Have you made the decision to have a cosmetic surgery procedure?
Then now it is time to learn how to prepare yourself, your body and your support system about what to expect throughout the process.
Very often, people can become overwhelmed by major changes or tasks. The more prepared you are for your surgery, the more relaxed and reassured you and your support system will feel.
Here are four things you can do to prepare for your procedure.
1. Define your goals.
*Write down a list of goals you'd like fulfilled through your cosmetic surgery procedure, including emotional as well as the physical.
2. Get physically prepared for your surgery.
*Ask how you can maximize the results of your procedure through healthy lifestyle choices like diet, exercise, and sun protection.
*You may have to take specific supplements or medication prior to your surgery.
*If you are a smoker, it is likely that you will have to quit two weeks prior to your cosmetic surgery procedure.
*Remember, surgery forces the body to go through a great deal of healing, so the better you take care of yourself before hand, the easier it will be to heal.
3. Schedule your surgery and plan for recovery.
*If you think you may want to have additional cosmetic surgery in the future, consider having two or more procedures performed together to save time and costs.
*Pay attention to the description of the procedure. The more people know about what is happening to their body, the less anxiety they have both before their surgery and afterwards.
*Make sure you understand just how long you will need to heal from your cosmetic surgery procedure.
*In almost all cases, patients are not able to drive or walk unassisted after cosmetic surgery, you will most likely need someone to drive you to your surgery, drive you home and remain with you for the first 24-48 hours. It might be a day or two before you may begin to take care of yourself.
* Schedule ample recovery time away from work and plan on following the doctor's recovery protocol very closely. Trying to do too much too soon following surgery can jeopardize your health and your results.
*Make sure you have help during your recovery time - if you have children, make arrangements for some support in the home so you can truly relax during your recovery period.
4. Schedule your follow up visits.
*With almost all types of cosmetic surgery, you will need to return to your surgeon one or more times afterwards. Your surgeon will assess how you are healing, inspect your incisions, and remove stitches or bandages.
*Your surgeon should inform you of what to expect next in the healing process and when to come return.
*Many times, your follow up visits are scheduled prior to surgery.
*It is advised to keep all of your paperwork and information stored in one place.
Remember, it is important to verify that your cosmetic surgeon is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and operates only in a fully accredited and certified operating room.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
Step Into New Skin
You stretch your arm out in the darkness and silence the buzzing alarm…
its 6:30 am.
You take a deep breath as you stretch under your blanket and you can hear the sound of your neighbor’s vehicle already motoring off to work. After you bring yourself to a sitting position and place your feet on the floor, you decide its cold so you slide into your slippers.
Now you feel better.
You groggily shuffle your feet to the bathroom and flick the light on, you wince at the wattage of the bulb. You turn the water on at the sink and let it run over your fingertips until it is the perfect temperature. You splash water on your face and squeeze some cleanser into the palm of your hand. You begin to wash and you feel the usual soreness, the pain of even touching your face that comes with the burden of acne.
You rinse and pat dry. Then you lean in towards the mirror. You turn to the left, then the right. Four new pimples, just over night! You’re not surprised though, after all you have been dealing with this since the sixth grade. You used to get teased on a daily basis, all the way through high school. Sure, you had friends but even they lovingly picked on you. Now that you are an adult you feel like everyone notices your acne before they notice you. You feel ashamed and embarrassed so you spend a lot of time styling your hair to cover your face and you rarely look people in the eye.
Your mother used to tell you not to get worked up over it, that you would grow out of it one day…but that day never came.
At times you’ve lost hope of ever having beautiful skin.
You make your way to the kitchen and pour yourself some coffee. You sit next to the open window at the table. This is your quite moment before waking up the kids. You feel better. As you let the scent of your drink fill the air as you look outside to the lawn. The sprinklers have kicked on; it must be 7:00 am now.
As you sip on your coffee, you notice out of the corner of your eye, a gift certificate. It is sitting in the middle of the table, under a stack of bills and junk mail, it is for a free skincare treatment, suddenly you are excited. You remember when your best friend gave it to you so you could see a skincare specialist at the Avalon Clinic. At the time you figured, “Nothing else has worked for my skin, why should this?” Then you pause for a moment…
Now you are thinking of how your best friend steps into a room without hiding her face, without averting her eyes to the floor, and you realize how long you’ve waited to have that for yourself. She has had chemical peels and microdermabrasions at the Avalon Clinic; she also uses their products to maintain her skin in between treatments…and her skin is radiant!
You feel better as you reach for the phone, then you pause and smile at yourself because you know you are about to take the first step towards changing your life, your self esteem and your skin.
You groggily shuffle your feet to the bathroom and flick the light on, you wince at the wattage of the bulb. You turn the water on at the sink and let it run over your fingertips until it is the perfect temperature. You splash water on your face and squeeze some cleanser into the palm of your hand. You begin to wash and you feel the usual soreness, the pain of even touching your face that comes with the burden of acne.
You rinse and pat dry. Then you lean in towards the mirror. You turn to the left, then the right. Four new pimples, just over night! You’re not surprised though, after all you have been dealing with this since the sixth grade. You used to get teased on a daily basis, all the way through high school. Sure, you had friends but even they lovingly picked on you. Now that you are an adult you feel like everyone notices your acne before they notice you. You feel ashamed and embarrassed so you spend a lot of time styling your hair to cover your face and you rarely look people in the eye.
Your mother used to tell you not to get worked up over it, that you would grow out of it one day…but that day never came.
At times you’ve lost hope of ever having beautiful skin.
You make your way to the kitchen and pour yourself some coffee. You sit next to the open window at the table. This is your quite moment before waking up the kids. You feel better. As you let the scent of your drink fill the air as you look outside to the lawn. The sprinklers have kicked on; it must be 7:00 am now.
As you sip on your coffee, you notice out of the corner of your eye, a gift certificate. It is sitting in the middle of the table, under a stack of bills and junk mail, it is for a free skincare treatment, suddenly you are excited. You remember when your best friend gave it to you so you could see a skincare specialist at the Avalon Clinic. At the time you figured, “Nothing else has worked for my skin, why should this?” Then you pause for a moment…
Now you are thinking of how your best friend steps into a room without hiding her face, without averting her eyes to the floor, and you realize how long you’ve waited to have that for yourself. She has had chemical peels and microdermabrasions at the Avalon Clinic; she also uses their products to maintain her skin in between treatments…and her skin is radiant!
You feel better as you reach for the phone, then you pause and smile at yourself because you know you are about to take the first step towards changing your life, your self esteem and your skin.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The Number One Reason Women Have Cosmetic Surgery
Typically, social stereotypes have led society to believe that it’s the vain, superficial women who chose to have cosmetic surgery. It is no secret that a boost in confidence and having a positive self-image can contribute to a woman’s over all well being but the majority of women do not have cosmetic surgery for anyone other reason than for themselves.
Some of the common misconceptions about why women have cosmetic surgery are:
They do it to attract men.
Husband chasing after a younger woman?
They do it to boost their career.
It’s easier to find a job if you are “attractive.”
They do it for vanity.
I must have the perfect body.
They do it to look better than the neighbors.
They just have to look better than all their friends.
They do it too look like their favorite movie star.
Then their life will be glamorous and exciting too!
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgery, the number one reason women have cosmetic surgery is because:
They are unhappy with their body.
Almost ¾ of women surveyed said they think about their size and shape every day.
This matches up with our data stating that over 50% of our patients at the Avalon Clinic were uncomfortable and embarrassed about their bodies.
This is a very significant number of women and mothers in our society who want to improve their appearance. Cosmetic surgery has become a mainstream phenomenon and it is women just like you who are the real face of cosmetic surgery. That is the reality, and the real reason why 9.9 million women had cosmetic surgery last year alone.
Cosmetic surgery can have a dramatic positive effect on a woman’s physical appearance. There is a direct link between a woman’s physical appearance and her emotional well-being. Many women feel that the changes due to weight gain/loss, pregnancy, breastfeeding, gravity and aging leaves them feeling less than attractive and uncomfortable with their bodies. These things can often leave women to feel awkward and embarrassed, causing them to shy away from not only public situations but intimate as well.
For women who already have a positive out look on life and are just dissatisfied with one or two specific areas, cosmetic surgery will often brighten their already positive outlook. Most often they become far more energized about their personal physical appearance and get a boost in their levels of self confidence. Women no longer have to feel guilty or let stereotypes force them into living in a body that they don’t like. Whether they are a college graduate, a mom, working professional or wife and anything else, they can also look like the woman that they want to be, with no apologies.
If having cosmetic surgery is something that you have thought about, then the first step is to call and schedule a consultation with one of our board certified surgeons!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Are You Ready For Cosmetic Surgery?
There are several factors to consider when deciding to have cosmetic surgery. It is important to realize that this is a decision which should be made by you, for yourself and for the reasons that are right for you. The ideal candidate for aesthetic surgery is an individual who recognizes a specific area in which his or her appearance could be improved and has a strong personal desire to make a change
Whatever your reasons for choosing cosmetic surgery, it is important to have realistic expectations. Improving a feature of your face or body may give you greater self-confidence and add to your sense of well-being, but it is not a guarantee of happiness or improved relationships with others. Surgery can enhance your appearance; the rest is up to you.
According to Robert Kenevan, M.D. Medical Director at the Avalon Clinic: “In order to be considered a good candidate for surgery I look for these four things: good general healthy, a support system, realistic expectations and have they done any research.”
Over the years, surgeons and psychologists have found that certain attitudes indicate cosmetic surgery is appropriate for a patient.
Is There a Real Flaw or Imperfection?
First, is there a cosmetic flaw that lends itself to surgical correction? Do you have small, large or sagging breasts? Do you have a large nasal hump or bulbous tip? Is your stomach stretched and hanging? Does this flaw lend itself to improvement?
Are You Motivated for Yourself?
You are better suited for cosmetic surgery if you wish to please yourself, not your family or friends. Can you honestly say to yourself, "I want this operation even if no one but me ever notices anything has changed?"
Are Your Goals Well Defined?
The person who enters Dr. Kenevan’s consultation room and asks a vague, unfocused question, such as "What can you do to make me look better?” or “I haven’t liked the way I look for years." Does not have a clear goal in mind and may not be a good candidate for cosmetic surgery.
At The Avalon Clinic for cosmetic surgery we are committed to building a relationship with you. We want to know about you and your goals. We want you to be so satisfied with your experience here that you will always come back to us and refer your friends and family. Contact us at www.avalonclinic.com or call 1-800-408-4444 today and receive a FREE gift!
Whatever your reasons for choosing cosmetic surgery, it is important to have realistic expectations. Improving a feature of your face or body may give you greater self-confidence and add to your sense of well-being, but it is not a guarantee of happiness or improved relationships with others. Surgery can enhance your appearance; the rest is up to you.
According to Robert Kenevan, M.D. Medical Director at the Avalon Clinic: “In order to be considered a good candidate for surgery I look for these four things: good general healthy, a support system, realistic expectations and have they done any research.”
Over the years, surgeons and psychologists have found that certain attitudes indicate cosmetic surgery is appropriate for a patient.
Is There a Real Flaw or Imperfection?
First, is there a cosmetic flaw that lends itself to surgical correction? Do you have small, large or sagging breasts? Do you have a large nasal hump or bulbous tip? Is your stomach stretched and hanging? Does this flaw lend itself to improvement?
Are You Motivated for Yourself?
You are better suited for cosmetic surgery if you wish to please yourself, not your family or friends. Can you honestly say to yourself, "I want this operation even if no one but me ever notices anything has changed?"
Are Your Goals Well Defined?
The person who enters Dr. Kenevan’s consultation room and asks a vague, unfocused question, such as "What can you do to make me look better?” or “I haven’t liked the way I look for years." Does not have a clear goal in mind and may not be a good candidate for cosmetic surgery.
At The Avalon Clinic for cosmetic surgery we are committed to building a relationship with you. We want to know about you and your goals. We want you to be so satisfied with your experience here that you will always come back to us and refer your friends and family. Contact us at www.avalonclinic.com or call 1-800-408-4444 today and receive a FREE gift!
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