Dr. Chang discusses a series of procedures he performs to help women look up to 10 years younger with Cosmetic Surgery in Northern Virginia.
(video transcript)

We have at my practice a series of procedures that I like to call "Lose 10 Years In 3 Steps", and so with basically three non-surgical steps we can really improve their appearance and some people can look at least 10 years younger just by doing these three things.

The first step is using one of our lasers called the profractional. The profractional is a laser with relatively no downtime, and the goal of that laser is to reduce fine lines, and a little bit of skin tightening, and improves the evenness and the tone and the texture of the skin.

The second step is using something called the IPL photofacial. With this IPL photofacial, we have the ability to reduce brown spots, age spots, pigmentation of the skin, and when you reduce that it evens out the complexion. What most women don't realize is those age spots, those freckles, those brown spots, they blend into wrinkles, so between the two of them it makes you look older. So once you reduce it with the photofacial, it does significantly improve your skin and makes you look younger.

And then the third step is using some of our injectables, and that includes using either BOTOX, or one of our injectable fillers, which is JUVEDERM, Radiesse, Restylane - those are all injectable fillers. So, BOTOX as many women already know, reduces the lines of the forehead here or reduces this angry line which bothers a lot of women, and men, and reduces the crows feet lines. There's a lot of other uses for it too, but in terms of facial aging, those are three of the most significant components. So, when that is combined with JUVEDERM or one of the other injectable fillers, we have the ability to inject those into finer lines, reduce this nasal labial fold, so that crease is no longer so significant, or reduce this area called the Marionette Line, or increase the fullness of your cheeks so this area doesn't look as hollow and you don't see this darkness under your eyes as significantly.

So, in those three steps I think many women have the ability to look significantly younger, and some women have the ability to look ten years younger.

Dr. Phillip Chang is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who specializes in minimally invasive cosmetic procedures of the Face, Breast, and Body. He has created innovations in procedures like the Mini-Facelift, the Mini Scar Breast Augmentation, and the Mommy Makeover procedures which emphasize natural results and less recovery times. Dr. Chang has offices in Loudoun, Fairfax, and near Winchester.

The Aesthetica Cosmetic Surgery & Laser Center performs a variety of surgical procedures, including:

• Breast Augmentation/Enlargement in Fairfax Va
• Facelift in Fairfax Va
• Eyelid Enhancement in Fairfax Va
• Breast Reduction in Fairfax Va
• Breast Lift in Fairfax Va
• Tummy Tuck in Fairfax Va
• Liposuction in Fairfax Va
• Lip Augmentation in Fairfax Va
• Nose Sculpture in Fairfax Va
• Harmony Weekend Facelift in Fairfax Va
• Mommy Makeover in Fairfax Va

Non-surgical procedures include:

• BOTOX® Cosmetic
• Radiesse®
• Restylane®
• JUVÉDERM® Injectable Gel
• Pro Fractional Laser
• Microlaser Peel
• Microdermabrasion
• IPL Photofacial
• LATISSE™

Cosmetic Surgery News From Plastic Surgeons News

Northern Virginia News

Breast Augmentation / Breast Enlargement

Breast augmentation and breast enlargement procedures are one of the most common cosmetic surgery and plastic surgeon procedures performed in America today because women like having a choice of minimal incision procedures. The most common procedures are the Transaxillary Augmentation Procedure, which involves a small incision under the armpit, the Periariolar Incision and the Inframammary Incision. Breast implants are placed under the muscle, which means a lower rate of complications, more natural appearance, and easier interpretations of mammograms.

Breast enlargement and breast augmentation is most appealing to three types of women: 1) self conscious women with smaller breasts, 2) women who have experienced a decrease or loss in breast volume after having children, and 3) women with sagging breasts as a result of age or child-bearing. Breast enlargement provides a women with a boosted sense of self-esteem and self-image.

Breast augmentation is an outpatient procedure performed under general anesthesia, with numbing medicine placed into the breast to make the postoperative recovery period more bearable. Most women are back to work in a week, and bruising and swelling will take 2-4 weeks to improve.

Facelift - Weekend Harmony Facelift

Sun exposure, stress and age affect how our face looks. The Weekend Facelift was developed as a modification of several facelift techniques without the typical downtime of a traditional facelift. The procedure involves smaller scars and is performed in an office using local anesthesia. The procedure takes approximately 1 hour. The end result is a natural, youthful appearance with very little downtime.

Eyelid Enhancement

A person's eyes show aging before any other area on the face. Eyelid surgery has become a specialty of Dr. Phillip Chang, and is the second most common surgical procedure performed by plastic surgeons in the United States. People may choose between having surgery on the upper eyelid, the lower eyelid, or both. Excess skin on the upper eyelid adds wrinkles to the face and closes off the eye. This skin can be removed, and the scar is hidden in the eyelid crease.

The lower eyelid suffers from three problems with age: As cheek fat falls the lower eyelid stretches and wrinkles, the bone around the eye becomes more visible, and fat bags behind the eyelids develop. Surgery can remove excess skin, treat fat bags, and sometimes elevate the cheek, all done through a small incision along the eyelash margin. Recovery from eyelid enhancement varies. An individual may return to work in about one week, and bruising generally takes about one week.

Breast Reduction

Breast Reduction procedures have one of the highest satisfaction rates in plastic surgery. Unlike breast enlargement, which is done for cosmetic purposes, breast reduction is often a medically necessary procedure, covered by insurance, to help reduce back pain, neck pain, rashes and skin irritations caused by oversized breasts. Large breasts make it difficult for women to exercise and often invite unwanted attention, stares and rude comments. Breast reduction is often combined with a tummy tuck, and is performed in a hospital or out-patient surgery center. Women who have breast reduction usually return to work in about a week, and the swelling and bruising take 2-4 weeks to improve.

In national surveys: The breast reduction procedure routinely produces one of the highest satisfaction rates in all of plastic surgery. This is because the purpose of the procedure is not purely cosmetic; most women think of it as a medically necessary procedure (covered by insurance). Oversized breasts are often painful, cause back and neck pain, and cause rashes and skin irritations. They also make it difficult to exercise comfortably; and the stares, the unwelcome attention, and the rude comments are often difficult to bear. These are just a few reasons why women with oversized breasts choose breast reduction surgery for help.

Breast Lift - Mastopexy

With age, a woman's breasts gradually decrease in shape, size and firmness as a result of gravity, pregnancy, breast feeding and weight changes. The breasts will sag and feel old. A breast lift can help reshape, rejuvenate, and lift the breasts to their normal location of youth. Performed as an outpatient procedure at an outpatient surgery center, patients with a minor amount of sag and size decrease may only need an implant augmentation procedure. The augmentation procedure restores the fullness of youth, but minimizes the scars involved with typical breast lift procedures.

Tummy Tuck

Few women over 30 have a flat firm abdomen, due to aging, pregnancies, lack of exercise and diet. With age, the body stores fat in the lower abdomen and hips. With pregnancy, the abdominal wall and abdominal skin stretches beyond a point where it can stretch back, and stretch marks or a C-Section scar may be visible. A tummy tuck will remove lower abdominal fat (pooch), remove abdominal stretch marks, tighten the abdominal wall, and revise a C-Section scar, which can be hidden in the underwear or bikini line. Most women can expect to return to work in one to two tweeks, and bruising and swelling will reside in two to four weeks. Scars generally take about a year to mature.

Liposuction

Liposuction is the most popular cosmetic surgical procedure in America. There are several areas on the body that are the first to develop fat, and the last to lose fat with diet and exercise. Those areas include the lower belly (the pooch), the waist (love handles), and the hips (saddle-bags), the chin and neck, the knees, and the inner thighs. Recent advances in liposuction have led to a technique called the "Tumescent" technique, and is often combined with the Ultrasound Assisted Liposuction Technique. The Ultrasound Liposuction Technique uses ultrasonic energy to "melt" and liquify fat prior to its removal. It allows for more controlled removal of fat from affecte areas, and provides a more effective tightening of overlying skin. The Tumscent Technique refers to the delivery of highly dilute anesthetic and epinephrine-containing solutions into the areas where liposuction will be performed. Liposuction can then be performed with lower blood loss, and discomfort is reduced because the solution contains an anesthetic. Most patients are able to return to work in about a week, and bruising/swelling take 4-8 weeks to improve.

Nose Sculpture - Nasal Surgery

Rhinoplasty, or nasal refinement, can reduce the overall size, improve the tip, remove a bump, widen or narrow the width, or improve the anle between the nose and the upper lip. We use revolutionary digital imaging software in your consultation to help predict what you can expect from your nose refining surgery. A nasal surgery procedure generally takes two to three hours. We work from inside the nose, carefully modifying and reshaping nasal bones and cartillages.

* Large noses can be made smaller
* Small noses can be made larger
* Button noses can be made more elegant
* Crooked noses can be made straight
* Nasal humps can be flattened

Mommy Makeover

A Mommy Makeover is a set of procedures designed for women who have had children and want to restore their bodies to the more youthful appearance they had before child-bearing. A Mommy Makeover procedure typically involves the following procedures:

* Breast Augmentation and or lift to restore natural fullness
* Tummy Tuck to restore a flat abdomen and get rid of stretch marks
* Liposuction to get rid of back bat and saddlebags
* Photofacials and Profractional Laser procedures to reduce sundamage and fine lines
* BOTOX® Cosmetic to reduce facial wrinkles
* JUVÉDERM® Injectable Gel, Restylane, or Radiesse to reduce fine lines or restore facial volume