Facial Aesthetic Concepts

Orange County's best facial cosmetic surgery center specializing in facial rejuvenation, facelift surgery, and non surgical facelift procedures!

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Facelift vs Extended Microlift for Facial Rejuvenation

There has been a gradual shift over the past two decades in the way that people look at health, youth, and beauty. Fewer people are content with growing old gracefully, as it were. People are willing to take steps to improve their appearance and maintain their youthful vigor for as long as they possibly can. As a result, more people see procedures like facelifts and extended microlifts as a normal part of their healthcare as they age.

What is an Extended Microlift?

An extended microlift is a procedure that allows patients who have moderate sagging in their neck and jawline to contour their face, giving them a more youthful appearance. An extended microlift does not address all of the problems that a complete facelift would. It is designed for patients who need minimal treatment around their jaw and neck in order to regain their youthful appearance.

The results achieved by an extended microlift are similar to those achieved with a facelift. The difference is that with an extended microlift, the patient needs less work to meet their aesthetic goals. The incisions used during the procedure as well as the recovery time are shorter than with a traditional facelift.

During the extended microlift procedure, subtle incisions are made that allow the surgeon to gain access to the layer of muscle underneath the skin for repositioning.

Prior to this procedure, a patient will receive general or sedation anesthesia. Once the procedure has been completed, a patient will have minimal discomfort as well as bruising and swelling that will clear up in 7 to 10 days. On average, sutures are removed one week following the procedure. And within two weeks, most patients feel comfortable enough to get back to a normal routine.

A Traditional Facelift

During the procedure, a surgeon will make incisions around the temple. From there, the surgeon will begin to reshape the muscles. Once the procedure has been completed, the skin is closed using sutures. Recovery time may vary.

A facelift procedure can be accompanied by eyelid surgery, a brow lift, or other cosmetic surgeries. Speak with a surgeon regarding other procedures that may be beneficial alongside a facelift.

Schedule a Consultation

Both an extended microlift and a traditional facelift can address problems that accompany aging. It is best to consult a surgeon when determining which procedure is right for you. Contact Facial Aesthetic Concepts today to schedule your consultation.

Wave Your Crow’s Feet Goodbye With BOTOX

BOTOX generates buzz throughout the cosmetic industry given its remarkable efficacy in reducing fine lines and wrinkles.  These treatments are so fast and convenient that they can even be performed on a person’s lunch break, as they take less than 20 minutes. If you’ve recently noticed crow’s feet or other fine lines developing around your eyes, BOTOX injections may be the perfect solution for you.

What Crow’s Feet Are and How They Develop

Crow’s feet develop around the eyes and radiate outwards towards the temples. They are a form of dynamic wrinkles which are a result of built-up tension within the expressive muscles. Each time you use your expressive muscles to show emotion, the resulting expansion and contraction invariably creates tension. Over time, built-up tension in these underlying muscles can have a wrinkling effect at the surface of the skin. Smiling and laughing are two actions that cause the greatest amount of movement in the expressive muscles around the eyes and thus, crow’s feet can be seen as signifying a life well-lived. Despite their somewhat positive connotation, crow’s feet can make a person look significantly older than he or she really is.

How BOTOX Eliminates Crow’s Feet

BOTOX is a purified solution that has an instant and powerful impact on nerve activity. When strategically injected into the expressive muscles near the eyes, this solution can temporarily block nerve signals. These injections cause the expressive muscles to relax. As a result, built-up tension is released and the appearance of crow’s feet is greatly minimized. The effects of BOTOX last from 3 to 6 months. After this time, normal nerve and muscle activity will resume and the BOTOX injections will need to be repeated.

BOTOX can create immediate improvements in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the mouth and eyes. Patients, however, are advised to wait several days to allow the full effects of BOTOX to manifest.

Learn More About BOTOX

BOTOX is a safe and convenient method for treating crow’s feet. To learn more, visit Facial Aesthetic Concepts at one of our offices (San Clemente, Aliso Viejo, or Rancho Santa Margarita). Contact us today to schedule your appointment and eliminate your crow’s feet.

Reduce Facial Wrinkles with Juvederm

The most unwelcome cosmetic change associated with aging is the development of wrinkles. Since the face is the most prominent part of the body, facial wrinkles are particularly noticeable to both the observer and the person with the wrinkles.

Most people attribute their wrinkles to old age and simply accept this development as inevitable. Others fight the good fight, looking for treatment options to minimize fine lines and wrinkles on their face.

It seems that many people mistakenly believe that a facelift is the only option when it comes to treating wrinkles. Actually there are a number of choices available for the treating fine lines and wrinkles without surgery.

Dermal fillers

Dermal fillers are a treatment option that does not involve the need for surgery, incisions or significant downtime. Millions of people have taken advantage of this minimally-invasive technique for minimizing facial wrinkles. This treatment is safe, effective, and long-lasting.

This procedure involves the injection of various substances into the face to treat fine lines and wrinkles, loss of facial volume, and dry skin. After a treatment with dermal fillers, you can expect to see smoother skin that is more radiant and moist.

Juvederm

Juvederm treatment has been exploding in popularity as a safe alternative to cosmetic surgery.

The product consists of a gel containing hyaluronic acid, a substance your own body makes to promote moist skin. As you age, less hyaluronic acid is produced, leading to skin that loses volume and becomes thinner and dryer.

This filler corrects this deficiency and is a fast, effective method for the treatment of facial wrinkles, as well as thinning, dry skin. It involves little to no downtime and is a very simple and fast treatment.

Are there any side effects from Juvederm treatment?

Side effects after a Juvederm treatment are quite rare and are almost always minor in nature and duration. Some patients experience minor redness, tenderness, or swelling at the injections sites. These can be expected to resolve on their own without the requirement for further treatment.

Can I have multiple treatments?

Yes. You will actually need them, as the Juvederm gel will be gradually metabolized by your body. Follow ups will ensure that you will continue to be pleased with your results for many months to come. For more information, contact Facial Aesthetic Concepts. We will be happy to speak with you and help you decide if this treatment would help you with your skincare needs. We have offices in San Clemente, Aliso Viejo, and Rancho Santa Margarita. We look forward to speaking with you.

7 Benefits of Thermage

Thermage uses radiofrequency energy to produce thermal reactions within your skin, and if you’d like to have tighter skin, it’s a treatment worth considering.

During the procedure, a small device is gently pressed against your skin and radiofrequency energy is produced by the device. Since the treatment uses RF energy, it doesn’t require recovery time or incisions. This treatment can also be very effective for treating aging skin.

This treatment generates heat within the target area while using an advanced cooling system to protect the surface layer of your skin. The heat generated during the procedure causes two important processes to occur. First, the heat breaks down hydrogen bonds and causes your skin to tighten. The second major effect of the treatment is increased metabolism within the fatty layer of your skin. Here are 7 benefits we’d love to share with you about Thermage:

Great for Multiple Areas

Thermage is a popular choice because it can effectively treat multiple areas of your body in a single visit. Traditional surgery offers similar results, but it can only treat a few different areas of your body.

No Surgery Involved

Since it doesn’t require any incisions or general anesthesia, Thermage is great for patients who want to avoid invasive surgery.

No Downtime

Another benefit of Thermage is the lack of downtime, you can immediately return home and get back to your daily life. You don’t have to spend any time recovering in a hospital nor is your daily lifestyle put on hold.

Minimal to No Discomfort

Thermage is a popular option because it is considered to be a comfortable treatment.

Excellent Safety Record

Before undergoing any procedure, it’s important to investigate its safety record in which Thermage is regarded as a very safe procedure.

Improve the Appearance of Your Skin

This treatment improves skin laxity, fine lines and wrinkles. It’s especially good at softening the wrinkles around your forehead, and by stimulating collagen production, it can tighten skin and significantly improve your overall appearance.

Enjoy a Youthful Appearance

Thermage can deliver great results for men and women, and it’s viewed as a great alternative to a surgical facelift. If you want to improve the overall texture of your skin and obtain a youthful appearance, Thermage can help.

Talk to the team at Facial Aesthetic Concepts about how this treatment can benefit you specifically. We have locations in Rancho Santa Margarita, Aliso Viejo and San Clemente. Contact us  to schedule a consultation!

Benefits of a Fat Transfer Procedure

Fat transfer procedures have become one of the most popular techniques in the world of cosmetic surgery. This type of procedure allows you to tap into the potential of unwanted fat in your body in order to transform it into something useful. If your face is lacking volume, a fat transfer procedure can do wonders for you. This is a natural approach that can help you to sculpt your facial features in a way that makes you look and feel more attractive.

How Does Fat Transfer Work?

When you choose this procedure, fat is harvested from an area on your body where you have excess fat. Once the fat is removed, it must go through a purification process. The purified fat can then be injected into parts of your face where you are lacking volume or where lines and/or wrinkles are present. It’s a procedure that gets rid of fat where you don’t want it and shifts it to a place where it can enhance your features.

How Can a Fat Transfer Procedure Benefit Me?

If you want to enhance the appearance of your face, you may want to choose fat transfer as the best way to achieve your aesthetic goals. If you are upset by the signs of aging that are written on your face, choose this procedure to remedy the problem. You can fill in hollows and wrinkles with your own fat. You may even use your own fat to plump up your lips.

Is Fat Transfer Right for You?

In order to be considered for this procedure, you must have enough fat to spare. Once you have a fat transfer procedure, the results will last. If you want to pump up the volume more, you can always consider another procedure to enhance your results. This is a natural solution that can help you to make the most of what you already have.

Talk to Our Plastic Surgeon About Fat Transfer

If you are ready to get rid of your excess fat in order to use it to enhance your facial features, a fat transfer procedure at Facial Aesthetic Concepts could be the ideal solution for you. We have offices in San Clemente, Aliso Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita. Contact us today to schedule a consultation to learn more about this innovative procedure.

Chin Up, Buttercup, With ThermiTight!

Did you know about our non-surgical treatment to address loose neck and jawline tissue. This treatment, ThermiTight,  both tightens the lax neck skin as well as remove the fat that gives a full, fatty looking neck. Despite our extensive experience of over 3,000 face and neck lifts, this treatment may be the right fit for you vs. surgery.

What Is ThermiTight

ThermiTight is a safe, effective procedure that works by delivering precisely controlled thermal energy under the skin to the targeted tissue, causing immediate shrinkage.

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The Difference Between ThermiTight vs. a Neck Lift

ThermiTight can be combined with simple fat suctioning and in some cases a more traditional neck lift. Traditional neck lifts tighten the underlying fibromuscular layer of the neck while removing excess skin. The ThermiTight system involves the use of a small, blunt probe. This probe is placed under the skin to accurately heat both the fibromuscular layer and the skin by controlling meticulous temperature parameters with internal thermostats and thermal imaging cameras. The result is skin that is stronger with more collagen and elastin as well as a tighter muscle layer.

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What To Expect When Getting ThermiTight

The procedure is performed with local anesthesia. The procedure takes 30 minutes and 45 minutes with liposuction. A removable velcro chinstrap is worn for about 2 days after the treatment. The neck tightening begins as early as one week as the mild swelling reduces and the heated tissue contracts. Gradual tightening progresses over 6 months with improvements in some patients continuing for up to a year. Keep in mind that these results last years.

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The Advantage Of ThermiTight

Convenience, as ThermiTight is performed in our office. Time-saving, as this treatment takes less than one hour.
Comfortable, as there is minimal discomfort and downtime. You can return to your normal activities in a matter of hours. Lasty, it is long-lasting. Results improve over time, and the effects have been shown to last several years.

Contact us today to book your complimentary consultation.

CoolSculpting + Athletes

Are you athletic and active, but have certain areas of your body with a little extra fat (thighs, hips, love handles, abs or those irritating armpit puffs)? An area where no matter what you do, exercise or diet, it will just not go away or firm up? Have you considered CoolSculpting, but thought you would be cheating your workout efforts? As frustrating as it can be, even fit people accumulate unwanted fat in certain areas of the body. Even more so as we get older. For the most part, active people are considered to have low body fat. Although that may be true, it does not mean they are immune to unwanted fat deposits.

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As we get older, some fat cells can become resistant to diet and exercise. This often results in fat build up in areas of the body (thighs, hips, love handles, abs or those irritating armpit puffs) which fortunately are all treatable with CoolSculpting.

This amazing treatment works by permanently reducing the fat cells in the targeted area through a process called cryolipolysis.  Cryolipolysis is the non-invasive reduction of fat deposits to reshape body contours. The exposure to cooling (“fat freezing”) destroys fat cells.

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How Does CoolSculpting Work?

As we describe how the process works, imagine the following with me. Think of a glass of water which is still fluid whether in a refrigerator or sitting out in room temperature, unlike butter, which gets firm in the fridge and softens when sitting out.  Butter = fat cells. Fat cells freeze into a hard-ish mass when in colder temperatures. Water based tissue (muscle and skin) can handle the cold better than fat which then allows the CoolSculpting treatment to freeze fat cells without damaging the surrounding tissue.

The CoolSculpting applicator is applied to the desired area for 45-75 minutes (depending on area) causing the fat cells to crystalize and die. This results in a permanent reduction of about 25% of the fat cells in the area. Over the next three months, the body disposes of the dead fat cells naturally through our lymphatic system, some seeing dramatic changes in as little as 4 weeks.

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CoolSculpting is non-invasive with no downtime!  You can return to your active lifestyle immediately. The best part is that the fat cells that were eliminated will not regenerate! As always, keeping a healthy diet and regular exercise routine helps maintain your weight, and CoolSculpting is not a weight loss treatment.

  • No surgery
  • Zero needles
  • No discomfort
  • Zero downtime

Call us today to schedule your complimentary consultation!

Microneedling Your Acne Away

Treating acne can be a challenge. For some it appears for a season and for others it can be a lifelong battle. Home care products, hormones, diet, climate and genetics all play a role in contributing to acne. In all honesty, there is no “one way” to treat it. The approach to tackling one’s acne should be as unique as the individual them self. This reason alone is why we take a comprehensive approach to a custom treatment plan to transform their skin. Microneedling is a great new way to treat active acne while also removing the scars from previous breakouts.

What Microneedling Is

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Now I know that the word “needle” can sound intimidating. The microneedling treatment is virtually painless with little to no downtime. It is suitable for all ages, skin tones and types, as well as sensitive skins! During the treatment, tiny micro-channels are created in the skin to stimulate new cell and collagen production. This also works to smooth out and contour irregularities as well as reducing discoloration left from previous breakouts.

The skin heals very quickly, closing the micro-channels within the first day. A small amount of sloughing may occur post treatment for up to a week, but with moisturizer it is barely visible.

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How Often You Should Have Microneedling

Treatments are done in a series 4 to 6 weeks apart with appropriate home care in between. They can be done alone or even combined with other treatments to enhance the results.  Contact us for a complimentary consultation to see if microneedling is the right treatment for you!

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Also, ask your esthetician about how to best protect your investment with an at-home skincare regimen.