How BOTOX® can Provide Long-Lasting Results

For many years, BOTOX® has been helping reduce fine lines and wrinkles around eyes, across the forehead, and in a few other places. There are few side effects, minimal risks, and nearly zero recovery.

The results from BOTOX® injections appear within a few days after the treatment session. Although the benefits and effects from BOTOX® are considered temporary and generally begin to fade between 5-6 months after treatments, with recurring treatments, results of BOTOX® might be seen much longer than that.

BOTOX® is the name of the naturally occurring protein OnabotulinumtoxinA. When injected into specific muscles, it blocks the nerve impulses causing muscle contractions and movement. This loss of function reduces the action of the muscle on the skin and tissues of the face.

Over time, this protein is metabolized by the body, and the muscles are able to contract again. This averages, in our practice, about 6 months after each treatment session. However, with repeat treatments, the time between treatments can grow while still seeing the same results.

Just like needing to go to the gym or exercise to maintain muscle strength elsewhere in the body, if the muscles in the face go long enough without contracting or moving, they will begin to lose their strength and atrophy. That is why we recommend that you note when muscle function first starts to reappear after your last treatment and come in for retreatment. You then should thereafter come in a few weeks earlier before the muscle function starts for the next one to two years. This allows the muscle to significantly atrophy.  Although you may still need follow-up appointments and treatments to see the same results, you should be able to go much longer between each appointment thereafter.

Dr. Robert Buchanan at the Center for Plastic Surgery in Highlands, NC, is a board-certified and nationally recognized expert doctor of plastic surgery. Dr. Buchanan and his team can answer all of your questions about BOTOX® or other treatment options to help you reach your aesthetic goals.

Call the office at 828-526-3783, or visit www.plasticsurgerytoday.com to schedule a consultation.

BOTOX was the first injectable treatment to become famous. It was first approved for cosmetic use in 2002. However, the injectable had been used therapeutically since 1989.  Because the product is so well-known; the Mother of All Injectables, BOTOX is the go-to that many people think of first when they decide to address the signs of aging that are causing frustration. As such, it is a treatment we perform frequently. Every year, we meet new people who want to explore the benefits of BOTOX for themselves. If you’re one of those people who is boarding the BOTOX boat, here are a few things you may want to know before your first treatment.

How BOTOX Works

Because BOTOX is so well known, it is easy to misperceive what it can do. Fortunately, no one is alone in their journey. If you visit our Highlands, NC office for BOTOX but your concerns don’t align with what this injectable can do, we will tell you. BOTOX is a wrinkle-reducing treatment that works by inhibiting muscle contractions. Not all wrinkles are made by muscle contractions. Those that are are referred to as dynamic wrinkles. These are the frown lines, the crow’s feet, and the horizontal lines that form on the forehead. Muscles are also frequently involved in descending eyebrows. BOTOX injections prevent neurotransmission in the targeted muscles. That is why it is called a neuromodulator. By reducing the movement of certain muscles, BOTOX treatment reduces the pull on the skin that results in lines and creases.

The Benefits of BOTOX

If you’re considering BOTOX, you’re likely already aware of the most prominent benefit. BOTOX injections are convenient! Also, because the product has been around so long, you can have confidence in its safety profile and track record of success. That is not to say that BOTOX doesn’t have risks or side effects. The most common include transient swelling and redness at injection points. Some people develop flu-like symptoms or a slight headache after getting BOTOX. These are normal and should resolve in 24 to 48 hours. Over-the-counter medication can be taken as needed to reduce them. In 5 to 7 days, the effects of treatment develop. From that point, they can last 3 to 6 months.

Have Questions?

If you want to know more about BOTOX injections or are ready to schedule your treatment, we’re ready to provide personal service! Contact us at (828) 526-3783 to arrange your visit.

The signs of aging are a frustrating concern for many adults. We know certain changes will occur, and we know why. Still, we’d prefer to sidestep them if we can. As facial structure transforms over time, we need more profound correction. Is it possible to achieve this without surgery? It may be! To help patients address their cosmetic concerns, Dr. Buchanan has developed Today’s Liquid Lift™. We’ll discuss how this process works and why it is popular among our patients.

What Is A Liquid Facelift?

Just by the name alone, you can probably guess that a Liquid Facelift utilizes various injectables to correct the signs of aging. Fillers, either off the shelf or your own fat, are injected to improve volume. Botox is used in certain areas to relax muscle contractions that pull on the skin. Today’s Liquid Lift addresses the signs of aging using Botox, hyaluronic acid fillers and fat injections. This technique, developed by Dr. Buchanan to address the aging that naturally occurs after facial plastic surgery, corrects the natural deflation of the face that occurs over time.

Facial aging continues regardless of surgery or fillers and Botox. As it does, the loose skin that results from volume loss droops downward. The opposing actions of sagging skin and supportive ligaments deep beneath the skin result in cosmetic problems like undereye bags and the loss of youthful cheek contour. Nasolabial folds and marionette lines also deepen around the nose and mouth as tissue descends further. Fillers may soften the appearance of these lines but they do not correct the original problem, the loss of volume.

The purpose of Today’s Liquid Lift is to artistically restore the triangular shape of the youthful face. This technique increases the width at the top areas of the face, tapering incrementally to narrow at the jawline and chin. Treatment focuses on restoring volume in the mid-face, across the cheeks. Filling out this area naturally elevates the skin and tissue that have descended downward toward the jawline. Targeting the upper malar area near the tear trough, Dr. Buchanan can also smooth the transition from the cheek to the lower eyelid, camouflaging puffiness.

Experience the benefits of a Liquid Facelift. Contact our Highlands, NC office at Call (828) 526-3783 to schedule your consultation.

Botox has been used for around 30 years for cosmetic purposes. After the FDA approved this drug for cosmetic rejuvenation, the first of its kind, in 2002, adults interested in looking younger have relied on Botox to achieve anti-aging goals of reduced wrinkles. While Botox is not magic, it does accomplish amazing results when treating dynamic wrinkles. We consider it a valuable adjunct to good skin care and maintaining a youthful appearance. If you have been on the sidelines and are ready to give Botox a try, you may be wondering what it will be like to get this injectable treatment. Here, we walk you through the process.

Your Botox Consultation

Because Botox has been around for so long, new patients tend to schedule visits with this treatment in mind. Regardless, an experienced provider will begin the appointment with a brief consultation. To know if Botox is right for you, we have to know what concerns you have and what you would like to achieve. Botox is a great treatment for crow’s feet, forehead lines, frown lines, and a droopy brow line. If you have concerns beyond these, such as depressed mouth corners or creases around your nose and mouth, we can discuss how to address those, as well.

Treatment

If you so choose, we can perform your Botox treatment right after your consultation. We usually use a topical anesthetic to make the injection as painless as possible. Also the injections are administered with a very small needle. You may feel tiny pinching sensations with each injection, though this is not painful. Each sensation lasts only a moment. Depending on the purpose of treatment, several injections may be given.

Recovery and Results

Botox is well-known for its convenience and safety. After treatment, most people experience nothing more than slight swelling and redness where injections have been given. Adverse side effects are rare. The most common is a slight bruising. A rare patient may develop a slight headache that may last a few hours or body aches that feel like the flu that generally disappear within 24 hours.

Full effects from the injections usually occur form about 6 hours to 6-7 days. Improvement typically lasts from 3 to 6 months. Touch-ups can be scheduled as needed.

If you’re new to Botox, you will appreciate our conservative, gentle approach. To schedule a consultation at our Highlands, NC office, call | (828) 526-3783.

The signs of aging create concern for many adults. As tissue loses firmness and resiliency, lines on the forehead and around the eyes, nose, and mouth worsen. In time, the changes in facial structure need to be addressed in more profound ways. Historically, the way to restore a more youthful appearance has been to undergo facelift surgery. When we hear the term facelift, it is surgery that comes to mind for most people. Today, we have another non-surgical option to consider. For patients of our Highlands, NC office, that option is Today’s Liquid Lift™.

What Is A Liquid Facelift?

A liquid facelift is a nonsurgical, minimally-invasive procedure for revitalizing the face. Treatment involves the strategic use of fillers to correct volume loss, one of the most common signs of aging. The Liquid Facelift has been around for many years now and has been refined by experienced physicians like Dr. Buchanan. Where the many Liquid Facelifts typically includes fillers only, our technique incorporates Botox and fat injections as needed to achieve optimal results.

Dr. Buchanan developed Today’s Liquid Lift in response to seeing many patients encounter re-aging after an initial facelift. Many of the patients who visit a plastic surgeon have no dramatic signs of aging on the neck to address but have a desire to restore more youthful contours to the face. Surgery may not be the ideal solution to achieve this objective. This is especially true since many of the surgical methods used by many physicians actually further thin the face.

Today’s Liquid Lift addresses the signs of aging that result from natural deflation in subcutaneous tissue. As volume is lost in the mid face, cheek or under the eyes, the now loose skin and tissue descend downward. They are stopped by ligaments attached deep resulting in a depression under the ligament and fullness above it. This creates under eye bags, depressions in the cheek with loss of the youthful cheek curve, and nasolabial and marionette folds around the nose and mouth. In the past, nasolabial folds were treated as an individual problem. Filling these creases with fillers may soften their appearance but it does nothing for the original problem. By neglecting the deflated tissue in the malar and cheek areas, there is a potential to increase the squareness of the face and actually worsen the appearance of aging.

A youthful face is triangular. There is more width near the top of the face, transitioning into a narrow jawline and chin. Today’s Liquid Lift restores volume in the malar area (the mid-face). In so doing, this technique naturally elevates the tissue that has begun to droop. Filing over the malar bone below the orbital rim also refreshes the face by smoothing the transition of skin between the upper cheek and the lower eyelid. This technique camouflages puffiness without the risk of swelling in the tear trough area.

Experience the Benefits of a Liquid Facelift

A Liquid Facelift is advantageous for several reasons. It is nonsurgical, convenient, incurs no downtime, and achieves good results. Today’s Liquid Lift offers all of these benefits and more thanks to refined techniques.

Learn more about nonsurgical facial rejuvenation. Call (828) 526-3783 to schedule your consultation.

Botox treatments have been available for many years now and have helped millions of people turn back the hands of time without having to undergo surgery. Initially, treatment focused on smoothing away frown lines. Over time, we came to realize that a few injections could raise a drooping brow line, erase crow’s feet, and even treat a downturned mouth. With all that we know about Botox Cosmetic, one might think there is nothing left to learn. Apparently there is, and now we have yet another reason to appreciate this cosmetic drug.

Get a Second Boost from Botox

The known mechanism of Botox is that the purified botulinum protein inhibits muscle contractions for 3 to 6 months. According to a recent study, Botox may have a secondary action in the skin. Canadian research has indicated that the drug may also boost elasticity for up to 4 months. Elasticity is the characteristic of the skin that gives it a bit of stretch. Skin with good elasticity is prone to contract from muscle pull rather than pleating. When the skin loses elasticity, it doesn’t bounce back and is more likely to look crepey and lined. In other words, a loss of elasticity contributes to looking older.

To observe the effects of Botox, researchers recorded elasticity measurements in study participants; 43 women who had never had the wrinkle-reducing treatment. Baseline measurements were obtained with a device called a Cutometer. Several times after the participants received Botox, subsequent measurements were taken. At the conclusion of the study, the authors observed elasticity improvement up to 30 percent for up to 4 months following injections.

Does This Matter to You?

Does the way in which Botox works matter, really? It might. You see, elastic skin is less susceptible to new wrinkle formation. This means that a few injections may not only diminish the lines and creases you’ve already developed but that they may also slow the formation of new wrinkles.

The Center for Plastic Surgery offers minimally invasive options that can help you love the way you look. To schedule your Botox treatment in our Highlands, NC office, call (828) 526-3783.

The number of men opting for Botox injections has absolutely boomed over the past decade. Since it was discovered that Botox was the perfect way to get rid of lines and wrinkles, especially between the brows and around the eyes and mouth, women have flocked to receive these easy, safe injections.

It has taken a bit longer for men to climb onto the “Brotox Bandwagon.” But over the last few years, men have become much more proactive and open about their appearance. Botox can give them a competitive edge and make them feel better about themselves. There’s also now less stigma associated with cosmetic procedures for men.

Why the shift? Men feel pressure to maintain a more youthful look in the highly competitive job market. Youthful appearance is an asset, for both women and men. For those who are “job hunting,” looking less stressed and more youthful can give an applicant a definite edge. Metrosexuality may also account for some of the cosmetic treatment shift for men, as well as the recent up-turn in the economy. Also, as men are living longer and feeling younger, they too are wanting to look like they feel.

Aging is a given; nobody gets younger. If you decide to try Botox, seriously think about what you want to achieve and then discuss  this with your doctor. It is very important to choose a doctor who is experienced with injecting male patients. Male anatomy, even in the face, is distinctly different than in women. Exact dosing requirements for men do not currently exist but there is a general consensus that men require higher doses of Botox than their female counterparts. Most men are conservative about their injections…they don’t want to look like they’ve had a “bit of work” done. Privacy is definitely a concern.

If you have read about the “Brotox” trend or have a friend who has tried it or just think that it may help give you a more rested or less angry or quizzical look, call to schedule a consultation appointment to learn more. We treat many men with several types of injection treatments…we would love for you to be one of them: (828) 526-3783.

Aging gracefully doesn’t have to be impossible. In fact, one of our goals here at the Center For Plastic Surgery is to help everyone age as well and gracefully as possible. If you have reached that point in your life, maybe around your 50’s, where you are looking in the mirror and wondering where your youth went, then let us help you find it again. Although we won’t be able to take you back more than a few decades,  we can reverse considerable aging of your skin, face and body.

Watch Your Skin Care

If your skin care regimen has not  maintained your skin looking young and radiant, then it is time for a medical grade system that will reverse everything that has happened to it. If you have maintained most of your skin’s youthful properties, you may just need to modify a few things to keep it looking healthy and young. Frequently, we don’t realize how our skin is aging until it actually requires a lot of work to reverse the problems. That is why we suggest adding retinol to basic skin care of a gentle cleanser, pH balancer, exfoliant and sun block at about 30 years of age. This can markedly help reduce fine lines and wrinkles later on.

Try Fillers and Botox

If you haven’t already, give fillers and Botox a try. Both of these injectables are great at reversing early facial aging without having to undergo surgery. Plus, because they are more affordable than surgery, they may be a good jumping off point. Botox is also one of the mainstays of preventing wrinkles by correcting the imbalance between thinning skin and increasing muscle function, one of the main contributors to wrinkles and crinkles. Once wrinkles are present, fillers are important also in reversing the problem without laser or peels.

Consider Surgery

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a surgical lift; whether it be a forehead lift, eye tuck or something else. In fact, it’s the best way to get long-lasting results. Our present procedures are easier and have a faster recovery than those in the past.

As you can see, we have more than a few ways to help you maintain or get your youthful look back. To learn more about these and other options, schedule a consultation at our Highlands office by calling us at (828) 526-3783.

If you are a man or woman “of a certain age,” the aging of your body and skin manifests itself in countless ways, facial wrinkles being one of the most visible and obvious.

Why wrinkles?

What’s the main causes of wrinkly skin? The sun’s UV and UVB rays resulting in an unbalance between the skin and the underlying muscles that, in the face, are attached to the skin.

How does this happen? The sun’s UVA rays cause a loss of your skin’s connective tissues including collagen and elastic tissue making your skin thinner, less elastic and much more vulnerable to wrinkles which are the result. More importantly, repeated, unprotected sun exposure can cause skin cancer. Additionally, the effects of the sun’s damaging rays are cumulative over your lifetime.

Most wrinkles appear around the eyes, eyebrows and mouth. This is because of repeated facial expressions, such as frowning and smiling. Smiling is a good thing, but worrying is not. Those frown lines don’t need extra help to deepen!

What helps? Here are 7 things to consider:

Wrinkles are a natural result of aging, that’s true, but there are some things you can do to prevent or reduce them:

1.  Sunscreen is critically important but it doesn’t do any good in a drawer. Be sure to choose a product that contains at least 8% zinc oxide and re-apply it whenever you rub or wash it off (other products are OK, but need to be reapplied hourly outside and every 2 hours indoors). Don’t forget your hands and neck.

2. Stay away from tanning beds. They use UVA, the damaging part of sun rays.

3. Be gentle. Don’t scrub your skin with a rough cloth; don’t rub and pull at your skin; use an easy touch when applying makeup, especially around the eye area.

4.Use a retinol cream applied daily, especially after 30 years of age to reduce loss of collagen. If you are in your 50’s or older and haven’t been using a retinol, you probably need tretinoin (Retin-A).

5. Consider adding Obagi ELASTIderm® that converts some of the collagen to elastic tissue. This is especially true the older you are.

6. If you smoke, quit. Smoking greatly accelerates the aging process and causes wrinkles to appear prematurely.

7. Consider injectables, like Juvederm and Botox, if your wrinkles are deep and pronounced.

Today is the beginning…the rest of your life awaits you! Give Dr. Buchanan a call and request your complementary consultation 828.526.3783.

If you have children, grandchildren, or just like taking care of your friend’s children then you know there’s one thing everybody wishes they had that a baby does; smooth skin. A baby’s skin is ineviable because it’s not only flaw-free, but it is also hydrated and soft— something we all wish for. As we age, our skin starts to lose collagen and elastin in it which makes it more wrinkly and less smooth. If you are in your 50’s and 60’s and can’t seem to get the soothe skin that you want, we have non-invasive ways to help. Let’s take a closer look at how.

Tretinoin (Retin-A®) & ELASTIderm®

One reason that young skin looks so good is that all the cells are continually working to rebuild collagen (the main substance of the support layer) and elastin (the part that makes the skin elastic). With sun exposure, this process gets harder and harder and, after about 30 years of age, the cells that rebuild these simply stop working unless they are stimulated. There are several ways to stimulate them such as some lasers and micro needling, but the easiest and best way is to is a good skin care system including Tretinoin (Retin-A®) & Obagi® ELASTIderm®. The former stimulates collagen to thicken the skin and the latter stimulates elastic tissue. By using these over all the movable facial skin you can significantly retain a softer, more hydrated and more elastic skin.

Botox

Fine lines and wrinkles don’t just happen on your cheeks and around your mouth. In fact, most people notice their first wrinkle on their forehead or around their eyes. With injections of a neurotoxin that reduces muscle function like Botox, we can help to reduce the formation of fine lines and wrinkles around your eyes and forehead and leave you with a more baby-like complexion.

Fillers

Fillers like Juvederm are designed to do exactly as their name suggests; fill in fine lines and wrinkles. Made from hyaluronic acid (a naturally occurring substance in the body used to build collagen) these two fillers can also help add volume and contour to your cheeks and around your mouth. They are useful especially if you already have wrinkles that are present when the underlying muscles are relaxed. With thin skin and multiple wrinkles, the filer can be placed directly under the dermis (the collagen containing support layer of the skin) to thicken it make it harder to wrinkle. The body can use some of this hyaluronic acid to make new collagen, leaving you feeling and looking one step closer to having baby-like skin.

MicroPeels

Another way to get that baby perfect skin is getting frequent micro peels. Your skin type and your exact issues of concern will help determine what type of peel will be best for you. MicroPeels work by targeting the top layer of your skin removing the outer dead cell layer that has been created by time and sun exposure leaving healthier, brighter skin in the process. They also get rid of external weight that tends to increase the incidence of wrinkles.

Having that smooth baby skin doesn’t have to be an unattainable fantasy. With the help of our staff at the  Center For Plastic Surgery, we have a variety of both non-invasive and surgical procedures we can use to help you get a more youthful glow. To learn more, schedule a consultation at our Highland’s office by calling us at (828) 526-3783.