As the face ages, skin and tissue begin to lose their elasticity and start to sag, causing wrinkles and folds.  This can be particularly noticeable around the eyes, where sagging skin can make eyelids appear heavy and the eyes small, creating the appearance of boredom, disinterest, or general fatigue.  In some cases, the drooping eyelids can even impair vision by obstructing part of the visual field.  These concerns can be addressed with blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery, which can improve the appearance of the eyes by creating a more aesthetically pleasing natural contour, or correct many functional issues that might arise.

Blepharoplasty trims the loose, sagging skin which creates folds and removes excess fatty deposits that can appear as puffiness in the eyelids or bags under the eyes.  Depending on each patient’s specific aesthetic goals, eyelid surgery can be performed on the upper and lower lids, either individually or in combination for maximum rejuvenation.  Additionally, many of the upper eyelid procedures that I perform can be done in my office in about an hour.  Eyelid surgery is considered a cosmetic facial procedure that can accomplish more than just subtle facial rejuvenation.  In fact, many younger patients are seeking out the procedure as well.

Statistics compiled by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) reveal that eyelid surgery has been steadily growing in popularity among patients under thirty for the past five years.  These patients have, presumably, experienced little of the sagging and loss of skin laxity that accompanies aging, but are still interested in the benefits that blepharoplasty can provide.  Some have speculated that this steady growth is, in part, the result of the rising popularity of blepharoplasty among younger patients of Asian descent who desire wider, more alert looking eyes that still maintain the subtle crease, downward-angled epicanthic fold, and flared outer edge that has been considered aesthetically pleasing.  Whether or not this is the case, it definitely seems clear that blepharoplasty can have wide ranging cosmetic results that go beyond merely minimizing the effects of aging.

If you’re interested in any of the cosmetic procedures that I perform in Atlanta and Alpharetta, please contact us today to schedule a consultation.  I also provide a variety of options for financing, including Care Credit®, in order to assist you.  Don’t forget to connect with me, Dr. Hunter Moyer, on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for the latest plastic surgery news.

Over the course of a person’s life, there are many things that can cause the body to shift and change, however few can cause changes that are as wide-spread as those caused by pregnancy and childbirth.  The rapid gain and loss of weight can tax the skin’s elasticity to its limits, leaving areas of stretched and sagging skin in the breasts, abdomen, and even in the arms and thighs.  Many women would love to have their body look the way it did before their pregnancy, and acknowledge that it may require more help than just diet and exercise can provide.  Phillip Haek, MD, the president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, noted that “in the past we saw a lot of women in their 50s getting these types of procedures, but today we are seeing young mothers in their 30s coming in for procedures such as tummy tucks and breast lifts.  They don’t want to wait years to reestablish how they used to look.  They want their pre-baby bodies back now.”  That may explain why the mommy makeover is becoming increasingly popular.

Mommy makeover is actually a combination of procedures performed to restore a woman’s body to its pre-pregnancy state.  Typically, it includes one or more body contouring procedures, such as liposuction, tummy tuck, thigh lift, or even arm lift, as well as breast procedures including augmentation, lift, or reduction.  While liposuction is frequently used to remove small areas of localized fat deposits, it can do nothing for the stretched and sagging skin that significant weight loss frequently leaves behind.  Both arm lifts and thigh lifts remove excess skin and tighten the tissue that remains, leaving their specific target areas with smoother, shapelier contours.  More significantly, a tummy tuck not only removes excess skin, but can also tighten the muscles of the abdominal wall.

Many women experience significant stretching and sagging of the breasts due to breast feeding and often opt to restore their youthful figures after pregnancy with a breast lift.  This procedure, also known as mastopexy, raises the breasts by removing excess skin and tightening the surrounding tissue to reshape and support the new breast contour.  A breast lift can be combined with a breast reduction, for those women whose breasts have grown beyond a comfortable size.  For women who wish to retain the fullness of the upper breasts, I frequently use an auto-augmentation technique where the lower breast tissue is moved from underneath the breast and sutured higher up on the chest rather than thrown away.  This allows the breasts to be lifted without losing their volume.

If you’re interested in cosmetic or reconstructive procedures that I perform, please contact us today to schedule a consultation.  Additionally, Atlanta Plastic Surgery, P.C. provides a variety of options for financing, including Care Credit®, to assist you.  Don’t forget to connect with me, Dr. Hunter Moyer, on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for the latest plastic surgery news.

Sitting at the center of the face, the nose can have a dramatic effect on the overall balance and symmetry of the facial features, an effect that has not gone unnoticed by an appearance-conscious younger generation.  High-tech trends like web chatting or the “selfie” craze have drawn a great deal of attention to the face in general and the nose in particular.  In 2013, according to statistics published by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the most popular surgical cosmetic procedure performed on patients under the age of thirty was nose reshaping, or rhinoplasty, surpassing even breast augmentation among this age group.

The flexible cartilage that makes up the majority of the nose can frequently be shaped and sculpted to achieve a number of specific cosmetic effects.  The size of the base can be reduced, and the nostrils and tip can be reshaped to be more symmetrical or proportionate with other facial features.  The bridge can also be shortened, straightened, or even augmented with additional cartilage or an artificial graft.  Altering a nose that may appear bulbous, upturned, or hooked can significantly improve the appearance of the face as a whole.

Because the nose is such a delicate and intricate organ, it requires a great deal of skill and experience to successfully mold and shape it cosmetically while preserving its ability to perform its necessary function.  In the past, many surgeons avoided performing rhinoplasty, and other plastic surgery procedures, on younger patients whose features had not fully formed.  While the possibility of the facial features changing over time does present certain challenges, advanced surgical techniques and a greater understanding of facial anatomy have made performing rhinoplasty among patients in their teens and twenties a more reasonable proposition.

Nose reshaping may be one of the top plastic surgery procedures because it can be performed for both cosmetic and functional reasons.  A deviated septum is just one of the many possible structural anomalies that can occur in the nose and contribute to increased congestion and breathing difficulties.  Nose reshaping procedures can also remove a part of the nasal structure that has become a breathing obstruction or correct an internal or external valve collapse resulting from facial trauma.  In all of these cases, the reconstructive procedure can be performed in conjunction with cosmetic alterations, improving the function of the nose while simultaneously improving its aesthetic appearance for ideal rhinoplasty results.

If you’re interested in a breast procedure that I offer, please contact us today to schedule a consultation. Additionally, some plastic surgery procedures can be covered by insurance and we provide a variety of options for financing, including Care Credit®, in order to assist you.  Don’t forget to connect with me, Dr. Hunter Moyer, on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for the latest plastic surgery news.

Women today are opting for more subtle, natural looking options in all forms of cosmetic surgery, particularly when it comes to breast augmentation.  In the past, large, round breast implants were common, but today, modestly-sized, shaped implants, which have more projection at the bottom and are tapered towards the top, have become increasing popular.  While round implants have a tendency to make the breast appear fuller and can achieve more projection and cleavage, in some cases they can appear less natural and more artificial, particularly when sized too large to comfortably fit the patient’s frame.  Shaped breast implants mimic the natural form and contour of the female breast, achieving results that are often indistinguishable from the real thing.  Round implants are also easier to insert, since they are the same shape all over and so resist rotating out of place.  Shaped implants, on the other hand, may shift within the “pocket” created for them during surgical implantation, making the breast appear distorted and unusual.  To alleviate this concern, the most advanced shaped implants have a textured surface, allowing healing tissue to adhere to the implant and making accidental repositioning far less likely.

One of the most recent advances in breast augmentation is the introduction of what are known as “gummy bear implants.”  These shaped and textured implants are filled with a more cohesive form of silicone with a thicker consistency than traditional silicone or saline.  This makes them “form-stable”, which not only creates a firmer final result, but is also ideal in that the cohesive gel maintains its shape even in the case of accidental rupture.

Some women, specifically those who are generally happy with the size of their breasts but uncomfortable with the sagging that occurs with age, have shown a preference for breast lift, or mastopexy, procedures over augmentation with implants.  In fact, according to statistics published by the American Society of Plastic surgeons, the number of breast lift procedures performed in the United States has increased by 70% since 2000, almost double the rate of increase in breast augmentations.  A breast lift can reposition the breasts to a higher, more youthful position while making them appear more firm and lifted.  Often, some of my patients opt to combine breast lift and breast augmentation to not only gain higher placement of the breasts on the chest, but also to make them fuller with implants.

If you’re interested in a breast procedure that I offer, please contact us today to schedule a consultation. Connect with me, Dr. Hunter Moyer, on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for the latest plastic surgery news.