Dr. James Barber - Cosmetic Surgery Blog

Monday, September 22, 2008

Post-operative pain management

A top concern of our cosmetic patients is post-operative surgical pain. Breast augmentation and tummy tuck patients now have the option of pain management through use of a pain pump. This is a safe and effective way to improve comfort and decrease nausea after a procedure with/or without the use of oral pain medications. Pain pumps work by providing a continuous infusion of local anesthetic directly to the surgical site. This is just one more thing our office is doing to make your experience a complete and total success... now with less discomfort. "No pain, no gain" doesn't apply here!

posted by Kristi at 3:09 PM 0 comments

Friday, September 5, 2008

Feeling Good, Looking Bad

I recently came upon a study looking at how people perceive mood by looking at variations in wrinkles on one's face as well as eyelid position.

This is a common complaint in our office. Our patients often comment that people ask them why they are upset...or if they are sick...or if they are tired, when they are not. In reality they are seeing signs of aging and making the assumption that something is wrong. Just imagine you are having a wonderful day and someone says, "You look sick, are you ok?" What happens next? You feel badly about yourself which makes you feel sick. Right?!

According to this study, tiredness is often perceived when there is drooping of the upper eyelid. Correction of drooping eyelids would be achieved by performing an upper eyelid lift (blepharoplasty) and/or a brow lift. However, care must be taken in the type of brow lift that is performed. While ptosis to the eyelids is viewed as tiredness; too much lift increases the perception of fear & surprise. You want to find a surgeon that is not overly aggressive in tightening the skin and creating that surprised look.

Forehead wrinkles add to the perception of anger & disgust. Botox and/or a filler (Restylane/Juvederm) will smooth out those wrinkles and create calm look, even when you are not!

On another note: those crow's feet on the sides of your eyes are viewed as happiness. According to the study, the crow's feet simulate the cheek elevation that occurs with smiling. So maybe a couple small little lines are o.k. Just a couple.

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posted by Kristi at 4:11 PM 0 comments