Last month in Chicago, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and The Plastic Surgery Foundation, we had the opportunity to unveil a groundbreaking new facial rejuvenation process, the culmination of years of research and development.  This process, which was the winner of the Plastic Surgery Foundation’s “Shark Tank” competition, should allow us to harness the regenerative power of adult stem cells to safely and effectively alleviate the signs of facial aging with a simple, minimally invasive procedure.

Many commercially available cosmetic products and serums promise to give you rejuvenated, younger-looking skin, and while they may achieve some degree of superficial success by moisturizing and filling in surface imperfections, creating the illusion of a smoother, more even skin tone, they largely fail to address the underlying causes of facial aging.  As we age, skin begins to lose volume and elasticity so that sagging folds and wrinkles begin to appear.  This process can, to some degree, be counteracted by stimulating the production of collagen and elastin, which is exactly what many over-the counter cosmetic products claim to do.  However, these vital proteins are produced deep in the skin’s dermis, and these deep layers of skin are completely protected by the stratum corneum, the skin’s outermost layer.  The stratum corneum exists, in part, to prevent any foreign substance from being absorbed into the body, and so, for any topically applied products to affect real and lasting change, they must be able to penetrate past this protective covering and into the deepest layers of the dermis.  Most can’t, and this is why most topical serums so often fail to live up to their claims.

Our new facial rejuvenation system is based on the idea that collagen and elastin production can be stimulated by exposing the deep skin tissues to stem cells.  The human body is composed of about two hundred different kinds of cells: skin cells, muscle cells, fat cells, blood cells, nerve cells, etc.  Each has a highly specific structure and function, but all started out as rapidly reproducing, unspecialized stem cells.  These stem cells form a sort of building material for the body.  They are present in large concentrations within developing embryos, but also exist throughout the adult body, particularly in the fat and blood marrow, where they can be activated when the body needs to produce new tissue to heal from an injury.  In fact, it has been proven that adult stem cells taken from the fat and bone marrow, along with the growth factors they release, can greatly accelerate wound healing and improve collagen production.  Theoretically, they can also re-stimulate the skin’s natural growth processes, effectively counteracting the signs of facial aging, like wrinkles and sagging, by regenerating fresh and vital new skin.  However, these complex proteins are simply too large to get through the stratum corneum, and can only function if exposed to the deeper tissues where the natural process of skin regeneration occurs.

The AcCellerate skin rejuvenation system is a patent-protected process that revolutionizes skin resurfacing by combining it with the most promising applications of stem-cell rejuvenation.  It works by isolating stem cells from the tissue harvested during a patient’s liposuction procedure.  The patient then undergoes a laser skin resurfacing procedure that effectively removes the outermost layers of the stratum corneum and leaves the inner dermis exposed.  A concentrated serum composed of the patient’s own active stem cells and growth factors is then immediately reapplied to the exposed dermis.  Stem cells taken from the patient’s own body are safer and far more effective than similar cells taken from other sources and can potentially achieve excellent long term results.  Moreover, the patient can also enjoy the added benefit of liposuction to remove unwanted fat.  Look for more information about the development of this exciting new technique in the coming months.

If you have any questions about any of the treatments that I offer, please contact us today to schedule a consultation.  Additionally, Atlanta Plastic Surgery, P.C. provides a variety of options for financing, including CareCredit^SM, to assist you.  Don’t forget to connect with me, Dr. Hunter Moyer, on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for the latest plastic surgery news.

Many of the women that I see who are seeking breast augmentation are very well informed about the many different sizes and styles available in breast implants, whether they are simple saline, silicone, or the new form-stable gummy bear implants.  Far fewer, however, are aware of the impact that the specific surgical approach, including implant placement and incision choice, can have on the final breast augmentation results.

One important early decision that needs to be made involves where the implant will be placed, specifically whether it will be underneath or over the chest muscles.  Placing the implants above the muscle, just under the skin and glandular tissue, is a less invasive procedure, involving less post-operative discomfort and downtime.  It also typically creates a fuller appearance and more pronounced cleavage.  However over-the-muscle implants may have a less natural look, particularly in women who started with only minimal breast tissue.  Additionally, any rippling caused by imperfections in the implant itself will be more readily apparent when the implant is covered only by a thin layer of skin.  While placing the implants beneath the muscle requires more invasive surgery, the result is usually a more subtle, natural looking slope in the upper breast.  Implants placed under the muscle also have a reduced risk of capsular contracture and are less likely to interfere with the results of a mammogram.

Incision placement can also affect the final appearance of the augmented breast.  An effort is always made to make incisions as small as possible (usually between 2cm and 6cm) and to make them in inconspicuous areas in order to minimize visible scarring.  However, the specific location of the incision depends largely on the type of implant used as well as the individual patient’s needs.  Most commonly, inframammary incisions are made underneath the breast, in the crease where the breast meets the torso.  These incisions allow for the most direct access to the breast tissue and chest muscle.  Since saline implants are placed into the body before they are filled, they can frequently be introduced through transaxillary incisions underneath the armpit.  Finally, periareolar incisions around the nipple can be used if the appearance of scars is a major concern.  However, I generally do not recommend this approach as it is associated with a higher likelihood of breast feeding difficulties and the loss of nipple sensation.  I have found that the use of the Keller Funnel™, a device that directly transfers the implant from the packaging to the breast cavity, allows me to safely place silicone and highly cohesive gummy bear implants using smaller incisions and with a reduced risk of the bacterial contamination that can cause infection or capsular contraction.

During our initial consultations I will carefully go over all of the options available and make recommendations based on your specific anatomy and aesthetic goals.  Only then will we be able to choose the particular approach that will lead to the best possible breast augmentation results.

If you have any questions about any of the treatments that I offer, please contact me today to schedule a consultation.  Additionally, Atlanta Plastic Surgery, P.C. provides a variety of options for financing, including Care Credit^SM, to assist you.  Don’t forget to connect with me, Dr. Hunter Moyer, on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for the latest plastic surgery news.

Body modification with tattoos and body piercings has become an increasingly accepted and popular mode of self-expression.  However, as younger people transition into more professional environments, they often find that these affectations have become a hindrance.  Fortunately, cosmetic plastic surgery techniques can often minimize or even eliminate these once-permanent alterations.

Like any other injury to the skin, piercings can lead to scarring.  Nose piercings, in particular, can often leave behind a small dimple on the skin or even a raised scar after they have been removed.  Dimples, or indentations in the skin, can usually be treated with soft tissue fillers like Juvéderm®.  These injections of hyaluronic acid, a substance that is produced naturally in young and healthy skin, can give the area more volume, smoothing out the skin surface and restoring a more even appearance.  Raised scar tissue, on the other hand, is best treated with chemical peels or laser skin resurfacing, which remove the surface layer of dead and damaged skin cells and allow new, refreshed skin to take its place.  However, in some cases, the scar may need to be cut out so that the nose may heal more completely.

Ear piercing has long been an almost universally accepted form of body art, but earlobe stretching, or “gauging”, which involves gradually enlarging the hole to accommodate progressively larger jewelry, has been met with more resistance.  Employers and professional associations often look negatively on stretched ears, and even the United States Army has a prohibition against enlarging the holes in the ear lobes greater than 1.6 mm.  Repairing these large holes and distorted tissue requires the use of scar revision techniques.  The scar tissue often needs to be completely removed from around the hole, and then the area must be sutured or fitted with a skin graft, depending on the size of the surgical wound.  Compression bandages, silicone-based creams or corticosteroids are often used after the procedure to minimize the formation of new scar tissue.

A similar form of reconstructive otoplasty, or ear surgery, is used to correct damage caused by trauma, as in cases of cauliflower ear.  Relatively common among boxers, wrestlers, and martial artists, cauliflower ear results when repeated trauma to the ear has caused blood clots to interrupt the usual blood supply to the cartilage.  Ultimately, this interruption causes the cartilage to die and contract in on itself, forming a shriveled up outer ear.  During reconstructive otoplasty, cartilage can be folded or trimmed to reshape the ear and create a more balanced, aesthetically pleasing appearance.

If you have any questions about any of the treatments that I offer, please contact me today to schedule a consultation.  Additionally, Atlanta Plastic Surgery, P.C. provides a variety of options for financing, including Care Credit^SM, to assist you.  Don’t forget to connect with me, Dr. Hunter Moyer, on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for the latest plastic surgery news.

Most people would like to look and feel younger, but are unsure exactly where to begin.  While the majority of people understand that maintaining a healthy lifestyle complete with balanced nutrition and regular exercise can help maintain your physical vitality, many often ignore the vital role of sleep in revitalizing the body.  The most recent scientific research suggests that adequate, healthy sleep can not only reduce the effect of general aging on the body, but can also improve the results of cosmetic plastic surgery procedures by strengthening the body’s natural recuperative processes.

Although it may seem as though sleep is a time when the mind and body are shut down, this is not the case.  Sleep is actually an extremely important part of the body’s natural cycle, during which a great deal of restoration and strengthening occurs.  The deepest stage of sleep is the only time that the body releases the growth hormones essential for cell repair and regeneration.  This is one of the reasons growing children require more sleep than adults.  However, if a given period of sleep is too short, or if the sleep cycle is frequently interrupted, the body has less time to repair and replenish itself.  Specifically, collagen and elastin, two protein fibers that give the skin its elasticity and help keep it hydrated, are replaced at a slower rate as the skin ages.  Without these regenerative proteins, the skin’s texture, thickness, and elasticity diminish.  While it is impossible to completely stop the aging process, adequate sleep gives the body more time to replenish these growth factors, and plays an important role in preventing premature skin aging.

Because sleep plays such an essential role in the body’s major restorative functions, like muscle growth, tissue repair, and protein synthesis, getting enough rest is vital to recovering from plastic surgery procedures.  Prolonged lack of sleep can disrupt your immune system, leaving you more prone to infection.  Long-standing sleep deprivation has been associated with increased heart rate, an increase in blood pressure and, higher levels of certain chemicals linked with inflammation, all of which can contribute to an increase in swelling and may put an unhealthy amount of strain on the heart.  Lastly, many plastic surgery procedures, like tummy tuck or liposuction, are significantly less effective on patients who are overweight or obese.  However, studies conducted at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute of Stanford University have shown that sleep-deprived people have reduced levels of leptin, the chemical that makes you feel full and increased levels of ghrelin, the hunger-stimulating hormone, in their bodies.  This is believed to be just one of the factors that accounts for the results of the Nurses’ Health Study, the largest and longest study to date on adult sleep habits, which found that women who slept five hours or less were 15 percent more likely to become obese when compared to women who slept seven hours a night.

If you have any questions about any of the cosmetic plastic surgery treatments that I offer, please contact us today to schedule a consultation.  Additionally, Atlanta Plastic Surgery, P.C. provides a variety of options for financing, including Care Credit^SM, to assist you.  Don’t forget to connect with me, Dr. Hunter Moyer, on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for the latest plastic surgery news.

The holiday season is rapidly approaching.  It’s a time of year filled with parties and social engagements, when we can get together with friends and family that we may not have seen in years.  However, those years do not always treat our faces kindly.  Botox® Cosmetic relaxes wrinkle-causing facial muscles between and around the eyes and along the forehead, reducing the appearance of crow’s feet, frown lines, and wrinkles for up to four months and giving you just the boost you need to step into the holiday season looking your best.

Join us on Tuesday, November 11^th, 2014, for Evening Aesthetics, a Botox® event hosted by Dr. Hunter Moyer and Atlanta Plastic Surgery, P.C.  Enjoy drinks and hors d’oeuvres while you chat with board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Moyer about the latest news in plastic surgery techniques and technology.  Most importantly, take advantage of our exclusive Botox® offer.  This evening, Dr. Moyer will be personally administering Botox® Cosmetic injections for the low promotional price of only $10 per unit.  So bring a friend and enjoy an evening of beauty with Dr. Hunter Moyer!

Evening Aesthetics will be held in our spacious and beautifully appointed Cumming office, located at 1400 Northside Forsyth Drive, Suite 390, from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM.  Although the event is free and the invitation is open to all, space will be limited, so be sure to RSVP by November 6^th, 2014 to Rebecca Brock at (404) 256-1311 or RBrock@atlplastic.com.  If there is insufficient time to complete everyone’s injections, those in attendance will be extended the promotional price on their next visit.

We look forward to seeing you at the event!  If you have any questions about any of the treatments that I offer, please contact me, Dr. Hunter Moyer, today to schedule a consultation.  Additionally, Atlanta Plastic Surgery, P.C. provides a variety of options for financing, including CareCredit®, to assist you.  Don’t forget to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for the latest plastic surgery news.