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Tips for Getting a V-Shaped or V-Line Face Naturally (Without surgery or injections)

A V shaped face, or V Line Face, is widely coveted by many. It gives a sculpted, youthful look; which imparts an attractive appearance and enhances your facial features. This technique became extremely popular in Asia and now the concept of face slimming spreading like wild fire. The best part is, this V shaped face can be easily accomplished by injecting Botox and fillers – no surgery required. However, if you're not quite ready to embrace fillers, there are some other, more natural remedies you can try to help you achieve this much sought after look.

How to get a V Shaped face without surgical procedures?

Face Lifting and Slimming Creams

A Well-contoured face looks amazing. The effects of visibly slimmer faces could be enhanced with face lifting serums, creams or even masks. Their primary function is to reduce water retention characteristics of the facial muscles. They do this by reducing swelling and firming the muscles. It completely eliminates puffy, bloated cheeks and double chin with regular use.

Facial Slimming Massage

You have a wide berth to choose from when it comes to face slimming massages, such as the lymphatic draining method, “Gua Sha” technique and many more. Special tools are used during the massage to sculpt the face just the way you like. They offer a revitalizing vibration massage for a firm, younger and contoured face. Face rollers are available in most beauty stores, and are great for this purpose.

Face Yoga

Have you heard about this unique type of yoga?  Facial yoga combines the benefits of facial exercises and yoga in order to help you train the muscles around your face that can slim down your face. You can get rid of problems like baggy eyes, wrinkles and sagging face. By opting for face yoga, you can do it anywhere, anytime. Many women opt to do this while driving. – it takes just 3 to 5 minutes a day.

Diet

Salt enhances the water retention capacity of the body, which causes bloated face and double chin. Think about it – when you have junk food or any food loaded with lots of salt, you feel thirsty and the face gets a swollen appearance the next day. The high sodium content is the culprit, so if you are a big fan of chips, burgers, pizza, and similar foods, you may want to consider cutting down and consulting a nutritionist to reduce salt intake from your daily diet. Processed foods should also be disposed of, because they not only cause the cheeks to puff up, but are bad for health as well.

Don't want to wait?  

Dr. Usha Rajagopal has nearly 20 years in cosmetic surgery and is a platinum injector and trainer for Allergan. Check out the following page to learn more abut using fillers to create your desired V shaped face with virtually no down time. Check out our V-Line Facial Slimming procedure page.

Watch Dr. Usha Rajagopal perform a simple, non-surgical chin augmentation procedure to get that "v-line shape" chin using Juvederm Ultra. Check out the before and after photos at the end to see the natural, beautiful results. 

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v shape face masseter botox

Non-Surgical Jawline Slimming + 
Masseter Reduction with Botox

Removing Brown Spots and Age Spots from Asian Skin Effectively with ATV Lasers

Birthmark Removal with ATV Laser

Birthmark Removal with ATV Laser

Since lasers were introduced to the cosmetic surgery field for the treatment of skin spots and discolorations, they have been used to improve the appearance of thousands of patients—but only patients with certain skin types, until recently. This is because, over time, doctors discovered that for patients of certain ethnicities—especially patients of Asian descent—the lasers were too harsh. Instead of improving Asian skin pigment, these lasers caused it to worsen. The Alex Trivantage Laser changed all that.

Research has revealed that when removing brown spots with an alexandrite laser, a longer pulse width is gentler on the skin—every kind of skin, including Asian skin. With this discovery in mind, the Alex TriVantage (ATV) laser was designed with a long pulse mode that makes it possible to safely and effectively handle common skin conditions like freckles, age spots, lentigines, Café-au-Lait birthmarks, and Nevus of Ota (a pigmented lesion of the face, generally present from birth or surfacing during adolescence, that has always been notoriously difficult to treat) for patients of every ethnicity.

In addition to the longer pulse that makes it gentler on the skin, the ATV laser is also designed to be lighter and more flexible than past generations of lasers used for skin treatments. Unlike many other lasers out there, which have rigid, articulated delivery systems, the ATV laser has a flexible fiber-optic delivery system and an easy-to-manipulate handpiece. This makes it much easier for our highly trained staff to operate the laser more rapidly and more precisely—making every treatment simultaneously less time-consuming and more effective.

If you’re interested in finding out what our ATV Laser can do to improve your skin spots, don’t hesitate to give us a call and set up a free consultation. We are one of the few plastic surgery offices that offer treatments with this specific laser, and it really does work wonders. Most spots can be removed with about three to five treatments (light freckles can sometimes even be eliminated after only one treatment), and when combined with bleaching creams, results often improve even further. Come in today and learn more!

How Soon Can You Swim After Liposuction?

Photo Credit: Unsplash

The length of time you should wait to swim after liposuction may vary from patient to patient, but in general, you can swim in three weeks or when your wounds are completely healed. It is important that you do not soak in a bath, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, etc for at least 7 days after surgery in order to minimize the risk of infection.

Every Plastic Surgeon has unique post-op instructions for each patient, so I recommend consulting with your plastic surgeon. It will probably depend on your general overall healing and if you have any incisions that are still healing

Top 10 Tips You’ll Need to Know Before Breast Augmentation Surgery (And a Few Useful Secrets!)

The decision to get a breast augmentation, depending on who you are, can either be a long road of deliberation and thought, or one of the easiest decisions you’ve ever made. Regardless of what boat you’re in, everyone who decides to undergo breast augmentation surgery can find common ground in having some amount of fear and uncertainty about the procedure. And for good reason – it’s a life-changing event that will surgically alter your appearance! However, preparation and knowledge are great antidotes to fear for those who are feeling skittish. If you’re like me, you’ll spend hours pouring over the internet and writing down everything you’ll need to know before the big day. Let yourself rest. We’ve done the work for you, and put together the top 10 most mentioned tips on the web that you’ll need to know before the big day – plus a few little-known (and very useful) secrets!

1. Buy a Sports Bra: It’s a wonder that so many people forget this, but this is one of the most important steps you’ll need to take before surgery. Buy a comfortable sports bra that zips in the front and has NO underwire. It's important to have it zip in the front because it's much easier to get in and out of. No need to get fancy/sexy here! One of our favorite bras is from Target (link: https://www.target.com/p/women-s-high-support-zip-front-bra-all-in-motion/-/A-77641037?preselect=77347060#lnk=sametab). Comfort is key.

2. Get a Button Down Shirt. You’ll want to have a loose-fitting button-down shirt to wear on the day of your surgery. A zip-up hoodie/jacket also works! They’re easy to open, easy to close, and easy to get in and out of. While you’re at it, get a few more to wear during the recovery process.

3. Do Your Laundry and Clean Your House. Let’s face it, you’re not going to be able to do your laundry for at least a couple of weeks post-op. You’ll be spending the majority of your time in bed, so make sure this area is clean. Wash your pillowcases, sheets, and comforters – and have a few extra just in case. Clean your house so you’ll be able to recover with a clear mind in a clean space.

4. Stop Taking Aspirin/NSAIDS. Prior to surgery, you’ll need to stop taking aspirin and all aspirin-containing medications and products. Aspirin thins the blood and can lead to surgical complications. We recommend avoiding aspirin for at least 3 weeks before surgery. This includes ibuprofen, Advil, and Aleve!

5. Drink Lots (Water, Not Alcohol!) Drink lots of water on the days leading up to your surgery. Hydration is very important and can reduce nausea after the surgery. The catch? Stop drinking water by midnight the night before your surgery. In addition, avoid alcohol for at least 24 hours prior to the operation. Tempting as it may be to indulge in a de-stressing drink in the days prior to surgery, this must be avoided at all costs.

6. Stop Smoking. Do your best to quit smoking 4-6 weeks before surgery. Smoking reduces oxygen levels in the blood, which can slow down the healing process. However, if you are having a breast lift, you will need to have quit smoking for at least 3 months. Smoking increases the risks of necrosis (tissue death) in those having breast lifts. As hard as it may be to stop smoking, the results are always worth it!

7. Buy Cold Compresses. Yes, for your boobs! Buy a cold compress or stock on some frozen peas. You’ll need cold compresses to apply to your breasts after surgery in order to reduce swelling and pain.

8. Friend/ Family Support. You might feel like you can handle it on your own, but you’ll need someone to drive you and to help you with a few things after your surgery. Find a friend or get your spouse to transport you to and from your surgery, and to stay with you for at least 24-48 hours afterward. You never know if you’ll need someone to help fetch you the remote, reach for a can of soup in the cabinet, or go on a drugstore run.

9. No Make-Up and Acrylic/Gel Nails/Fake Eyelashes. Remove all makeup, jewelry, and nail polish. You’ll want to be clean for the surgery, so take a shower the morning of surgery. Wash your hair, since you won’t be able to shower until about 48 hours after surgery. If you wash your hair, make sure your hair is dry before surgery. Don't refill your eyelashes prior to surgery as these may be inadvertently pulled when anesthesia tapes your eyes. Remove acrylic/gel nails and trim your nails short. You will need to clean your breasts and incisions after surgery. Having long nails can harvest lots of bacteria that can transfer onto your breasts! Nail polish also makes it difficult to get an accurate read on your oxygen levels during surgery. Once everything is healed, schedule an appointment to get your nails done again ;)

10. Have Food Ready. It’s time to hunker down and accept the fact that you probably won’t be leaving your house much for the next week. Have some light, ready-made food easily available, as well as a few pre-made meals. Place them on lower shelves and cabinetry, since you won’t be able to reach over your head after surgery. Purchase some Ensure or Boost protein drinks for those days when you’ll have little to no appetite.

There you have it! The top ten most mentioned tips you’ll need to know before the big day. For those who are ultra-prepared, here are a few extra useful secrets to help get you by.

How to Get Rid of Tired Eyes: Eyelid Surgery

The quickest and simplest way to get rid of tired-looking eyes is cosmetic eyelid surgery, called blepharoplasty. As you age, the skin around your eyes loses its stretchiness and the muscles supporting your eyelids weaken. This causes loose folds of skin to develop on your upper eyelids, deep creases to appear under you lower eyelids and excess fat to accumulate around your eyes. In the end, you are left with drooping eyebrows, sagging skin on your upper lids and puffy bags underneath your eyes. This not only makes you look tired and older but can also impair your vision. Cosmetic eyelid surgery offers a solution by removing this excess skin and/or fat from the eyelid area, making you look younger and more alert.

Eyelid surgery generally takes between 1 to 3 hours, depending on the amount of tissue being removed and whether you are having your upper lids, lower lids or both done. It is usually done as an outpatient procedure—meaning you will be able to go home the same day—although some cases require an overnight stay in the hospital. It is usually done with lighter anesthesia such as twilight anesthesia.

The surgeon will start the procedure by making tiny incisions into the natural creases and folds of the upper eyelids, as well as into the wrinkles at the corners of the eyes. The surgeon will then remove excess fat, muscle and loose skin before sewing the eyelid back together with tiny stitches. Then the surgeon will repeat the same technique on the lower lids, making incisions just below the eyelashes or inside the lower lid that extend into the laugh lines at the corners of the eyes. A highly skilled, certified plastic surgeon will ensure that any scars will be hidden by the natural folds of your eyes and will be practically invisible.

Within a few weeks of your eyelid surgery, any swelling or bruising should completely disappear, revealing the final results – younger, more rested eyes. For some people, these results may last a lifetime, but for others eyelid drooping and sagging may reappear eventually.

Cosmetic eyelid surgery will not eliminate laugh lines/crow’s feet, sagging eyebrows or dark circles under the eyes. As a result, you may choose to have other cosmetic procedures like a brow lift or facelift at the same time as your eyelid surgery in order to achieve the results you desire.