Oct. 8, 2024
Maintain vs. Restore
If you want better results from your anti-aging efforts, planning ahead is key. Teaming up with a plastic surgeon can help you restore right when it's needed, not when it's screaming to be done.
While restorative treatments become more essential with age, prevention and maintenance are crucial at every stage. Dr. Bass explains the importance of creating a personalized anti-aging plan that works with your budget.
Find out how to know when it's time for surgical interventions like facelifts or neck lifts, how to reverse early signs of skin laxity, and the best body contouring procedures for the stubborn areas that don't respond to diet and exercise.
Links
Learn more about facelift, MyEllevate, and laser skin resurfacing
About Dr. Lawrence Bass
Innovator. Industry veteran. In-demand Park Avenue board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Lawrence Bass is a true master of his craft, not only in the OR but as an industry pioneer in the development and evaluation of new aesthetic technologies. With locations in both Manhattan (on Park Avenue between 62nd and 63rd Streets) and in Great Neck, Long Island, Dr. Bass has earned his reputation as the plastic surgeon for the most discerning patients in NYC and beyond.
To learn more, visit the Bass Plastic Surgery website or follow the team on Instagram @drbassnyc
Subscribe to the Park Avenue Plastic Surgery Class newsletter to be notified of new episodes & receive exclusive invitations, offers, and information from Dr. Bass.
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Welcome to Park Avenue
Plastic Surgery Class,
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a podcast where we explore controversies
and breaking issues in plastic surgery.
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I'm your co-host, Doreen Wu,
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a clinical assistant at Bass
Plastic Surgery in New York City.
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I'm excited to be here with Dr. Lawrence
Bass, Park Avenue plastic surgeon,
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educator, and technology innovator.
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The title of today's
episode is "Maintain vs.
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Restore." I understand this title,
it's more straightforward than usual,
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but perhaps you can explain the
intent behind this episode, Dr. Bass.
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Basically this is an episode
about planning and it's another
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way of thinking about the
need to plan and how to
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plan so you get the most
out of your plastic surgery,
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you get the most out of whatever your
budget might be and however much time you
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can invest in the process.
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I see. I think I know
where we're going here.
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So let's get into the meat of the topic.
What are the options that we have?
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So in reconstructive plastic surgery,
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we classically have this
reconstructive ladder.
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We start with the
simplest, easiest things,
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the smallest surgery with the least risk,
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and based on the severity of the problem,
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we progress.
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If a simple reconstruction
is not likely to work,
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we pick something more complex,
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but we don't start with the
most complex reconstruction.
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So in aesthetics, I mean
we're not reconstructing,
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but let's use the word restore so we can
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do things to fix something
that's already gone
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awry. Some aging has taken place.
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It's something that we
don't like looking at.
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It's visible. We see it,
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our friends and coworkers see it,
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so we have to change something.
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Ideally before we get to that point,
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we're doing things to
maintain our appearance,
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to keep us from aging or let us
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age at the slowest rate possible
and things to prevent aging,
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and so it's not one or the
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other. We're obviously going
to do several things and
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early in the game,
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we're going to do things to prevent and
then we're going to do some prevention
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and maintenance,
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and eventually we're going to have to
do some prevention and maintenance with
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some restoration.
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And that could be surgical
or it could be nonsurgical,
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but some kind of treatment that's
actually going to fix a problem.
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And so we're going to
slowly progress to more
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restoration as we age,
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but we're still going to need
prevention and maintenance.
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So it's not one or the other.
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There's a balance and that balance shifts.
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And how does that change or
shift depending on your age?
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So as I mentioned,
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we're going to start off with
prevention and we're going to add on and
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we'll start abandoning treatments
and maintenance things that
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are no longer helpful. There are a
few things that kind of drop off,
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but mostly we're adding new
things, either bigger treatments,
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but we're keeping some of the
prevention and maintenance.
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And so an example might be like sunscreen,
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that's prevention and
you're going to add to that,
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but you're not going to
stop using sunscreen.
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So now let's put aside age.
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Can you give me some overarching guiding
principles for how planning should be
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done regardless of age?
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Well you start with what your needs are,
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what you're starting to see or beauty
issues that you're most concerned with.
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And everyone's a little different.
Some people come in and they say,
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I don't mind my crow's feet. I earned
them, but I hate that loose skin.
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I'm starting to get under
my chin or the jowl.
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I'm starting to see other patients
say, I hate the crow's feet,
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but I don't mind my jawline.
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And other people come in
and say, fix everything.
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So it starts with what you are
seeing and what bothers you,
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and you intersect that with your budget
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and an assessment by your plastic
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surgeon about what the
plastic surgeon sees
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and what's a prominent feature
in your appearance at this time.
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The other thing that the plastic
surgeon can help you with,
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because you may not know
quite as well as someone who
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spent 20, 30 years working on aging faces,
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you may not know what's coming soon,
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but your plastic surgeon probably does.
And so that's
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useful to help you with planning.
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You don't want to do an energy-based skin
lifting treatment if you think you're
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doing a minimally invasive
treatment for your neck in the
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next year,
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you're going to save that money and
budget it towards the minimally invasive
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procedure.
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So you wouldn't do ulthera or soft
wave if you know you're going to
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be doing something like myEllevate
or submentoplasty something
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surgical in the next year because you
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know you're getting to that point where
you're going to have to pull the trigger
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on something surgical so your
plastic surgeon can advise you
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what features are starting to show,
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what features are likely to
show in the next few years,
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and that helps you set priorities.
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You've alluded to some procedures
related to the face so far,
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but can you now tell us how
does planning work in the face
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area and the neck,
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and can you give us some common examples
to help us understand more clearly?
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So let's start with laxity.
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Laxity is the ultimate
concern that we end up with
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sooner or later loose skin in the
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jawline, the gel hanging in the neck.
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And so the big question is
always when is it time for the
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facelift or the neck lift?
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And some people are hoping they're
never going to have to do it.
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For people that are in
their twenties, thirties,
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I don't know what the options are going
to be when they get to the stage where
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they might need it. For
people who are somewhat older,
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somewhere between now and
the time you're a hundred,
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if you want to look your best,
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you're going to need that
surgical facelift or neck lift.
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Now you may choose never to do it,
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but medically there isn't going to be
any other way to meaningfully correct
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that. However,
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before we get to that point where
we have a great deal of redundant
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skin,
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we have a lot of ways of reversing or
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restoring some of the skin laxity and
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maintaining that.
So going forward you age more slowly.
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And so that starts with externally
applied energy, things like Ultherapy
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and Sofwave,
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internally applied energy designed to
stimulate the skin to tighten up things
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like FaceTite, AccuTite,
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things like minimally invasive
procedures that are done under local
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anesthesia, through needle punctures,
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thread lifts and MyEllevate,
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which has very good durability
and the greater degree of
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correction.
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And then eventually you're into
the formal surgical lifting.
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Skin surface changes are another example
where there's this wide array and
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sort of a progression.
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So as you start to see rough
texture wrinkles in the skin,
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you may be using home skin
products and that makes sense,
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retinoid or a growth factor product.
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And of course we already said you're using
your sunscreen since you were in your
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twenties or hopefully
since your childhood.
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But then when you start
to see more things,
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you need to get something
medical into the program.
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It may be a series of in-office,
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superficial chemical peels.
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It may be energy-based treatments
like radiofrequency microneedling
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or fractional laser resurfacing.
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And by ironing out small
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changes,
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we hope we can put off
or possibly avoid the
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need for deep chemical peel or a full
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field deep laser resurfacing,
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which has significant
recovery associated with it.
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Now if you're 80 and you
lived in Florida your whole
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life and there was no sunscreen
when you were a child,
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you might need that full
field laser resurfacing.
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But if you're 40 or 50 and
you're doing some of these
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light peels, energy based restorations,
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and then you every once in
a while do a little bit to
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maintain that in terms
of in-office treatment,
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you may be able to avoid ever going
for that big laser resurfacing.
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So things like that illustrate
how that maintenance is
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both part of the plan before
and after a big treatment,
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but may modulate whether or not
you need the big treatment and
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certainly modulates when
you are going to need it.
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So we've covered the progression
of treatments in the face.
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How does this work on the body?
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So body contouring is one of
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several components that are
part of a lifestyle if you're
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concerned about keeping your
body shape in a range that you
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find attractive. So it's
partly about sensible diet.
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It's partly about a
certain amount of exercise,
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but there's certain stubborn areas that
are just notorious for not dieting or
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exercising where that even
very trim and fit people will
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manifest, and that's what body
contouring is ideally for.
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There are surgical options like
liposuction, tummy tucks, thigh lifts,
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there, non-surgical options
like CoolSculpting, SculpSure
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and several others,
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but all of these are
going to knock a shape
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back where you want it. That's
kind of come out of range.
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So everyone walks around thinking, okay,
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I'm just going to get my shape the way
I want it and then I'm good forever
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and realistically, that's
not how life works.
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Everybody has more than
one shape challenge
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or contour challenge in their lifetime.
Maybe you get pregnant,
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maybe you sprain an ankle and
don't go to the gym for a month or
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two.
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Maybe you're busy at work or have
some life stress and eating more than
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usual and exercising less.
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So it's always a continuous
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process of maintenance
because the body is always
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changing and in particular
at different life stages,
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you're going to have a different
body shape even if your weight on the
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scale is exactly stable,
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your body shape is going to change,
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particularly at pregnancy and
menopause, big shape changes.
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I have ladies that come into my office
lighter than they were before they had a
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baby,
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but their body shape is different
and it's different in ways they don't
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always like that we have
to chase a little bit.
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So that's a little bit of how
maintenance and restoration work
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in body contouring.
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Lastly, Dr. Bass, before we wrap up,
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can you give our listeners some
parting takeaways from this episode?
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Yes. Again, it's about
this thought process,
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how you're going to do things. So
first, recognize that planning is key.
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You're going to be more efficient,
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get much more out of
what you're trying to do,
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be much more successful at achieving
your goals If you spend a little
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bit of time and effort planning
with your plastic surgeon,
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prevention is essential.
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These are lifestyle choices that
we hopefully adopt early in life
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and maintain eating sensibly, not smoking,
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wearing sunscreen.
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Just certain basic practical
things that contribute to our
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health and wellbeing also
contribute to a great extent to our
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appearance.
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Maintenance is a great idea and
dedicating some time and budget to
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maintenance activities is a good thing,
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but you don't want to be so
obsessed with maintenance that you
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disrupt your life. I'm in New
York, New Yorkers are busy.
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Most of us don't want to play with
our skin for three hours a day,
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but if you put on a product after washing
up in the morning and you put on a
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product after washing up before bed,
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you can probably do 90% of
what you could do with a much
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more extensive regimen. Finally,
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try to restore when it's needed,
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not when it's screaming to be done.
You get less return on the investment.
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If a restoration is done
very late in the game,
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it's not going to correct as completely,
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it's not going to correct as
durably if you wait till it's
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screaming to be done.
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It's much more practical to say,
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I know I'm going to do it sooner or later.
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And when you are noticing the changes that
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translate to a particular procedure,
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then you resign yourself that
it's time to proceed. And again,
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your plastic surgeon is your best
advisor when these things are
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appropriate and when it's too soon
and you don't want to use your
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big playing card yet.
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Many important points
that were raised there.
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Thank you Dr. Bass for sharing
your insight and expertise with us.
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00:15:18,740 --> 00:15:22,400
Thank you for listening to the Park
Avenue Plastic Surgery Class podcast.
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00:15:22,850 --> 00:15:25,070
Follow us on Apple
Podcasts, write a review,
242
00:15:25,100 --> 00:15:26,390
and share the show with your friends.
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00:15:26,870 --> 00:15:29,960
Be sure to join us next time to avoid
missing all the great content that's
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00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:33,500
coming your way. If you want to
contact us with comments or questions,
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00:15:33,500 --> 00:15:34,400
we'd love to hear from you.
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00:15:34,910 --> 00:15:39,890
Send us an email at podcast@drbass.net
or DM us on Instagram @drbassnyc.
00:00:00,690 --> 00:00:03,360
Welcome to Park Avenue
Plastic Surgery Class,
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00:00:03,660 --> 00:00:07,830
a podcast where we explore controversies
and breaking issues in plastic surgery.
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00:00:08,250 --> 00:00:09,810
I'm your co-host, Doreen Wu,
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00:00:10,020 --> 00:00:13,200
a clinical assistant at Bass
Plastic Surgery in New York City.
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00:00:13,650 --> 00:00:18,090
I'm excited to be here with Dr. Lawrence
Bass, Park Avenue plastic surgeon,
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00:00:18,390 --> 00:00:20,520
educator, and technology innovator.
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00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:24,090
The title of today's
episode is "Maintain vs.
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00:00:24,450 --> 00:00:29,400
Restore." I understand this title,
it's more straightforward than usual,
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00:00:29,580 --> 00:00:33,270
but perhaps you can explain the
intent behind this episode, Dr. Bass.
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00:00:33,510 --> 00:00:38,490
Basically this is an episode
about planning and it's another
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00:00:38,490 --> 00:00:43,170
way of thinking about the
need to plan and how to
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00:00:43,170 --> 00:00:46,830
plan so you get the most
out of your plastic surgery,
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00:00:47,370 --> 00:00:51,750
you get the most out of whatever your
budget might be and however much time you
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00:00:51,750 --> 00:00:53,700
can invest in the process.
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00:00:54,750 --> 00:00:56,830
I see. I think I know
where we're going here.
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00:00:57,570 --> 00:01:01,530
So let's get into the meat of the topic.
What are the options that we have?
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00:01:02,340 --> 00:01:05,790
So in reconstructive plastic surgery,
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00:01:05,970 --> 00:01:10,050
we classically have this
reconstructive ladder.
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00:01:10,110 --> 00:01:13,620
We start with the
simplest, easiest things,
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00:01:14,130 --> 00:01:17,430
the smallest surgery with the least risk,
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00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,720
and based on the severity of the problem,
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00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:23,070
we progress.
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00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:27,120
If a simple reconstruction
is not likely to work,
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00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:29,310
we pick something more complex,
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00:01:29,320 --> 00:01:32,910
but we don't start with the
most complex reconstruction.
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00:01:33,450 --> 00:01:36,840
So in aesthetics, I mean
we're not reconstructing,
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00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:41,640
but let's use the word restore so we can
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00:01:41,650 --> 00:01:45,990
do things to fix something
that's already gone
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00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:48,780
awry. Some aging has taken place.
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00:01:49,230 --> 00:01:52,830
It's something that we
don't like looking at.
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00:01:52,860 --> 00:01:55,350
It's visible. We see it,
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00:01:55,530 --> 00:01:58,230
our friends and coworkers see it,
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00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,470
so we have to change something.
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00:02:03,090 --> 00:02:06,030
Ideally before we get to that point,
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00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:10,020
we're doing things to
maintain our appearance,
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00:02:10,020 --> 00:02:14,490
to keep us from aging or let us
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00:02:14,790 --> 00:02:19,770
age at the slowest rate possible
and things to prevent aging,
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00:02:20,820 --> 00:02:25,410
and so it's not one or the
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00:02:25,410 --> 00:02:30,120
other. We're obviously going
to do several things and
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00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:31,020
early in the game,
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00:02:31,020 --> 00:02:34,830
we're going to do things to prevent and
then we're going to do some prevention
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00:02:34,830 --> 00:02:35,490
and maintenance,
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00:02:35,490 --> 00:02:39,900
and eventually we're going to have to
do some prevention and maintenance with
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00:02:39,900 --> 00:02:43,020
some restoration.
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00:02:43,020 --> 00:02:45,780
And that could be surgical
or it could be nonsurgical,
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00:02:45,780 --> 00:02:49,920
but some kind of treatment that's
actually going to fix a problem.
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00:02:50,790 --> 00:02:54,780
And so we're going to
slowly progress to more
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00:02:54,780 --> 00:02:57,570
restoration as we age,
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00:02:57,780 --> 00:03:01,000
but we're still going to need
prevention and maintenance.
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00:03:01,270 --> 00:03:03,130
So it's not one or the other.
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00:03:03,130 --> 00:03:07,270
There's a balance and that balance shifts.
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00:03:08,350 --> 00:03:11,330
And how does that change or
shift depending on your age?
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00:03:12,370 --> 00:03:13,540
So as I mentioned,
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00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:18,700
we're going to start off with
prevention and we're going to add on and
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00:03:18,850 --> 00:03:23,710
we'll start abandoning treatments
and maintenance things that
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00:03:23,710 --> 00:03:28,510
are no longer helpful. There are a
few things that kind of drop off,
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00:03:28,780 --> 00:03:33,280
but mostly we're adding new
things, either bigger treatments,
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00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:36,130
but we're keeping some of the
prevention and maintenance.
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00:03:36,130 --> 00:03:38,800
And so an example might be like sunscreen,
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00:03:39,340 --> 00:03:42,970
that's prevention and
you're going to add to that,
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00:03:42,970 --> 00:03:45,430
but you're not going to
stop using sunscreen.
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00:03:46,180 --> 00:03:48,670
So now let's put aside age.
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00:03:48,730 --> 00:03:52,570
Can you give me some overarching guiding
principles for how planning should be
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00:03:52,570 --> 00:03:54,010
done regardless of age?
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00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:57,340
Well you start with what your needs are,
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00:03:57,340 --> 00:04:01,960
what you're starting to see or beauty
issues that you're most concerned with.
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00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:05,200
And everyone's a little different.
Some people come in and they say,
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00:04:05,500 --> 00:04:10,420
I don't mind my crow's feet. I earned
them, but I hate that loose skin.
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00:04:10,430 --> 00:04:13,210
I'm starting to get under
my chin or the jowl.
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00:04:13,220 --> 00:04:18,130
I'm starting to see other patients
say, I hate the crow's feet,
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00:04:18,130 --> 00:04:21,520
but I don't mind my jawline.
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00:04:21,550 --> 00:04:24,220
And other people come in
and say, fix everything.
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00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:27,850
So it starts with what you are
seeing and what bothers you,
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00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:31,960
and you intersect that with your budget
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00:04:32,830 --> 00:04:37,150
and an assessment by your plastic
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00:04:37,150 --> 00:04:41,260
surgeon about what the
plastic surgeon sees
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00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:48,490
and what's a prominent feature
in your appearance at this time.
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00:04:49,210 --> 00:04:52,990
The other thing that the plastic
surgeon can help you with,
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00:04:52,990 --> 00:04:57,400
because you may not know
quite as well as someone who
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00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:01,510
spent 20, 30 years working on aging faces,
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00:05:01,810 --> 00:05:04,240
you may not know what's coming soon,
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00:05:04,540 --> 00:05:08,830
but your plastic surgeon probably does.
And so that's
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00:05:08,830 --> 00:05:12,250
useful to help you with planning.
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00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:17,770
You don't want to do an energy-based skin
lifting treatment if you think you're
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00:05:17,770 --> 00:05:22,600
doing a minimally invasive
treatment for your neck in the
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00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:23,680
next year,
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00:05:23,950 --> 00:05:28,480
you're going to save that money and
budget it towards the minimally invasive
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00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:29,260
procedure.
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00:05:29,260 --> 00:05:34,180
So you wouldn't do ulthera or soft
wave if you know you're going to
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00:05:34,190 --> 00:05:38,860
be doing something like myEllevate
or submentoplasty something
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00:05:38,870 --> 00:05:43,750
surgical in the next year because you
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00:05:43,750 --> 00:05:46,840
know you're getting to that point where
you're going to have to pull the trigger
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00:05:46,840 --> 00:05:51,370
on something surgical so your
plastic surgeon can advise you
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00:05:51,670 --> 00:05:53,710
what features are starting to show,
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00:05:53,710 --> 00:05:57,590
what features are likely to
show in the next few years,
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00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:00,330
and that helps you set priorities.
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00:06:01,530 --> 00:06:05,390
You've alluded to some procedures
related to the face so far,
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00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:10,070
but can you now tell us how
does planning work in the face
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00:06:10,070 --> 00:06:11,330
area and the neck,
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00:06:11,570 --> 00:06:14,870
and can you give us some common examples
to help us understand more clearly?
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00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:18,740
So let's start with laxity.
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00:06:18,740 --> 00:06:23,720
Laxity is the ultimate
concern that we end up with
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00:06:23,730 --> 00:06:28,130
sooner or later loose skin in the
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00:06:28,130 --> 00:06:31,190
jawline, the gel hanging in the neck.
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00:06:31,580 --> 00:06:36,020
And so the big question is
always when is it time for the
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00:06:36,030 --> 00:06:37,520
facelift or the neck lift?
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00:06:37,530 --> 00:06:41,360
And some people are hoping they're
never going to have to do it.
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00:06:43,430 --> 00:06:45,860
For people that are in
their twenties, thirties,
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00:06:45,890 --> 00:06:49,220
I don't know what the options are going
to be when they get to the stage where
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00:06:49,220 --> 00:06:53,330
they might need it. For
people who are somewhat older,
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00:06:53,540 --> 00:06:56,120
somewhere between now and
the time you're a hundred,
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00:06:56,300 --> 00:06:58,340
if you want to look your best,
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00:06:58,340 --> 00:07:01,850
you're going to need that
surgical facelift or neck lift.
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00:07:02,270 --> 00:07:04,220
Now you may choose never to do it,
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00:07:04,310 --> 00:07:09,230
but medically there isn't going to be
any other way to meaningfully correct
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00:07:09,290 --> 00:07:10,700
that. However,
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00:07:10,700 --> 00:07:15,320
before we get to that point where
we have a great deal of redundant
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00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:16,153
skin,
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00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:20,990
we have a lot of ways of reversing or
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00:07:20,990 --> 00:07:25,100
restoring some of the skin laxity and
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00:07:25,430 --> 00:07:29,360
maintaining that.
So going forward you age more slowly.
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00:07:29,390 --> 00:07:34,370
And so that starts with externally
applied energy, things like Ultherapy
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00:07:35,900 --> 00:07:37,130
and Sofwave,
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00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:42,890
internally applied energy designed to
stimulate the skin to tighten up things
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00:07:43,550 --> 00:07:46,040
like FaceTite, AccuTite,
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00:07:49,790 --> 00:07:54,680
things like minimally invasive
procedures that are done under local
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00:07:54,690 --> 00:07:57,140
anesthesia, through needle punctures,
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00:07:57,150 --> 00:08:00,380
thread lifts and MyEllevate,
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00:08:00,380 --> 00:08:04,760
which has very good durability
and the greater degree of
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00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:05,593
correction.
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00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:10,760
And then eventually you're into
the formal surgical lifting.
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00:08:11,690 --> 00:08:16,580
Skin surface changes are another example
where there's this wide array and
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00:08:16,580 --> 00:08:17,960
sort of a progression.
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00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:22,460
So as you start to see rough
texture wrinkles in the skin,
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00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:26,600
you may be using home skin
products and that makes sense,
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00:08:26,990 --> 00:08:29,360
retinoid or a growth factor product.
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00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:33,770
And of course we already said you're using
your sunscreen since you were in your
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00:08:33,830 --> 00:08:36,560
twenties or hopefully
since your childhood.
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00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:41,990
But then when you start
to see more things,
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00:08:41,990 --> 00:08:46,010
you need to get something
medical into the program.
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00:08:46,010 --> 00:08:48,350
It may be a series of in-office,
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00:08:48,950 --> 00:08:51,020
superficial chemical peels.
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00:08:51,020 --> 00:08:54,380
It may be energy-based treatments
like radiofrequency microneedling
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00:08:55,620 --> 00:09:00,150
or fractional laser resurfacing.
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00:09:00,750 --> 00:09:05,100
And by ironing out small
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00:09:05,110 --> 00:09:06,060
changes,
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00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:10,860
we hope we can put off
or possibly avoid the
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00:09:10,860 --> 00:09:15,060
need for deep chemical peel or a full
149
00:09:15,060 --> 00:09:18,480
field deep laser resurfacing,
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00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:21,390
which has significant
recovery associated with it.
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00:09:21,810 --> 00:09:26,250
Now if you're 80 and you
lived in Florida your whole
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00:09:26,250 --> 00:09:29,880
life and there was no sunscreen
when you were a child,
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00:09:30,420 --> 00:09:34,620
you might need that full
field laser resurfacing.
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00:09:35,190 --> 00:09:40,140
But if you're 40 or 50 and
you're doing some of these
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00:09:40,150 --> 00:09:44,010
light peels, energy based restorations,
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00:09:44,070 --> 00:09:48,600
and then you every once in
a while do a little bit to
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00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:51,600
maintain that in terms
of in-office treatment,
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00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:56,670
you may be able to avoid ever going
for that big laser resurfacing.
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00:09:57,510 --> 00:10:02,460
So things like that illustrate
how that maintenance is
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00:10:02,460 --> 00:10:05,940
both part of the plan before
and after a big treatment,
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00:10:06,570 --> 00:10:11,130
but may modulate whether or not
you need the big treatment and
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00:10:11,130 --> 00:10:14,310
certainly modulates when
you are going to need it.
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00:10:15,300 --> 00:10:19,500
So we've covered the progression
of treatments in the face.
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00:10:19,680 --> 00:10:20,910
How does this work on the body?
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00:10:21,750 --> 00:10:26,460
So body contouring is one of
166
00:10:26,640 --> 00:10:31,380
several components that are
part of a lifestyle if you're
167
00:10:31,380 --> 00:10:36,240
concerned about keeping your
body shape in a range that you
168
00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:40,200
find attractive. So it's
partly about sensible diet.
169
00:10:40,500 --> 00:10:43,710
It's partly about a
certain amount of exercise,
170
00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:48,420
but there's certain stubborn areas that
are just notorious for not dieting or
171
00:10:48,420 --> 00:10:52,830
exercising where that even
very trim and fit people will
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00:10:52,830 --> 00:10:56,940
manifest, and that's what body
contouring is ideally for.
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00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:02,940
There are surgical options like
liposuction, tummy tucks, thigh lifts,
174
00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:06,420
there, non-surgical options
like CoolSculpting, SculpSure
175
00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:10,860
and several others,
176
00:11:12,150 --> 00:11:16,740
but all of these are
going to knock a shape
177
00:11:16,890 --> 00:11:20,400
back where you want it. That's
kind of come out of range.
178
00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:24,780
So everyone walks around thinking, okay,
179
00:11:24,780 --> 00:11:29,100
I'm just going to get my shape the way
I want it and then I'm good forever
180
00:11:30,030 --> 00:11:33,360
and realistically, that's
not how life works.
181
00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:38,220
Everybody has more than
one shape challenge
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00:11:38,220 --> 00:11:42,900
or contour challenge in their lifetime.
Maybe you get pregnant,
183
00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:48,930
maybe you sprain an ankle and
don't go to the gym for a month or
184
00:11:48,930 --> 00:11:49,650
two.
185
00:11:49,650 --> 00:11:54,010
Maybe you're busy at work or have
some life stress and eating more than
186
00:11:54,020 --> 00:11:56,950
usual and exercising less.
187
00:11:57,100 --> 00:12:01,150
So it's always a continuous
188
00:12:01,150 --> 00:12:05,860
process of maintenance
because the body is always
189
00:12:05,860 --> 00:12:09,940
changing and in particular
at different life stages,
190
00:12:09,940 --> 00:12:14,440
you're going to have a different
body shape even if your weight on the
191
00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:17,260
scale is exactly stable,
192
00:12:17,590 --> 00:12:19,840
your body shape is going to change,
193
00:12:19,990 --> 00:12:24,490
particularly at pregnancy and
menopause, big shape changes.
194
00:12:24,490 --> 00:12:29,020
I have ladies that come into my office
lighter than they were before they had a
195
00:12:29,020 --> 00:12:29,510
baby,
196
00:12:29,510 --> 00:12:34,090
but their body shape is different
and it's different in ways they don't
197
00:12:34,090 --> 00:12:37,150
always like that we have
to chase a little bit.
198
00:12:37,780 --> 00:12:42,730
So that's a little bit of how
maintenance and restoration work
199
00:12:42,730 --> 00:12:44,110
in body contouring.
200
00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:46,960
Lastly, Dr. Bass, before we wrap up,
201
00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:49,990
can you give our listeners some
parting takeaways from this episode?
202
00:12:50,950 --> 00:12:55,300
Yes. Again, it's about
this thought process,
203
00:12:55,390 --> 00:12:59,980
how you're going to do things. So
first, recognize that planning is key.
204
00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:01,930
You're going to be more efficient,
205
00:13:01,930 --> 00:13:04,930
get much more out of
what you're trying to do,
206
00:13:04,930 --> 00:13:09,910
be much more successful at achieving
your goals If you spend a little
207
00:13:09,910 --> 00:13:13,540
bit of time and effort planning
with your plastic surgeon,
208
00:13:15,430 --> 00:13:17,260
prevention is essential.
209
00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:22,240
These are lifestyle choices that
we hopefully adopt early in life
210
00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:26,350
and maintain eating sensibly, not smoking,
211
00:13:26,650 --> 00:13:28,390
wearing sunscreen.
212
00:13:28,870 --> 00:13:33,610
Just certain basic practical
things that contribute to our
213
00:13:33,610 --> 00:13:37,930
health and wellbeing also
contribute to a great extent to our
214
00:13:38,020 --> 00:13:38,920
appearance.
215
00:13:39,940 --> 00:13:44,500
Maintenance is a great idea and
dedicating some time and budget to
216
00:13:44,530 --> 00:13:48,970
maintenance activities is a good thing,
217
00:13:49,510 --> 00:13:54,070
but you don't want to be so
obsessed with maintenance that you
218
00:13:54,070 --> 00:13:58,390
disrupt your life. I'm in New
York, New Yorkers are busy.
219
00:13:58,390 --> 00:14:02,530
Most of us don't want to play with
our skin for three hours a day,
220
00:14:03,010 --> 00:14:07,120
but if you put on a product after washing
up in the morning and you put on a
221
00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:09,520
product after washing up before bed,
222
00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:14,950
you can probably do 90% of
what you could do with a much
223
00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:19,390
more extensive regimen. Finally,
224
00:14:19,570 --> 00:14:23,290
try to restore when it's needed,
225
00:14:23,710 --> 00:14:28,570
not when it's screaming to be done.
You get less return on the investment.
226
00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:32,920
If a restoration is done
very late in the game,
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it's not going to correct as completely,
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00:14:35,770 --> 00:14:40,270
it's not going to correct as
durably if you wait till it's
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00:14:40,270 --> 00:14:41,650
screaming to be done.
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00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:45,310
It's much more practical to say,
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I know I'm going to do it sooner or later.
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00:14:48,070 --> 00:14:50,920
And when you are noticing the changes that
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00:14:52,940 --> 00:14:55,700
translate to a particular procedure,
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00:14:56,120 --> 00:15:00,170
then you resign yourself that
it's time to proceed. And again,
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00:15:00,170 --> 00:15:04,400
your plastic surgeon is your best
advisor when these things are
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00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:09,260
appropriate and when it's too soon
and you don't want to use your
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00:15:09,260 --> 00:15:10,580
big playing card yet.
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00:15:11,630 --> 00:15:13,760
Many important points
that were raised there.
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00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:17,150
Thank you Dr. Bass for sharing
your insight and expertise with us.
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00:15:18,740 --> 00:15:22,400
Thank you for listening to the Park
Avenue Plastic Surgery Class podcast.
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00:15:22,850 --> 00:15:25,070
Follow us on Apple
Podcasts, write a review,
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00:15:25,100 --> 00:15:26,390
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coming your way. If you want to
contact us with comments or questions,
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00:15:33,500 --> 00:15:34,400
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00:15:34,910 --> 00:15:39,890
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