Dr Anup Dhir specialises in cosmetic and aesthetic surgery of the face and body and is currently Senior Consultant Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon, Inderprastha Apollo Hospital. He is one of the pioneers in the world of fat grafting, ADRC (adipose-derived regenerative cell) enriched fat grafting for facial rejuvenation, scars and breast augmentation. He is the first plastic surgeon in India to be accepted as an international active member of American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Here he lists the top beauty procedures that can work wonders for your appearance and take years off your face…
MICRONEEDLING
Microneedling is a nonsurgical technique, which uses application of mechanical force to the skin, via fine needles, to stimulate the proliferation of cells. This new cell formation lays down new collagen and elastin tissue, which improves the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, stretch/scar marks, pigmentation or other irregularities in the skin. It also improves the blood supply by the formation of new capillaries.
This technique can be used on any part the body like face, neck, arms, abdomen etc.
After a thorough cleaning, the area of the skin is numbed using a local anaesthetic cream. A pen-like device which has about 12 fine needles, is used to pierce the superficial layers of the skin. After completion, a soothing cream is applied to the treated area to calm, heal and protect it.
There may be minor bruising, pinpoint bleeding points, inflammation (like a sunburn appearance) and swelling of the treated area, which usually lasts for 24 to 48 hours. We will recommend using soothing creams and zinc-based sun sunscreen.
Protect yourself from sun exposure and avoid using glycolic acid or retinol products on the treated area for a few days. Within a week or so the skin appears smoother and glowing but the final results will be apparent only in a few months.
A session can be repeated in 4 to 6 weeks. The number of sessions needed to produce the desired results will depend on the abnormality being treated. In most cases, 4 to 6 sessions are sufficient initially and then replace it with 1 to 2 sessions a year to maintain the result.
The advantage of micro-needling is that it can be used on all skin types and has no major side effects. This technique is not suitable for someone who has used isotretinoin recently, had radiation therapy to the area, has poor wound healing, is breastfeeding or on the infected or inflamed skin. People prone to keloid formation should also avoid micro needling. Microneedling is a simple and effective way to improve skin irregularities using a natural filler.
EYELID SURGERY / BLEPHAROPLASTY
The eyes are the focal point of the face and contribute substantially to your overall facial appearance. Bags beneath the eyes, wrinkled drooping layers of skin on the eyelids, and sagging eyebrows give the entire face a perpetually tired or sad expression. As you age, your eyelids stretch, and the muscles supporting them weaken. As a result, excess fat may gather above and below your eyelids, causing sagging eyebrows, droopy upper lids and bags under your eyes.
You may be a candidate for blepharoplasty if droopy or sagging eyelids keep your eyes from opening completely or pull down your lower eyelids. Removing excess tissue from your upper eyelids, lower eyelids or both can improve vision and make your eyes appear younger and more alert. Aesthetic eyelid surgery can brighten the face and restore a more youthful appearance by reducing the fat and extra skin that causes these conditions. Blepharoplasty is often performed along with a face-lift or with other facial rejuvenating procedures.
The surgeon may operate on the upper and lower eyelids as necessary, removing excess skin and muscle as well as eliminating or repositioning fat under the skin that creates puffiness and bagginess of the eyelids. Incisions are hidden within natural folds or beneath lash lines, or sometimes may be placed inside the lower eyelid if removal of skin is not necessary.
Since the eyelid skin is thin, you should expect some swelling and black-and-blue discolouration after surgery. Your eyes may be temporarily sensitive to light and susceptible to excess tearing or dryness. You may want to wear dark glasses for a couple of weeks to protect your eyes from wind and sun irritation and avoid eye strain from prolonged reading or television viewing. You will be able to resume wearing makeup and contact lenses shortly after your surgery.
CHIN ENLARGEMENT AND CHEEK AUGMENTATION
Chin surgery, or mentoplasty, is a surgical procedure to reshape the chin by enhancement with an implant or reduction surgery on the bone or fat injection.
Many times a plastic surgeon may recommend chin surgery to a patient having rhinoplasty in order to achieve facial proportion, as the size of the chin may magnify or minimize the perceived size of the nose. Chin surgery helps provide a harmonious balance to your facial features so that you feel better about the way you look. The chin bone surgery is performed through an incision inside the mouth, requires moving the chin bone. The incisions to insert the implant may be made inside the mouth or on the underside of the chin. In the latter case, surgery usually leaves a faint scar that is barely visible underneath the chin.
To permit proper healing following chin augmentation, you may be placed on a liquid diet for a day or two. The area may be taped or bandaged.
Similarly, in some cases, the cheekbones may be built up (augmented) by placing an implant over them or by fat grafting. This is usually performed through an incision inside the mouth, but it may be done through a lower eyelid or brow lift incision. This surgery can be done under local or general anaesthesia and patient allowed home the same day.
The latest advance in chin augmentation is to do it with fat grafting. In moderate deformities, fat grafting gives natural results.
ACNE SCAR TREATMENT
Acne scar treatment devices that use radiofrequency energy are a good choice. These treatments help build collagen from the inside out, and collagen helps to fill the scars from within
Energy-based skin resurfacing with a laser, radiofrequency, or an ultrasound device can help treat boxcar scars as they all work by creating new collagen beneath the surface of the skin. A series of treatments is likely needed based on the extent of scarring. Chemical peels can also help but to a lesser extent. With either procedure, using a retinoid cream locally to increase cell turnover and further boost collagen can help to give better results.
Fractional non-ablative lasers are the latest technologies, and they have less downtime than older lasers, so this means the surgeon can be more aggressive and see results with fewer treatments. Older ablative lasers used to evaporate the skin’s top layers, which requires longer to heal, but these newer non-ablative lasers like Fraxel, pass through the skin’s upper layers to harmlessly heat the deeper tissues, stimulating collagen and smoothing the scar’s appearance with minimum downtime.
scars can be treated with micro fat injections followed by micro-needling with platelet-rich plasma (PRP), Microneedling creates tiny wounds or pinpricks in the skin. The body’s natural, controlled healing process then kicks in to boost internal collagen production. Microneedling is also a great acne scar treatment because it opens up channels within the skin that give PRP—the healing factors in your own blood—and skin care products direct access to deeper layers of the skin where they’re needed most. PRP is created by taking some of your blood, isolating the platelet-rich plasma, which contains proteins and other growth factors, and injecting it back into the scar. “The objective is to build up the collagen layer under the depression in order to raise it to the level of the surrounding skin. You’ll likely need multiple treatments, but the results are worth it.
The treatment acne scars with hyper-pigmentation are with hydroquinone and sunblock, Hydroquinone is a topical bleaching agent that you apply directly to a dark spot. Sunblock is essential since sun exposure can worsen hyperpigmentation. Other popular treatments include glycolic acid creams which remove the upper-most layer of the skin and the dark marks and retinoids to increase skin cell turnover
LIPOSUCTION
VASER or ultrasonic Hi-Def Liposuction is a less invasive alternative to traditional liposculpture techniques and was designed to effectively eliminate resistant fatty deposits that are often the result of genetics and have proven resistant to traditional weight loss efforts. Hi-Def Liposculpting procedures use ultrasound technology to enhance and reshape the body and can be utilized wherever there is surplus fat on the body, although the most common treatment areas include the: buttocks, abdomen, thighs, waist, flanks, arms, neck, chin, cheeks, back and chest.
4D VASER /Ultrasound Hi-Definition Liposuction etching is a new technique which is liposuction with etching and a simultaneous fat transfer. This is done by liposuction of fat and re-injecting the fat to achieve precise sculpture. The purified fat is used as a sculpting medium and gives you a well-defined result that is not possible with any other technique.
High-Def ultrasonic liposculpture can be used to “etch” or “sculpt” the body in virtually any region, including the chest, arms, abdomen, obliques, and elsewhere. Etching is a technique where the fat is not removed in an even fashion and instead it’s removed following contour lines of abdominal muscles.
This allows the remaining fat to appear to be a volume from excessive abdominal muscles. This surgery can be done as a day care surgery under local or general anaesthesia.
Ideal candidates for this procedure will want to reduce excess pockets of fat and enhance their body contour. Additionally, you’ll want to be in good general health and have reasonable expectations for the outcome. During your consultation, your surgeon can discuss the treatment plan from start to finish to help you become well-informed about your options and what can be accomplished.
Your treated areas should look great and retain their sculptured appearance for as long as you remain the same weight. If you gain weight, you will generally gain it in areas other than those that were treated.
