According to the statistics made public by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the plastic surgery procedure which increased the most in popularity by percentage from 2010 to 2011 was chin augmentation. There was a 71% increase in the number of chin enlargements performed as compared to a 4% increase in breast augmentations, 5% increase in facelifts, 1% increase in liposuction and a 3% decrease in rhinoplasties (cosmetic nasal surgery).

Though this percentage increase is quite substantial, it is a result of the fact that chin augmentations are not performed in large numbers as compared to many other plastic surgery procedures. To put this is into proper perspective, breast augmentations are greater than 20 times more commonly done than chin augmentations … and that it the way it should be! After all, what adds more obvious beauty, confidence and happiness to the world as experienced by women and men – larger, firm, voluptuous and attractive breasts or a normal appearing, nondescript chin?

Duh!

What do the “experts” think is the impetus for this sudden and substantial increase in the number of chin implant procedures being performed?

The sentiment is that this is the direct result of the greater usage of video chats with people seeing their aging facial images or weak chins on their computers along with intense competition for limited jobs and an aging baby boomer population in general. A chin implant can help provide for a stronger more balanced face which does convey to others a sense of strength, authority and confidence which is particularly important in the business world. It can also help to rejuvenate an aging face both by reversing some of the natural atrophy of the chin that occurs over time as well as effacing some early jowling.

Whether this will become a trend or not, time will obviously tell. However, this is a relatively simple and “minor” procedure that can have an outsized impact.

For more information on chin enlargement or for any other plastic surgery procedure or to schedule a consultation with me, please call my office at 480-451-3000.

Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona

Why is that?

Because you have had one or more children – and they have DESTROYED your body!

Yup! Ironically, in the scheme of things, those were your golden years of beauty. Now you are older, more tired and believe that negative adjectives like flabby, droopy, deflated, broad and fat well describe your appearance. You feel frustrated and even more self-conscious and less attractive now. It may seem almost hopeless but…

You do have options to help correct the devastation that pregnancies have wreaked on your body. In fact, you may even end up looking better in many ways than you did prior to becoming pregnant – and feeling better about yourself as well.

How is that possible?

A mommy makeover.

As explained in the Mommy Makeover section, the most common procedures performed to deal with the physical changes following pregnancy include cosmetic breast surgery such as a breast augmentation with or without a breast lift or even a breast reduction – combined with an abdominal procedure such as a full tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) or mini tummy tuck. Liposuction and other procedures can also be performed concurrently.

The results from mommy makeovers can be overwhelmingly positive and immensely rewarding. They can help a woman regain confidence, self-esteem, and feel happier as well as attractive and sexy again. A patient of mine who underwent a mommy makeover, shares her positive sentiments in the following video:

For more information on a mommy makeover or any other plastic surgery procedure that I perform or to schedule a consultation with me, please call my office at 480-451-3000.

Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona

Though cosmetic surgery procedures have been considered mainstream for years and have achieved a high level of popularity in this country, some are still of the opinion that in many ways, these procedures are somewhat frivolous or superficial in nature. A study just published in the April 2012 edition of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery provides new insight of the effects of two common cosmetic procedures, liposuction and tummy tucks, on the psyche of patients and the effects on the quality of life. It seems that beauty is more than skin deep.

This clinical study assessed the quality of life and other consequences in a total of 360 patients, 85% of which were women, who underwent liposuction and/or an abdominoplasty. Of these, 60 percent had liposuction alone, 35 percent a combination of liposuction and abdominoplasty and the remainder, a tummy tuck solely. Thirty percent of these patients also had other procedures performed concurrently such as breast augmentation and eyelid surgery.

The findings of this research revealed a remarkably high level of satisfaction with these procedures and their positive impact on self-esteem and quality of life. Of those who underwent liposuction alone, 93.5% of patients would do it all over again if faced with the same decision; 97.3% would recommend liposuction to others. For those patients who underwent an abdominoplasty alone or with liposuction (lipoabdominoplasty), these numbers were even higher – at 97.1% and 99.3%, respectively.

In the patients who just had liposuction, 82.6% stated that they had an increase of self-esteem. For those individuals who had a tummy tuck as well as liposuction, this number was an astounding 91.4%, with 76.4% noting an increase in the quality of their life. Furthermore, 91% stated that they were now motivated to stay in good shape with almost 62% actually reporting weight loss after their surgery.

There are a lot of numbers here but they clearly reveal the overwhelmingly positive impact that liposuction and tummy tucks have on not only physical beauty but also on mental well-being and quality of life. Taking this one step further, the study further undermines the misguided notion that cosmetic surgery is a frivolous endeavor or desire of superficial people.

For more information on tummy tucks, liposuction or for any other plastic surgery procedure that I perform, please call my office at 480-451-3000.

Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona

Botox® Cosmetic, the rejuvenating and anti-wrinkle wonder, is celebrating its 10th year anniversary this month. Back in April of 2002, it was approved by the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) for the cosmetic treatment of frown lines between the brows. Its clinical usage, however, dates back to the 1980s when it was employed for the treatment of opthalmological (eye) problems. Over the ensuing years, Botox® has been found to be effective in the treatment of a multitude of medical issues such as chronic migraine headaches, excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis), and muscle spasm disorders such as of the neck, bladder, vocal cords, anus and even vagina.

There now may be yet another therapeutic benefit of Botox®: the treatment of depression. The potential beneficial relationship between the usage of Botox® and the improvement of clinical depression has been noted for years including by several small studies and anecdotal reports. A scientifically sound pilot study recently performed at the Hannover Medical School in Hannover, Germany with the results recently presented at the 20th European Congress of Psychiatry, provides far more substantive evidence to support this relationship. Importantly, it was not supported by any of the manufacturers of the botulinum toxin.

This study was conducted as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (jargon for the study being conducted using scientific principles that would minimize bias in the results) using injections of either onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox®) or placebo into the appropriate muscles between the brows that are associated with the frown lines (the procerus and corrugator muscles in the glabellar region of the forehead) in 30 female and male patients with chronic major depression. These individuals were already being treated with antidepressant medication. Assessment was quantified using a standardized depression rating scale.

What were the findings?

The study investigators discovered that just one Botox session resulted in not only the diminishing of the frown lines (as expected) but also in a strong and persisting improvement in the depression of these patients who had not responded adequately to previous treatments. At 6 weeks, the Botox® treated group experienced a 50% improvement in their scores compared to only 9% in the placebo group. Under the category of a full response, 60% of the Botox® patients experienced this versus only 13% in the placebo group. Even more amazing, 33% of the Botox® treated patients experienced complete remission.

A few theories have been advanced to explain this phenomenon including positive feedback from friends, family and others who might have told patients that they didn’t look so angry anymore (due to diminished or suppressed frowning and wrinkling). The person can also note this when he or she looks in the mirror and doesn’t always appear to be so angry or even old anymore.

There study provides additional evidence in support of the old adage that “if you look better, you will feel better”!

If you would like more information on Botox® or other anti-aging treatments such as Juvederm®, Restylane® or Radiesse® or to schedule a complimentary consultation with me, please call my office at 480-451-3000.

Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona

The following patient of mine, a 52 year old woman, is a typical example of what can be obtained using the Ultrapulsed CO2 laser for full face skin rejuvenation. No other procedures were performed on her.

Before CO2 laser skin resurfacing

Two months after CO2 laser

Before CO2 laser

Two months after CO2 laser

Before CO2 laser

Two months after CO2 laser

“Full” healing of the skin occurred in less than one week with some pink coloration present at one month. The postoperative photos were taken at less than two months after the procedure and without any cover-up makeup on.

This dramatic outcome is essentially impossible to equal with any other approach available today. Of course, it is not just the CO2 laser itself but also the extensive experience of the plastic surgeon that plays a crucial role in being able to obtain such a significant yet natural appearing result without complications.

If you would like more information on CO2 laser facial skin rejuvenation or for any other plastic surgery procedure that I perform or to schedule a free consultation, please call my office at 480-451-3000.

Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona

Here at the Arizona Center for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, I see a tremendous number of patients who are seeking improvements in the appearance of their face though the usage of dermal fillers such as Juvederm® and Restylane® rather than with surgery such as facelifts or even fat injections (lipofilling). Notable, there has been a quite significant increase in demand for these products over the last several years which can be, in large part, attributed to the recession and overall poor economy. Though these may not be the ideal or even first line solutions for signs of facial aging, they are at least far more affordable and do provide for facial rejuvenation. They are often combined with the usage of Botox®.

Who are these people seeking improvements though dermal fillers?

They are largely women and range in age from the twenties up to the seventies. Their frequent concerns include addressing wrinkles, creases, folds, lines, scars, areas of deficient volume and volume asymmetries. Most of these are expected consequences of the aging process. Of course, a very popular reason for their usage is to augment lips that are either congenitally small or smaller than desired or have atrophied over time age.

Dermal fillers can be injected to soften, make less conspicuous or even ablate creases, folds and lines essentially anywhere on the face. The most common areas that they are used for are around the mouth (nasolabial folds and marionette lines), the jowls and contour depressions below the eyelids. They can also serve to add volume to areas that are deficient in volume for a multitude of reasons. Common locations include the cheeks, cheek bone area and chin but can also include the brows and even jaw line and nose.

I do offer my patients several dermal filler options for the treatment of these issues. They include Juvederm® Ultra XC and Juvederm® Ultra Plus XC, Restylane®, Perlane® and Radiesse®. Which one or ones are recommended for a particular patient would depend on a variety of factors and would be discussed at the time of consultation (as would risks, expectations, etc.). For lip enlargement, the choices are either Juvederm® (Ultra or Ultra Plus XC) or Restylane®.

Though dermal fillers like Juvederm® and Restylane® are not intended as replacements for plastic surgery procedures of the face (though they can be used as adjuncts to these procedures), they offer cost effective solutions for facial rejuvenation and do so without the discomfort of surgery and with minimal if any down time. So now you can afford to look even better!

If you would like more information on the dermal fillers Juvederm®, Restylane® or Radiesse® or for any plastic surgery procedure that I perform, please call my office at 480-451-3000. You can also schedule your complimentary consultation with me at that time as well.

Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona

As a plastic surgeon, I often take for granted the amazing things that can be accomplished since I have done most all of it over the years. Patients are so appreciative and not infrequently astonished at the results that can and are obtained. Of course, there are a few who insist that a plastic surgeon should be able to perform cosmetic surgery without leaving a scar whatsoever.

I guess that I must have slept through the “Being a Magician” lectures.

Unfortunately, outcomes are not just dependent on the expertise and skills of the plastic surgeon. The patient, with all their unique combinations of variables and factors, significantly impact the results. A plastic surgeon can perform the most technically and artistically amazing procedure but if the patient has very poor skin tone, smokes, is obese, very old or is not very compliant with instructions, the results will be less than ideal. Let me give you two examples.

Take a plain and ordinary person who literally blends in with the background – you won’t really notice them in a crowd. Give them various supplements. Perform incredibly intricate plastic surgery procedures with painstaking meticulousness and a divinely gifted aesthetic eye and the results can be, well heavenly! See below.

An absolutely stunning outcome!

I’m sure that there are countless women who would give almost anything to look like her. And men – well, they won’t be able to stop themselves from staring and hoping… She is strikingly beautiful with long graceful legs, great curves and ideal proportions and natural appearing breasts that do not scream breast augmentation.

But wait! There is more to the story.

This alluring, voluptuous beauty was born … a male!

Which makes the outcome light years more amazing than it already is!

Conversely, even when the most creative and advanced techniques are used by eminently talented plastic surgeons, inherent and significant negative issues associated with particular patients can severely impact and “limit” the outcome.

Transformation: Chastity to Chaz

The most well known example: Chaz Bono.

But then again, if the final result makes that person happy, so be it!

For more information on breast augmentation or any other plastic surgery procedure or to schedule a consultation with me, please call my office at 480-451-3000.

Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona

We know that back in 1320 B.C., for example, the Egyptian pharaoh King Tutankhamen (also a teenager!) had stretched earlobes.

King Tutankhamen and stretched earlobes

So did Ötzi the Iceman, Europe’s oldest natural mummy, and a man who lived about 5,300 years ago. Even Buddha from around the 6th century B.C. sported stretched earlobes.

Buddha and stretched earlobes

Back then, there weren’t prohibitions against gauged earlobes as a condition of employment by local merchants, farmers or the armies. Then again, maybe that is why Buddha roamed the countryside for many years – not necessarily to impart his wisdom but instead to find gainful employment with someone who would overlook his stretched earlobes.

In our American culture, unless you work in a Starbucks, second hand clothing store, marijuana dispensary, are a paid OWS (Occupy Wall Street) “volunteer” or the like, it may be quite difficult to obtain a respectable and well paying job if you have gauged earlobes or the consequences of their past existence. That may or may not change in the future, but at present, that is the reality. If you are seeking to enlist in the military and have this deformity, you must either seek surgical treatment to close the defects and reconstruct the earlobes – or don’t bother applying.

I see a tremendous number of people with gauged earlobes in my practice who are seeking to reverse their previous “statements of individuality”. Many are pursuing surgical correction because they are seeking better employment opportunities, want to enlist in the military, or would like to apply to decent colleges and universities. Others have finally grown up or have children and want to be seen as more respectable role models.

To meet this relatively recent and burgeoning need, I have developed a variety of precise reconstructive plastic surgery techniques that allow me to recreate attractive and relatively normal appearing earlobes. This can all be accomplished in my office using local anesthesia with essentially no down time. Discomfort afterwards for most of my patients is minimal to mild. Sutures are typically removed at around one week.

If you would like to obtain more information on the treatment of gauged and stretched earlobes or on any other plastic surgery procedure that I perform or to schedule a complimentary consultation with me, please call my office at 480-451-3000.

Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona

Plastic surgery to correct enlarged labia minor, known as a labiaplasty or labioplasty, has been rapidly increasing in popularity over the last several years. In Labiaplasty (Labia Minora Reduction): Why? , I noted that women seek this procedure for not just aesthetic reasons but also functional ones. In fact, contrary to popular public opinion and perception, it appears that functional reasons are the predominant motivation for women to pursue this procedure which is also supported by two large studies on the subject revealing the percentages to be 85% and 63%, respectively.

What are the most common reasons that women seek labiaplasty?

It is clear that the aesthetic issue involves the dissatisfaction with the appearance of enlarged labia minora that protrude noticeably beyond the borders of the labia majora. Many women regard this as a significant deformity which can substantially and adversely affect their self-esteem and lead to diminished sexual desire or even avoidance of sexual intercourse.

The functional problems include pain, irritation, chafing, stretching, compression and dermatitis that can be related to or exacerbated by a wide array of physical activities such as running, jogging, bicycling, horseback riding, and dancing. Many women also have significant pain while having sex and can experience irritation of their labia minora for days afterward. Tight fitting clothes are not only associated with many of these issues but also can embarrassingly reveal the underlying anatomic labia minora enlargement.

Is a labiaplasty an effective procedure and are women satisfied with the results?

Assessment of the results from a variety of medical studies on labiaplasty revealed an extraordinarily high satisfaction rate in women who have had this surgery. In fact, in excess of 95% of women were quite satisfied with the outcome of their labiaplasty procedure. This rate was also independent of the particular surgical technique employed as well as whether the primary motivating factor for those seeking the procedure was aesthetic or functional. Given the choice, most women would do it again if given the option.

Clearly, this is quite an effective procedure!

For more information regarding the labiaplasty (labioplasty) procedure or for any other plastic surgery procedure that I perform, or to schedule a complimentary consultation with me, you can call my office at 480-451-3000.

Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona

Though it may seem like it has been around forever given its widespread popularity and publicity including media exposure, BOTOX® Cosmetic (produced by Allergan, Inc.) is celebrating its 10th year anniversary of FDA approval for the treatment moderate to severe frown lines between the brows. In 2002, it was the first product to receive such an approval and it remains the standard by which all other competing products are measured. (The medical usage of BOTOX® goes all the way back to 1989 when it received FDA approval for its usage in the treatment of blepharospasm, an abnormal condition involving the eyelid.)

Ten years later, it remains the overwhelming market leader as well as the therapeutic standard for the treatment of facial wrinkles. I surely can strongly attest to this through my brief but disappointing experiences evaluating the competing wrinkle treatment alternatives, Dysport™  and Xeomin®.

As a celebration marking this 10 year milestone anniversary, the company producing BOTOX® Cosmetic has made available a limited time rebate on it which I can offer you and which can add up to a total of $200 in savings (if you undergo 3 treatments). In order to be eligible for this rebate, you must have your first treatment with Botox®Cosmetic before April 30, 2012. There is additional information on the limitations and restrictions to this offer at the product website.

For more information on Botox® Cosmetic treatments or on any other plastic surgery procedure that I perform or to schedule a consultation with me, please call my office at 480-451-3000.

Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona