Syosset Plastic Surgery & Skin Care

Retinol

smclaughlinmd — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 21:20:07 +0000

Retin-A has been a long been known to help prevent wrinkles. Originally used for treating acne, patients started noticing an improvement in wrinkles. Retin-A is considered a drug and needs a prescription. A rekated product Retinol is converted to Retinoic acid when placed on the skin. Retinol is an over the counter product. How much Retinol is in a particular product as well as how it is packaged is extremely important. Retinol breaks down easily when exposed to oxygen and sunlight. The bottle should not light light through and it should have a small pump to help protect product stability.

During the development of my skin care line I tried several products that I found on line. Part of marketing a product is knowing your competition. I was amazed how many products stated they has Retinol in them(and may be they did) but they were not packaged correctly. When I used these cheaper products there was no irritation of my skin which is impossible. I always get a little red when I use too much of a retinol product. So either there was minimal amounts of Retinol(although they advertised having a high percentage or the retinol was deactivated because of poor packaging.

The flip side are the very expensive anti-aging products. i have seen one skin care cream selling for $250, who buys this stuff. Obviously people with money but not very educated in retinol products. That is a huge markup and although I have sampled these products I do not find them anymore effective(less effective then some of the physician skin care lines that are out there).

Save yourself money and know your retinol products.

Vaginoplasty

smclaughlinmd — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:56:40 +0000

Some women are concerned about the appearance of their genital area. Some simple techniques can be performed to help alter the shape of the vagina. These topics will be broken down by area.

Clitorial hooding-removing a wedge of tissue around the clitoris will help alleviate clitorial hooding.

Labia Majora Reduction-Women complain that the labia majoria is too bulky. The Labia majora can be reduced by excising an elliptical section on each side. The tissue will come together and the scar usually lies in a well hidden area. Liposuctioning the outer perimeter will also help reduce the bulk in this area.

Expect some swelling in the area after the procedure. I ask my patients to refrain from tight clothing and the gym for three weeks after the procedure. This procedure has a high satisfaction rate as patients are typically pleased with their results.

Labia Minora Reduction. Women typically complain that the labia minora hangs lower then the labia majora which is visible can be a souce of embarrassment. The labia minora is reduced by wedging out tissue and closing the area. These scars heal well and are usually not visible.

Botox and Dysport

smclaughlinmd — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:36:32 +0000

Botox and Dysport have been found to be quick and effective treatments for some facial wrinkles. Both are injectable agents that cause weakening of the facial muscles that would normally contract. When facial muscles contract they can cause wrinkling of the forehead, frown lines and crows feet. Botox has been FDA approved since 2002 and is a common procedure with over 11 million procedures being performed. Dysport is newer to the market but appears to be equally effective.

Prior to your procedure you should avoid aspirin and anti-inflammatories to help prevent bruising after the injections. The procedure takes just a few minutes and uses a fine needle to inject the agents into the muscles. Some doctors will offer ice or a numbing cream to help numb the area ahead of time. It will take 3-7 days to see the effect of the injectable agents. Muscle contraction will gradually return in 3 to 6 months.

If you ae interested in Botox or Dysport injections make a consult with a doctor that performs these procedures. During your consult your medical problems and an examination will be performed to see if you are a good candidate.

Having youthful hands

smclaughlinmd — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:05:37 +0000

Patients often are bothered by a hands appearance. If there is wrinkling, age spots and prominent veins on the hands, some patients will request a hand rejuvenation procedure.

Drinking plenty of water, avoiding sun exposure and moisturizing the hands can really help. Avoiding harsh chemicals when cleaning by wearing gloves can help as well. Once the damage is done the hands appearance can be improved by several methods.
For age spots on the hands a bleaching hand cream can be used. Popular ingredients would include kojic acid as well as hydroqinone. These products can be purchased over the counter in a 2% form or with a prescription at a strength of 4%. An exfoliating cream can be used first to allow deeper penetration of the skin cream. These products normally take at least 3 months to see the difference.
Peels or lasers can be used to remove age spots with faster results. The age spots will lighten as the skin is exfoliated. These methods are stronger therefore the results are seen quicker.
As we age the dermis layer thins and fat atrophy occurs which results in a deflated look with wrinkles. To help restore volume or camouflage prominent veins fillers can be injected into the back of the hand. Filling the hollow areas will give a more youthful look to the hand. The filler can also help hide those veins. This can be done in one setting and takes about 15 minutes.
The overall result will be a more youthful hand without hollowness and less age spots.

“How a rhinoplasty can change the shape of your nose”

smclaughlinmd — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:45:35 +0000

I have patients that present to be because they feel that their nose is too big, crooked or hanging. A rhinoplasty can help with these problems. Usually the nose is broken down to three levels. The upper nose, also known as the nasal bridge is made up of bone. Work is done at this level if there is a bump or if the nose is too wide. The bump can be removed and the nose can be made thinner by doing osteotomies(changing the bone position). If the bump is large then usually the nasal bones will need to be reset because a space may develop in between the two bones as the bump is removed.

The middle of the nose is made up of cartilage, it is referred to as the upper lateral cartilages. Cartilage will have to be removed if there is a bump in this section of the nose. If the nose is crooked then the cartilage can be made straight or extra cartilage can be placed to help camouflage the crookedness of the nose. A good history and internal examination will reveal if there are any obstructions in the nasal passages. These obstructions can be fixed at the same time as the rhinoplasty.

The lower portion of the nose, the nasal tip, is also referred to as the lower lateral cartilages is made up of cartilage. The tip can be made smaller by removing cartilage and suturing the tip so that is is narrower. If the nasal base is wide then it can be thinned by making the nostrils smaller, skin is removed between the lip and nose. The scars usually look good providing they are placed in the right spot. The nasal tip can also be built up if need be, with cartilage, if it does not have enough projection.

Most rhinoplasties will take an hour or so. Generally patients do not complain of pain, more discomfort from the nasal congestion then anything else. Most patients will wear a splint on their nose for one week after the surgery to help protect the nasal bones.

Sharon T McLaughlin is a board certified plastic surgeon who has been in practice for 10 years in Long Island, New York. You can learn more about her practice at www.syossetplasticsurgery.com

What a Tummy Tuck can do for you.

smclaughlinmd — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:52:51 +0000

Women often come to me for a consult and ask “What can you do about my stomach”. In short it depends on what the patient looks like.
I recommend this procedure for women who have excess lower abdominal tissue typically seen after child birth. I do recommend that these woman are done having children. There is no sense in having elective surgery if you are planning on having more children as the results will change post pregnancy. The patient should be in good health and at their optimal body weight. If you are planning to lose weight you should hold off on any elective cosmetic surgery. As you lose weight the skin may not contract as you would like it and this will leave you with lose or “flabby” skin.
The procedure takes about 2 hours. A horizontal incision is made across the lower abdomen, just above the pubic hair. The incision may be hip to hip depending on how much skin needs to be removed. I then dissect down through the fat to the anterior abdominal fascia. Dissection continues at this level up to the umbilicus otherwise known as the belly button. At this time I cut around the belly button preserving it so that I can continue the dissection up to the xiphoid in the middle and the rib cages on either side. By mobilizing this tissue I am able to pull the excess tissue down as far as it will go. After the dissection is complete I will then assess the anterior abdominal wall muscle. Most muscle will be separated in patients who have been heavy at one time or who have had children. I will then put multiple sutures to bring the two recti muscles closer. This maneuver will give a flatter appearance to the abdomen. The patient is then sat up to ensure that I will be cutting away as much tissue as possible. The excess skin is then removed and the wounds are closed. A new incision will have to be made to allow the belly button to pop through the skin that was mobilized downward. I try to make this incision in a v shape as this will allow superior hooding of the skin and give a more natural appearance to the new belly button. It is also important to try to get the scar round the new belly button to be hidden inside as any outside scars will be more evident.
I usually place drains to allow the extra fluid under the skin to be discarded. The drains are removed after a week or so. I will ask the patient to measure he drainage and when it is below 30cc/24 hours I will then remove it. I will place the patient in a loose binder to help avoid tape on the skin. It is imperative that the binder not be too tight. If a binder is too tight it can decrease blood supply to the wounds and cause delayed wound healing. Other factors that affect wound healing include smoking and diabetes. I ask the patients to refrain from working out for 6 weeks after the surgery as this will increase chance of fluid under the skin flap called a seroma. If a seroma does occur small needles are inserted to aspirate them and remove them which is usually done in the office. Normally this is not painful as he skin will be numb from the surgery performed in that area.
Patients are pleased wit their results as the extra tissue and stretch marks are removed from the lower abdomen giving a flatter and more toned look.
Sharon T McLaughlin MD is a board certofoed plastic surgeon in Syosset, NY. You can learn more about her practice at www.syossetplasticsurgery.com

“Options for Brow Lift”

smclaughlinmd — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:27:42 +0000

When patents come to me for a blepharoplasty they will typically complain of heaviness of their upper eyelids. I need to evaluate the cause of this upper eyelid hooding. It may be caused by extra skin of the upper eyelid or a drooping eyebrow both of which occurs during the aging process. More times then not it is caused by a combination of the two.

Make up can help camouflague the lowering eyebrow. Simple penciling the upper eyebrow and and reshaping it can give the illusion of an open eye.

For patients that have mild hooding of the upper eyebrow, Botox can help lift the outer(lateral) eyebrow. By injectiong the muscle below the outer eyebrow the muscle is weakened which leads to more pulling of the eyebrow in an upward direction. This will reshape the eyebrow.

For moderate to severe eyebrow drooping a brow lift is offered. An incision can be placed at the hairline or just in back of it. The eyebrow is then repositioned. After the eyebrow is repositioned the amount of extra skin in the upper eyelid is then evaluated. Any excess can then be removed.

Sharon T Mclaughlin MD FACS is a board certified plastic surgeon in Syosset, New York. You can learn more about her practice ar www.syossetplasticsurgery.com

Sharon T Mclaughlin MD-Is there a wrinkle cream out there worth $100.

smclaughlinmd — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 12:55:36 +0000

As a plastic surgeon I have had the luxury of trying many skin care lines. I must say anything that is free is very nice, right? I would come in to start office hours and there would be a bottle here or there left from a rep wanting me to sample their product. Sometimes I have even had a 4-5 piece kit left. Cleansers, moisturizers, miracle wrinkle creams, you name it. My staff and some of my family members have enjoyed the freebies as well.
What can I say. With so many products on the market it was difficult to say which one is the best. The asking price of some of these creams are crazy as well. My patients would ask me which one is the best?
As a doctor with a medical license I am able to order a mixture of different creams from a compound pharmacy and know that the mark up on some of these products is huge to say the least. To this day I think it is insane to spend $100 on any face cream, no cream is worth it. I have spent some time researching and sampling the creams. I do not anyone that knows skin care products that will argue that the Retin-A products are a gold standard and even they do not cost $100.
Retin-A is classified as a drug by the FDA and therefore needs a prescription. It can definitely be a hassle getting the prescription as well as refills. It is expensive(less then $100) but it does work. Some of the other vitamin A products can be applied to the skin and are converted to Retinoic Acid. The newer products allow better penetration of the skin and higher conversion rates.

Keep posted, more to come.

Thanks for visiting- Sharon T McLaughlin MD FACS

You can learn more about my practice at www.syossetplasticsurgery.com

Micro Dermabrasion

smclaughlinmd — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:38:59 +0000

Microdermabrasion is a simple non-invasive procedure that revitalizes large pores, smooths skin as well as reduces mild pigment irregularities and age spots. Microdermabrasion will mechanically exfoliate the the uppermost layer of dead skin cells from the face, chest and hands by using gentle crystals which loosen the uppermost layer of skin cells. For the best results it is recommended you get a series of treatments and use it in conjunction with anti-aging skin care products. Microdermabrasion makes it easy for high-tech skin care products to actually penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin and help build collagen, which gives skin its youthful appearance. Sharon Mclaughlin is a board certified plastic surgeon whose office is located in Syosset, New York. You can learn more about her practice at www.syossetplasticsurgery.com

Photo Rejuvenate Your Skin

smclaughlinmd — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:02:03 +0000

IPL or intense pulsed light treatment is effective for improving broken blood vessels and diffuse brown spots especially on the face and neck. This technique improves the appearance of sun damaged skin, removes age spots (which are sun induced freckles), most benign brown pigments and redness caused by broken capillaries through a process called photojuvenation. IPL has also ben shown to increase collagen growth. These gentle non-ablative treatments use broad spectrum light to treat the face, chest, neck and hands. Virtually anywhere on the body that sun damage is visible. IPL works by using a broad spectrum light which is transmitted through a small hand piece that is gently placed over the skin. Afterwards we recommend a sun block to help protect the skin. There is minimal downtime as flaking may occur as the brown spots fade. The results are healthier skin.