What causes wrinkles?
With time, exposure to the sun and other elements, skin components break down. The skin loses structure and volume. Unwelcome lines and wrinkles appear. Healthcare professionals now can correct wrinkles and facial folds, reversing the signs of aging.

How are wrinkles corrected?
The appearance of wrinkles and facial folds can be smoothes by adding structure and volume underneath and bringing sunken skin back up to the surface. Generally, this is done by injecting materials into the skin, to achieve a temporary effect. When administered by a trained healthcare professional, you can be sure that the materials have been proven safe to use. One example is hyaluronic acid.

What is Hyaluronic acid?
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a natural complex sugar found in all living cells, and one of the major components of the dermis connective tissue matrix, along with collagen and elastin. HA retains water like a sponge, absorbing more than 1, times its weight. This helps to attract and maintain water, hydrating your skin and increasing its volume and density.

Allergan, inc. has found ways to produce, purify, and package HA to make it available for wrinkle correction.

What is JUVEDERM?
Javier injectable gel is a smooth gel filler your doctor eases under your skin to instantly smooth out those wrinkles or folds that look like parentheses along the side of your nose and mouth. Results aren’t just instant, they’re so smooth and natural, everyone will notice but no one will know.

Your doctor or healthcare professional can tell you which JUVEDERM formulation is right for you: JUVEDERM Ultra injectable gel, optimally formulated for versatility in contouring and volatizing wrinkles and folds, or JUVEDERM Ultra Plus, a robust formulation for volatizing and correcting deeper wrinkles and folds. Look smooth and natural with JUVEDERM injectable gel.

What makes JUVEDERM different?
JUVEDERM injectable gel is produced through HYLACROS technology creating a high degree of cross-inking and promoting duration for up to 6 months or longer.

HYLACROSS technology results in a smooth consistency gel, which is a primary factor in the long-lasting, smooth, natural look and feel that is a hallmark of JUVEDERM wrinkle correction.

Re-printed from Allergan, Inc.

1. What incisions are used for breast augmentation?
Currently there are 4 types of incisions. Transaxillary (under the arm), Periareolar (around the areola) , Inframammary (underneath the breast), and Transumbilical (through the belly button).

2. Should my implant be placed over or under the muscle?
There are many advantages to placing an implant underneath the muscle. The main reason is that it provides more tissue coverage to provide a more natural-looking breast . Another advantage is that sub-muscular placement is associated with less chance of capsular contracture (overabundant scar tissue surrounding the implant). Patients with saggier breasts may benefit more from placing the implant above the muscle to allow the implant to drop behind the nipple.

3. How do I know what size to pick?
When you see Dr. Farahmand for a consultation, you will be given a chance to try on different sizers to determine which implant would look best on your frame. Dr. Farahmand will guide you in this decision. Women with wider torsos require more volume to achieve their desired cup size. Generally 200cc equals one cup size.

4. What implant types are available to me?
Currently saline non-adjustable, saline adjustable, and silicone implants are available. Patients desiring to have silicone implants must meet certain criteria in order to receive silicone implants. Implants come in round, shaped, smooth, and textured varieties.

5. What is an adjustable implant?
An adjustable implant is a saline implant which can be filled with more saline after the operation. In other words, after the patient is healed, if she desires the implants to be larger, the implant can be filled in the office through a small butterfly needle. No anesthesia or cutting is needed for these fills. Saline can also be removed this way as well. This type of approach ensures that the patient achieves the size that she desires.

1) What is done during eyelid (blepharoplasty) surgery?
Although there are many techniques to eyelid surgery, the main principles are to remove extra skin, and to remove or shrink bulging fat. Newer techniques involve repositioning this fat to blend the lower eyelid with the cheek better.

2) What causes the bags under my eyes?
The cause is genetic. Not all people who age get bags under their eyes. Everybody has fat around the eye and this fat is usually held back by connective tissue called the septum. In some people this septum becomes loose and the fat is allowed to push outwards creating both heavy upper eyelids and bags under the eyes.

3) What kind of results can I expect with eyelid (blepharoplasty) surgery?
Patients love how much more refreshed and younger they appear after having eyelid surgery. See Case Studies.

4) What is the recovery like?
Most of the swelling and bruising subsides after one week. In some people, lower lid and cheek swelling can last for 2 weeks. Makeup can be applied after one week to camouflage any residual discoloration.

5) Where are the incisions for eyelid (blepharoplasty) surgery?
The upper eyelid incision is placed in the eyelid crease. The lower eyelid incision is placed just underneath the lash line. If no skin needs to be removed from the lower lid, the incision can be placed inside the lower eyelid.

1. What type of results can I expect with liposuction?
Liposuction is used to improve contours or “sculpt” areas like the chin, neck, hips, and abdomen, and the inner and outer thighs. It will diminish bulges. Liposuction is not a treatment for cellulite or obesity. Following liposuction, patients feel that they look better in clothes and in a bathing suit. Also, what some people do not know is that the fat that is removed can be injected into other places like lips, cheeks, nasolabial folds and buttocks to augment those areas.

2. What is the recovery like after liposuction?
Dr. Farahmand has her patients wear a compression garment for 3 weeks following liposuction. They often return to work after a few days. Exercise is allowed after 3 weeks.

3. What is tumescent liposuction?
Tumescent liposuction is a technique which involves first injecting a mixture of saline, epinephrine, and a local anesthetic agent into the area to be liposuctioned. After 10 minutes, the fat will be liposuctioned much easier and with less blood loss and bruising. The local anesthetic greatly decreases post-operative pain.

1. How do I know if I need an abdominoplasty or just liposuction?
Liposuction typically works best for patients who do not have loose skin, stretch marks, or loose muscles. Patients who have loose skin, stretch marks, or loose muscles show more improvement with an abdominoplasty.

2. What is an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck)?
An abdominoplasty is a procedure which surgically removes the skin and fat of the lower abdomen and tightens the abdominal wall muscles.

3. Where is the scar for an abdominoplasty?
The scar for an abdominoplasty is placed just above the pubic region and extends horizontally from hip to hip. The scar appears pink for the first year but then lightens in color after 1 year.

4. What is the recovery like after an abdominoplasty?
Dr. Farahmand instructs her patients to walk bent at the hips for the first week. For this reason, most patients need to stay at home for that first week. At week two, patients are allowed to stand up straight and are encouraged to walk and resume household activities, some patients return to work during the second week. By the third week, most patients have returned to work. Vigorous exercise is allowed after 6 weeks.

Q: How do I know if I need a breast lift or just an augmentation or both?
A: Generally, what determines if a patient needs a breast lift is the position of the nipple with respect to the breast crease (the crease underneath the breast). If the nipple hangs below the breast crease, the patient would look better with a breast lift.

Some patients are borderline for needing a lift, meaning that they can have just an implant but the implants will sit slightly lower on their chest.

Q: Where are the incisions for breast lifting?
A: Generally, the incisions for breast lifting are around the areola (the colored skin surrounding the nipple), vertical to the breast crease, and one horizontal within the breast crease.

Q: Will I still have nipple sensation after breast lifting?
A: Most patients still have nipple sensation after breast lift surgery although it will be somewhat diminished.

Q: Will my breasts sag again years after I have a breast lift?
A: Provided that the patient’s weight stays stable and a conservatively-sized implant or no implant is used, the breasts should not sag again over time unless large implants are used. Weight loss, poor skin elasticity, and again- large implants can cause the breasts to sag over time after a breast lift.