Liposuction is a popular body-shaping procedure through which we have helped many people feel a renewed sense of confidence. The surgery is performed hundreds of thousands of times a year all around the world, and it has been for many years. Still, we continue to meet potential patients who have a few wrong ideas about what liposuction is all about. Here, we want to set the record straight about liposuction and weight.
Can liposuction help you lose weight?
Liposuction is a fat-reducing procedure. A large number of enlarged fat cells make us, well, fat. It would make sense, then, to assume that removing a number of enlarged fat cells from one or more parts of the body would decrease weight. Interestingly, it doesn't happen this way. Although several liters of fatty matter can be removed during a liposuction procedure, the main result is seen in the mirror, not on the scale. If you're interested in reaching a goal weight, liposuction won't help you. If you're interested in getting rid of fatty deposits on your thighs, buttocks, tummy, arms, chin, or other area, liposuction may be an excellent treatment option for outstanding results.
Won't the fat just come back?
One of the concerns that patients have when considering liposuction is that the fat they have removed will simply come back after surgery. This is a tricky concept. The body will not grow new fat cells to replace those that have been removed by liposuction. Fat also will not migrate from one area of the body to the area treated with liposuction. However, that doesn't mean body shape can't change in the future. Body contouring is determined by the size of the fat cells in any given area. If, after liposuction, diet and exercise habits fall to the wayside, it is very possible that fat cells will enlarge. This can happen anywhere on the body, including an area previously treated with liposuction.
What many people discover is that, once they've corrected stubborn areas of fat with liposuction, their motivation to eat well and exercise regularly increases. When you feel good about your body, you want to show it more love in as many ways as you can.
Is liposuction right for you? We can help you find out. Contact our office to schedule a body-shaping consultation.
Will a Breast Lift Last?
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
For years, studies have suggested that breast procedures have a lot to offer. Women interested in a procedure like a breast lift tend to know this on some level and yet questions about things like recovery and results still arise. We understand why. Plastic surgery necessitates an investment of time and money. Who doesn't want to know that they can expect a substantial reward for their input? So, is breast lift surgery worth it? Yes, even though the effects of aging will affect breast shape at some point in the future.
The Reason for Sagging Breasts
It often seems as though we naturally point a finger at pregnancy and breastfeeding as primary causes for changes to the breasts. There is some validity to this but there are other factors that can lead to breast sag. Aging is one of them. Body chemistry is another, and then there is the matter of muscle tone. Seeing just these few factors, we can identify ways to support long-term shapeliness after breast lift treatment.
Aging and body chemistry go together like peas in a pod. We say that aging is a primary factor in the skin losing elasticity and firmness. However, the direct reason that this happens is that the older body doesn't produce collagen like it did when it was younger. Collagen is the protein that gives skin its firmness and resiliency. Firmness and resiliency inhibit thinning and sagging, which means that collagen is an important factor in breast shape. Aging cannot be stopped, we all know that, but we can offset some of the effects of aging by supporting body chemistry. when it comes to collagen production, the magic ingredient is vitamin C. This vitamin can be taken orally every day and can also be applied to the skin for extended benefits.
Muscle tone is not something many women are interested in having on their chest. However, there is value in maintaining a slight degree of tightness in the pectoral muscles that lie beneath breast tissue. We're not suggesting that these muscles be built-up but that they are toned with basic exercises like planks or push-ups. When toned, the pectoral muscles support the height of the breasts on the chest wall.
Schedule a consultation at Berschof Plastic Surgery to learn more about the benefits of breast lift surgery.
Facelift Surgery Recovery: What to Expect
Monday, April 15, 2019
Facelift surgery offers a variety of benefits. Reducing the signs of aging doesn’t just improve your appearance, it improves how you feel in general. Many of our patients who undergo a facelift to reposition sagging tissues and tighten the skin look so much like their younger selves that they feel a surge of youthful energy and interest in their life. It brings us a great deal of joy to see the positive impact a custom facial procedure can make. We can help you enjoy the positive impact in your life, too. But first, we’ll answer the big question.
What to Expect after Facelift Surgery
A surgical procedure of any kind can be intimidating until you know what to expect during the recovery process. Patients should be prepared for
Swelling. While discomfort is what patients are most concerned about, swelling may be the primary side effect they encounter. After surgery, a dressing is placed around the sides of the face to apply gentle pressure on the incision sites and area of treatment. Swelling, as well as comfort, can improve with cold compresses (apply for no more than 20 minutes at a time) and with elevation. Patients may sleep with their head elevated for about one week.
Bruising. Some people experience quite a bit of bruising after a facelift, and some develop only minor bruises. The good news is that, by the two-week mark, even substantial bruising is typically 90+ percent better.
There is a potential for numbness. Not everyone experiences this side effect, but it is not uncommon. Numbness relates to the minor disruption in the nerve endings in the mid and lower face during surgery. As nerve endings reconnect, full sensation should be restored.
About Discomfort
The pain aspect of recovery is typically right up there with wanting a good result from surgery for most patients. Fortunately, patients ease into the sensations of their new facial structure as their general anesthesia wears off. By the time soreness in the surgical area begins, it is time to take the first dose of prescription pain medication. Taking this medication as directed, rather than waiting to feel uncomfortable, is the best way to ensure a stress-free recovery. Within a few days, soreness paves way to a generally tight sensation that may coincide with the numbness we mentioned.
Learn more about facelift techniques and how this procedure can give you your younger self back. Schedule a consultation in our Denver office at 303.399.7662.
Refresh Your Eyes for Spring
Friday, March 15, 2019
We are entering the time of year in which we witness the physical renewal of the natural world. In the spring, everything is fresh and new and vibrant. If, when you look in the mirror, you see someone who looks tired, sad, or angry, you may feel out of sorts. Tired-looking eyes are a major problem. You can’t hide them and when a good night’s sleep doesn’t do the trick, the appearance of bags, dark circles, and other eyelid-related problems become all-but-impossible to ignore. Here, we suggest a few ways to add some freshness to your face through eyelid rejuvenation.
Identifying the Problem is Just the First Step
It takes about a split-second to identify the problem that may be making your eyes look tired. Without hesitation, you may recognize that it’s hefty undereye bags that are dragging your appearance down. Or, it may be that the tissue just above your lash line has disappeared beneath the sagging skin of the upper eyelid. Maybe your concern is that your face looks angry due to a perpetual frown, or that the outer edges of your eyebrows has become droopy and sad. Making note of the concern is one thing, the next question is “how bad is it?”
The eyes are one of the first areas of the face to show signs of aging. Observing the severity of the problem allows you to recognize the true value of the various treatments you may consider. For example, if the tissue on your upper eyelid is hiding the lower part of the lid, a little Botox may not be sufficient for noticeable rejuvenation.
Treatments for Younger-Looking Eyes
The choice to treat aging eyes is very personal. We view our job as the role of informant. When you visit our Denver office, you can expect a thorough evaluation of your skin and discussion regarding your desired outcome. Using the details obtained, we can then provide the information you need on each potential treatment. To restore a youthful appearance to the eyes, patients consider:
This injectable wrinkle-reducer can soften crow’s feet and gently lift the brow or eliminate frown lines. Results last about 3 months.
Dermal fillers. Undereye bags can be beautifully disguised for up to 12 months with injections into the uppermost part of the cheek.
Surgical eyelid rejuvenation offers the longest lasting results because there is no drug to wear off. The effects of blepharoplasty on the upper or lower eyelid are only changed with age.
Jump into spring with a beautifully refreshed face. Call our Denver office at 303.399.7662 to learn more about eyelid rejuvenation.
Surgery, Botox, and Your Brows
Friday, February 15, 2019
We all know that aging causes us to get lines and creases around our eyes and mouth. However, the more dramatic effects of aging involve the way in which the entire shape of the face can change over time. In youth, facial structure is wider at the top and narrow at the bottom, like a V. With age, this general shape turns upside down, with more “weight” and width falling at the jawline. This inversion also drags the upper face downward.
Tissue changes in the face affect the eyebrows and eyes by pulling the brows down below the bony ridge on which they should sit. When the brows droop below the orbital rim, the upper eyelids appear heavy. Depending on the angle of the eyebrow droop, the eyes may appear generally tired or they may give the impression that a person is angry or sad. Fortunately, these concerns can be corrected. The question is, what is the best approach for your needs?
The Botox Brow Lift
The development of cosmetic injectables has changed the way we address aging. Many more people will consider Botox injections than will discuss a surgical brow lift with any degree of serious consideration. Botox is the original injectable and one that remains popular for its ability to reduce frown lines and restore some degree of height to the aging brow.
Advantages of a Botox brow lift include:
Convenient in-office treatment takes less than 20 minutes
No downtime and minimal, temporary side effects like redness and swelling
Affordable treatment achieves results that last approximately 4 months
Treatment is tailored to lift the brow into natural, beautiful contours
The Surgical Brow Lift
A brow lift may also be referred to as a forehead lift. The surgical procedure is more in-depth, obviously than a few injections. Our brow lift procedure involves a coronal incision made behind the hair line where the minor resulting scar will be completely hidden. Through the incision, the tissue on the forehead is released from the downward pull of gravity and excess tissue is removed. Throughout the procedure, the upper orbital rim (bony ridge above the eye) is observed as the guide for proper brow position.
Advantages of a surgical brow lift include:
Permanent results that naturally change with the aging process
Smoother, tighter skin from the eyes up to the hairline
Elimination of frown lines and sad or tired-looking eyes
Smoother, tighter appearing upper eyelids
Can be combined with eyelid rejuvenation for more dramatic results
You’re a phone call away from better-looking eyes. Learn more about your brow lift options in a consultation in our Denver office. Call 303.399.7662.
Want to Finally Experience Success? Get Help for Those Beauty Resolutions!
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Resolutions that revolve around looking and feeling better seem easy. They are definitely easy to make because it’s no secret we humans like to feel good about our appearance. Achieving success may also seem simple because there are multiple ways to go about improving cosmetic concerns. What we don’t account for when resolving to bring out our natural beauty is how time works against us. If one of your goals is to reduce the signs of aging, your body and the environment are conspiring to age your skin and superficial tissue. This is why so many beauty resolutions fail when they don’t involve teamwork.
Teamwork can Make Your Beauty Dream Work
Two (or more) heads are better than one anytime a problem needs to be tackled. The reason it pays to get help for beauty resolutions is that a trained professional can look at a problem and discern what is behind it or, in this case, beneath it. For example, it may seem obvious that lines and creases are aging the face. However, your doctor will look at lines and creases and understand why they have occurred. In some instances, the issue is muscle contractions. In others, it is the depletion of collagen and fatty tissue that leads to lines and wrinkles. Knowing the cause, your provider can implement the appropriate strategy to achieve optimal results.
How We Can Help You Reach Success
Ultimately, we can help you reach success by listening. During a consultation in our Denver office, you can expect us to take great interest in your concerns, your desired outcome, and even your reasoning behind wanting a cosmetic improvement. From a place of clear understanding, Dr. Berschof develops a treatment plan to suit your needs and preferences.
Many of the treatments we perform do not involve surgery and the downtime that comes with it. If your goal this year is to feel and look like a younger version of yourself, it may be possible to turn back the clock using only a few injections of dermal fillers, Botox, or both. Youthful skin also relates to ongoing care, which we can provide with microdermabrasion treatments that maximize your daily skin care program.
Surgery such as liposuction, abdominoplasty, a facelift, or other rejuvenating procedures does incur downtime. However, the initial recovery from most cosmetic procedures is no more than two weeks. After that point, only residual swelling and mild bruising may remain. On the other side of recovery, patients get to enjoy years of beautiful results.
All summer long, we hear about the value of quality sunscreen and protective habits. We listen to suggestions like “wear a hat, or your face might peel!” Studies have proven that one or more bad burns in childhood can significantly increase a person’s risk for skin cancer as an adult. This detail could lead us to have a limited connotation of peeling. When it’s related to a sunburn, peeling is terrible. When it’s the result of controlled treatment, peeling can be oh, so good for the overall health of your skin. Here, we want to point out one of the biggest reasons you may want to call our Denver office this winter to schedule a chemical peel and consult for medical grade skincare.
Why we NEED to Peel
The skin has a cyclical growth pattern that includes the crucial phase of sloughing. Naturally, the uppermost layer of dead skin cells and other debris should fall off. In most cases, it doesn’t. Numerous studies have pointed out that this top layer of skin cells hangs around, preventing new cells from being revealed. When this layer does not slough off, the complexion becomes dull and, worse, the skin cannot absorb nutrients properly.
Peeling is a method of exfoliation that achieves better results than can be attained even with an exfoliating facial scrub. Our chemical peel spa service provides patients with the opportunity to sit back and relax while our experienced team applies a customized solution to affect just the right depth of tissue. A chemical peel need not be aggressive to reach its objective of refreshing the skin. Many of our peels are so gentle that no side effects occur at all; patients can go right back to their normal activities.
The benefits of a chemical peel include immediate softness and a more radiant glow. The extended advantage of a peel is that you can combine this treatment with an expert skin care consultation to discover which ingredients your skin needs the most. By beginning with a chemical peel, you prepare your skin for maximum absorbing power. By following up with medical grade skin care, you ensure that the ingredients your skin is absorbing will nourish and renew, even slow the aging process.
Boob Greed is a Real Thing. Here’s How to Avoid It!
Thursday, November 15, 2018
Undergoing breast augmentation surgery can be a life-changing experience for any woman. Through practical experience, many plastic surgeons come across a phenomenon that could aptly be referred to as “boob greed.” Here’s how boob greed often develops.
A patient takes her time speaking with her qualified plastic surgeon and chooses the breast implant type that she believes will suit her. Breast implant surgery is performed, and the outcome of surgery is what the surgeon and patient had expected. Within a matter of weeks or even days, the patient then begins to second-guess her choice of implant size and shape. This second-guessing, for some patients, becomes an obsession. A woman may find herself right back where she was before breast augmentation, in a situation where she notices other women’s breasts and perceives her own as somehow inadequate. Ultimately, boob greed develops and the patient suffers in a continued state of dissatisfaction that neglects to see the beauty of her own surgical outcome.
One might smirk at the idea of boob greed as a real problem. For a woman who is consumed by the daily onslaught of images of other women’s large, full breasts, boob greed can be so overwhelming that it leads to secondary surgery to enlarge the breasts even more. Our priority is to help each one of our patients feel good about her own body, not to measure up to some ideal of what beautiful breasts look like. We take our time, and we suggest that patients do, too.
How to Make Breast Augmentation Work for You
Look at your lifestyle. A big part of satisfaction with breast implants is how the breasts fit into your daily life. Your breasts should fit well with your activity level, type of activities you engage in, your personal and professional image, and more. Taking a good, honest look at your lifestyle can help you make a wise decision about breast augmentation.
Dig deep into your personal preferences. It’s easy to settle for something that isn’t completely you. One way a woman may do this is by believing that she needs to get the most “bang for the buck.” If you prefer smaller breasts that don’t necessarily need the support of a bra, stick with that preference. Don’t believe that you must choose larger implants to get the most of your investment into surgery. Likewise, if your body frame and personal preferences support larger breast size, don’t settle for less, thinking that your profession or social circle may not approve of your physical change.
Ask for opinions, but don’t view them as gold. The only opinion about your breast augmentation that really matters is yours. Putting too much stock in other people’s ideas of what will or will not look good on you is a surefire way to end up feeling dissatisfied with the final outcome of your procedure.
Narrow your choices. If you’re varying between a wide range of breast sizes that appeal to you, remember to consider your own body and how you want to look. Narrow your choices down to two potential sizes that are close to one another. If you’re concerned about being smaller than you’d really like, choose the larger of the two.
It is our business to help women choose breast implants that suit their personality, personal image, lifestyle, and preferences. Schedule an in-person consultation in our Denver office at 303-399-7662.
Want a Slimmer Shape? Why Surgery May be What You Need!
Monday, October 15, 2018
Many people express a desire for a slimmer, shapelier body. This is no secret because body contouring treatments are some of the leading procedures in aesthetic medicine. Body-shaping has been around for years in the form of liposuction surgery. More recently, a number of non-surgical protocols have been developed. You may have heard of at least a few of them. Currently, CoolSculpting is one of the most recognizable non-surgical body contouring treatments. But is it right for you? Here, we look at the primary differences between this non-surgical method and surgical liposuction.
Non-surgical Body Sculpting
Non-invasive fat reducing devices all work about the same, even if their general technology is different. For example, CoolSculpting freezes the liquid inside of fat cells while other devices use heat to “damage” fat cells. Whether through freezing temperatures or heat, the body observes targeted fat cells as unnecessary, and it eliminates them through the lymphatic system. This elimination process takes about three months for results to be at their peak.
Where CoolSculpting is concerned, the manufacturer states that fat reduction in the treatment area can reach up to 23%. However, what we must look at is the size of that treatment area. Also per manufacturer documentation, the amount of tissue that can be held by the CoolSculpting panels resembles a stick of butter. This is why CoolSculpting usually focuses on the lower abdomen. Envisioning the average stick of butter and observing that 23% reduction in fatty tissue, we now see that the reduction is not very substantial; it equates to a few ounces of fat.
Sculpting with Liposuction
Dr. Berschof performs tumescent liposuction on many different parts of the body. The tumescent technique can be conducted under general anesthesia or using a local anesthetic and IV sedation. The tumescent liquid that is introduced into the treatment area expands the surgical site, causing fat to spread out. It also numbs tissue and causes blood vessels to constrict so bleeding is kept to a minimum during surgery.
In addition to being versatile in the areas it can treat, liposuction is also more efficient than non-surgical fat reduction treatments. On average, a liposuction procedure can eliminate up to 2.5 liters of fat. This is a few dozen times the amount that can be reduced without surgery.
If you are interested in a slimmer, shapelier body, it is essential to assess your motivation for choosing a surgical or non-surgical procedure. We are happy to provide you with details about liposuction and what it can do for you. To schedule your visit, call our Denver office at 303-399-7662.
This is What a Facelift is Really Like
Saturday, September 15, 2018
Facelifts have been performed for several decades and have helped millions of people feel better about their appearance. Last year alone, more than 96,000 full facelift procedures were performed in the United States. The procedure has been praised for its ability to remove approximately ten years of facial aging. On the flip side, facelift surgery has also gotten a bit of a bad rap as a too-aggressive procedure.
There are good reasons for the perception that facelift surgery is aggressive. It’s impossible to refute solid evidence, which is usually splattered across the internet or pages of magazines. You’ve probably seen enough bad celebrity facelifts to question the validity of this cosmetic procedure. The problem with this misperception about surgical facial rejuvenation is that it can keep you from the excellent outcome that is possible for you. Here, we discuss what a facelift is really like.
Really, a Facelift is:
•Able to achieve natural looking results. Dr. Bershof has performed numerous facelift procedures that have resulted in patients looking refreshed, like a younger version of themselves. Observe our Photo Gallery, and you will be happy to see that our facelift patients don’t look overly tight and stretched. This is because the goal is to restore natural facial contouring.
•Easy to recover from. Some people have the impression that facelifts are relatively complicated in the area of recovery. That’s not so. Most patients are back to work after a nice two-week break from the norm. During these weeks of recovery, bruising and swelling subside so significantly that no one can tell surgery has been performed. Pain is also very manageable after facelift surgery using prescription medication for a few days and then transitioning to over-the-counter pain relievers.
•NOT permanent. A facelift slows the aging process and makes you look younger than you would without having surgery. Over time, though, signs of aging will creep back onto the face. Some people choose to undergo a second lift several years after their first, while others enjoy the fact that they look younger even as age progresses.
Call our Denver office at 303-399-7662 to schedule your consultation with Dr. Bershof. In-depth discussion of your concerns and desired improvements is the best way to fully understand what a facelift can and cannot do for you.
Liposuction is a popular body-shaping procedure through which we have helped many people feel a renewed sense of confidence. The surgery is performed hundreds of thousands of times a year all around the world, and it has been for many years. Still, we continue to meet potential patients who have a few wrong ideas about what liposuction is all about. Here, we want to set the record straight about liposuction and weight.
