Procedure:

Enhance the size of breasts using inflatable implants filled with saline.

Length:

1 to 2 hours.

Anesthesia:

Local with sedation, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary soreness, swelling, change in nipple sensation, bruising. Breast sensitive to stimulation for a few weeks.

Recovery:

Back to work: a few days. Physical contact with breasts: 3 to 4 weeks. Fading of scars: several months to a year or more.

Duration of
Results:

Variable. Implants may require removal or replacement.

Procedure:

Raise and reshape sagging breasts by removing excess skin and repositioning remaining tissue and nipples.

Length:

1 to 3 hours.

Anesthesia:

Local with sedation, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient. Sometimes inpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary bruising, swelling, discomfort, numbness, dry breast skin. Permanent scars.

Recovery:

Back to work: 1 week or more. Strenuous activities: 1 month. Fading of scars: several months to a year.

Duration of
Results:

Variable; gravity, pregnancy, aging, and weight changes may cause new sagging. Results may last longer or be enhanced when breast implants are inserted as part of the procedure.

Procedure:

Improving sagging facial skin, jowls, and loose neck skin by removing excess fat, tightening muscles, redraping skin. Most often done on men and women over 40.

Length:

In many cases, approximately one hour

Anesthesia:

Local with or without sedation.

In/Outpatient:

Outpatient.  

Side Effects:

Temporary, minimal bruising, swelling, numbness and tenderness of skin; tight feeling, dry skin.  

Recovery:

Back to work: 1 to 7 days. More strenuous activity: 2 weeks or more. Must limit exposure to sun for several months.

Duration of
Results:

Usually 5 to 10 years.

Procedure:

Minimize forehead creases, drooping eyebrows, hooding over eyes, furrowed forehead and frown lines by removing excess tissue, altering muscles and tightening the forehead skin. May be done using the traditional technique, with an incision across the top of the head just behind the hairline; or with the use of an endoscope, which requires 3 to 5 short incisions. Most often done on people over 40.

Length:

1 to 2 hours.

Anesthesia:

Local with sedation, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary swelling, numbness, headaches, bruising. Traditional method: Possible itching and hair loss.

Risks:

Injury to facial nerve, causing loss of motion, muscle weakness, or asymmetrical look. Infection. Broad or excessive scarring.

Recovery:

Back to work: 7 to 10 days, usually sooner for endoscopic forehead lift. More strenuous activity: several weeks. Full recovery from bruising: 2 to 3 weeks. Limit sun exposure for several months.

Duration of
Results:

Usually 5 to 10 years.

Procedure:

Correct drooping upper eyelids and puffy bags below the eyes by removing excess fat, skin, and muscle. (Upper-eyelid surgery may be covered by insurance if used to correct visual field defects)

Length:

1 to 3 hours.

Anesthesia:

Usually locally with sedation.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary discomfort, tightness of lids, swelling, bruising. Temporary dryness, burning, itching of eyes. Excessive tearing, sensitivity to light for first few weeks.

Recovery:

Reading: 2 or 3 days. Back to work: 7 to 10 days. Contact lenses: two weeks or more. Strenuous activities, alcohol: about 3 weeks. Bruising and swelling gone: several weeks.

Duration of
Results:

Several years. Sometimes permanent.

Procedure:

Improve body shape by removing exercise-resistant fat deposits with a tube and vacuum device. Can be performed using the tumescent technique, in which targeted fat cells are infused with saline containing solution with a local anesthetic before liposuction to reduce post-operative bruising and swelling. Common locations for liposuction include chin, cheeks, neck, upper arms, above breasts, abdomen, buttocks, hips, thighs, knees, calves, ankles.

For larger volumes of fat or for fibrous body areas, ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty (UAL) may be used. UAL is a new technique in which a ultrasound probe is inserted beneath the skin to "liquify" the fat before it is suctioned.

Length:

1 to 2 hours or more. UAL: 20-40 percent longer than traditional liposuction.

Anesthesia:

Local, epidural, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient. Extensive procedures may require short inpatient stay.

Side Effects:

Temporary bruising, swelling, numbness, soreness, burning sensation. Tumescent: Temporary fluid drainage from incision sites. UAL: Larger incisions for cannula.

Recovery:

Back to work: 1 to 2 weeks. More strenuous activity: 2 to 4 weeks. Full recovery from swelling and bruising: 1 to 6 months or more. Use of tumescent technique or UAL may decrease post-operative bruising and swelling.

Duration of
Results:

Permanent, with sensible diet and exercise.

Procedure:

Flatten abdomen by removing excess fat and skin and tightening muscles of abdominal wall.

Length:

2 to 5 hours.

Anesthesia:

General, or local with sedation.

In/Outpatient:

Either depending on individual circumstances and extent of surgery.

Side Effects:

Temporary pain. Swelling, soreness, numbness of abdominal skin, bruising, tiredness for several weeks or months.

Recovery:

Back to work: 2 to 4 weeks. More strenuous activity: 4 to 6 weeks or more. Fading and flattening of scars: 3 months to 2 years.

Procedure:

Reshape nose by reducing or increasing size, removing hump, changing shape of tip or bridge, narrowing span of nostrils, or changing angle between nose and upper lip. May also relieve some breathing problems. (May be covered by insurance.)

Length:

1 to 2 hours or more.

Anesthesia:

Local with sedation, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary swelling, bruising around eyes, nose and headaches. Some bleeding and stiffness.

Recovery:

Back to work: 1 to 2 weeks. More strenuous activities: 2 to 3 weeks. Avoid hitting nose or sunburn: 8 weeks. Final appearance: 1 year or more.

Duration of
Results:

Permanent.

Procedure:

Restore wrinkled, blemished, unevenly pigmented, or sun-damaged facial skin, using a chemical solution to peel away skin's top layers. Works best on fair, thin skin with superficial wrinkles.

Length:

1 to 2 hours for full face.

Anesthesia:

None; sedation & EKG monitoring may be used.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient. Full-face phenol peel may require admission for 1 to 2 days.

Side Effects:

Both: Temporary throbbing, tingling, swelling, redness; acute sensitivity to sun. Phenol: Permanent lightening of treated skin; permanent loss of ability to tan.

Recovery:

Phenol: Formation of new skin: 7 to 21 days. Normal activities: 2 to 4 weeks. Full healing and fading of redness: 3 to 6 months TCA: New skin within 5 to 10 days.

Duration of
Results:

Phenol: permanent, although new wrinkles may form as skin ages. TCA: variable (temporary).

Procedure:

Plump up creased, furrowed, or sunken facial skin; add fullness to lips and backs of hands. Works best on thin, dry, light-colored skin.

Length:

15 minutes to 1 hour per session.

Anesthesia:

Collagen: usually none; local may be included with the injection. Fat: local.

In/Outpatient:

Outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary stinging, throbbing, or burning sensation. Faint redness, swelling, excess fullness.

Duration of
Results:

Variable; a few months to 1 year.

Procedure:

Mechanical scraping of the top layers of skin using a high-speed rotary wheel. Softens sharp edges of surface irregularities, including acne and other scars and fine wrinkles, especially around the mouth.

Length:

A few minutes to 1 hour. May require more than 1 session.

Anesthesia:

Local, numbing spray, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary tingling, burning, itching, swelling, redness. Lightening of treated skin. Acute sensitivity to sun; loss of ability to make pigment (tan).

Recovery:

Back to work: 2 weeks. More strenuous activities: 4 to 6 weeks. Fading of redness: about 3 months. Return of pigmentation/sun exposure: 6 to 12 months.

Duration of
Results:

Permanent, although new wrinkles may form as skin ages.

Procedure:

Smooth the face and smooth fine wrinkles using a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser device that treats layers of damaged skin. Softens lines around the eyes and mouth and minimizes facial scars and unevenly pigmented areas.

Length:

A few minutes to 1 hour. May require more than 1 session.

Anesthesia:

Local with sedation, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient, unless combined with other surgical procedures that require hospitalization.

Side Effects:

Temporary swelling, discomfort. Lightening of treated skin. Acute sun sensitivity. Increased sensitivity to makeup. Pinkness or redness in skin that may persist for up to 6 months.

Recovery:

Back to work: 2 weeks. More strenuous activities: 4-6 weeks. Complete fading of redness: 6 months or less. Return of pigmentation/light sun exposure: 6-12 months.

Duration of
Results:

Long-lasting, but does not stop aging. New wrinkles, expression lines may form as skin ages.

Procedure:

Fill in balding areas with a patient's own hair using a variety of techniques including scalp reduction, tissue expansion, strip grafts, scalp flaps, or clusters of punch grafts (plugs, miniplugs and microplugs). Works best on men with male pattern baldness after hair loss has stopped.

Length:

1 to 3 hours. Some techniques may require multiple procedures over 18 months or more.

Anesthesia:

Usually local with sedation. Flaps and tissue expansion may be done with general anesthesia.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary achy, tight scalp. Unnatural look in early stages.

Risks:

Unnatural look. Infection. Excessive scarring. Failure to "take." Loss of scalp tissue and/or transplanted hair.

Recovery:

Back to work: usually 1 to 3 days. More strenuous activities: 10 days to 3 weeks. Final look: may be 12 months or more, depending on procedure.

Duration of
Results:

Permanent.

Procedure:

Reduce enlarged, female-like breast in men using liposuction and/or cutting out excess glandular tissue. (Sometimes covered by medical insurance.)

Length:

1 hour or more.

Anesthesia:

General or local.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary bruising, swelling, numbness, soreness, burning sensation.

Recovery:

Back to work: 3 to 7 days. More strenuous activity: 2 to 3 weeks. Swelling and bruising: 3 to 6 months.

Duration of
Results:

permanent