (such as spider veins). It's also commonly used to reduce undesired hair growth.IPL can diminish or remove: Age spots Liver spots Fine lines and wrinkles Facial flushing Redness Broken capillaries Telangiectasias (purple or blue veins on the face, also called spider veins) Hemangiomas (red, purple, or blue birthmarks formed by blood vessels) Freckles Minor sun damage Port wine stains Tattoos Varicose veins Flat Birthmarks Hypopigmentation (pale spots) Unwanted hair Large pores
  • Face LiftWhen the face begins to "fall down", it's time for a face lift. In this classical procedure, the surgeon makes a cut starting from the hair-bearing area above the ear, continues downward (in front of the ear), turning round to go under the earlobe, and up again behind the ear to end in the delicate, hair-bearing area behind the ear. He then undermines the skin of the face and neck, lifts it from the under-surface, pulls and stretches it upward and back, and cuts away the excess. Liposuction may be done to remove any excess of underlying fat; and a couple of stitches are put into the deeper structures to tighten them. The platysma muscle in the neck is trimmed and tightened to provide firmer support for the surface skin. The trimmed skin is finally sutured in place. The scars are largely hidden in hair-bearing skin or behind the ear. The scar in front of the ear is successfully hidden by a suitable hairstyle in women: it is not so easily dealt with in men, though growing sideburns may help.Eyelid LiftEyelid surgery has recently become popular and helps improve the appearance of the upper eyelids, lower eyelids, or both. It gives a rejuvenated appearance to the surrounding area of your eyes, making you look more rested and alert. An eyelid lift is needed for those who have excessive eyelid drooping that interferes with vision.Cheek ImplantsCheek augmentation is a plastic surgery procedure to introduce silicone implants to help regain a plump, youthful look. Typically, an incision is made either below the lower lash line or on the inside of the mouth through which a cheek implant is inserted. To create a high cheekbone, the implant is inserted into the upper cheek. To help fill out or plump a sunken face, the implants are inserted into the mid-cheek region.These are few top facial surgeries women opted for 1n 2012. While the risks of plastic surgery do vary from one procedure to another, certain risks are common to all surgery, and some of the risks are grave. Only you can decide if it's worth it for you. Educate yourself.

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