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Feeling a little self-conscious about taking part in summertime fun this year? Instead of covering up during the hot months, why not draw attention away from less than perfect body parts with a smooth, glowing face? A little fountain of youth may be all you need to boost your confidence, but how to find it without going under the knife or breaking your piggy bank?
Jan Reid, 61, asked herself the
very same question. When she looked into the mirror recently, she didn't like
what was reflecting back at her.
"I was starting
to see significant changes in my skin. It looked to me like I was losing the battle
against time and gravity. I needed a stronger game plan," says Reid, a real
estate agent in Atlanta. "In my business looking old is not
an option. People tend to associate old with diminished effectiveness. I couldn't
afford to look much more than in my 50s."
She didn't feel ready for surgery,
nor was she willing to invest $5,200 -- the average
cost of a face lift. Her plastic surgeon suggested
she try microdermabrasion, a skin-freshening technique
that uses a device like a sandblaster to spray tiny
crystals across the face, mixing gentle abrasion
with suction to remove the dead outer layer of skin.
Reid went for a series of five treatments spaced out
over a few months. "It felt like a cat licking you with
a sandpaper tongue, but there was no discomfort. After the treatment, you got
a nice cooling mask that calmed everything down. I walked out of the office and
there wasn't even a trace of evidence that I had anything done -- no swelling
or redness." By the third treatment, Janice started to
notice a difference. "My skin was so bright and clear.
My pores were smaller. It's not an exaggeration to say that I easily felt that
I looked five to seven years younger. When I looked in the mirror, I liked the
face looking back at me."
Put away the scalpel and scrape
away at costs, too
Today, plastic surgeons
have many more techniques to rejuvenate the face that cost less, are less invasive
than traditional plastic surgery and have fewer complications. "These
are definitely exciting times for the rejuvenation of the face," exclaims
Dr. Thomas L. Tzikas, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon practicing in Delray
Beach, Fla. "We can do a lot more today without cutting.
We can make people look younger and more natural without traditional surgery." Dr.
William Silver, a board-certified plastic surgeon practicing in Atlanta, agrees.
"Younger patients are more concerned today with aging looks than ever before,
and we have more techniques than ever to achieve a good result."
Financing the new you
To pay to drink from the fountain of youth, patients generally
use cash or credit cards. One plastic surgery office manager described a common
theme among some of his office's patients. "Women always
seem to have secret stash of cash. They'll charge part of the cost to a credit
card -- a justifiable expense to hubby -- and pay for the rest in cash so hubby
is none the wiser. I'm still looking for my wife's secret stash," he chuckled.
Unfortunately, according to the IRS, cosmetic surgery
is not a reimbursable cost under employer flexible spending plans.
Here's a rundown of some of the new techniques available
to plastic surgeons today to help you look younger and the average
cost of each.
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Alternatives to face-lift |
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Power
peels or microdermabrasion. This technique consists
of a series of procedures that remove the top layer of skin, allowing
a fresh layer of skin to emerge on the face with reduced discoloration
and fewer of the very fine wrinkles.
Aluminum
oxide crystals literally blow up against the skin at high force, taking off the
top layer of skin and resulting in a gentle abrasion or polishing process. It
stimulates the production of skin cells and collagen. The number of treatments
recommended for maximum results varies. There are virtually no side effects. The
procedure gives the skin an overall fresh, healthy looking glow. Normal activities
can be resumed immediately. "It's relatively inexpensive,"
said Dr. Silver, vice president of the American Academy of Facial, Plastic and
Reconstructive Surgery.
Cost: A series of five or
six treatments, done once every two to three weeks,
will cost about $1,000 based on national averages.
Power
peel/Laser photo facial combination. For skin that has more
fine lines, acne scarring or blemish damage and discoloration, the
power peel can be combined with a flash lamp or photo laser that
puts heat into the deeper layers of the skin and forms new collagen.
"There's no down time,"
notes Dr. Silver. "Your face gets red for several hours, but not so red you
can't go back to work."
Cost: The series of five microdermabrasion
or power peels and five flash lamp treatments will cost about $2,000.
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