Your eyes, forehead, and eyebrows play a significant role in expressing your emotions to those around you. A heavy forehead or eyebrows is likely to make you appear more tired, unhappy, or older than you actually are. Well-meaning friends may even comment that you look tired, sad, or ask if you’re feeling down when you’re really feeling just fine.
Due to family genetics, environmental factors such as too much sun, or simply the passage of time, the forehead and eye area are likely to develop wrinkles and sagging skin resulting in an aging, tired, or sad appearance. You might find yourself becoming curious about facial rejuvenation and wonder whether you would benefit from a surgical procedure known as a brow lift.
What Is a Brow Lift?
Through brow lift surgery, Dr. Florence Mussat has helped many men and women achieve a more youthful and natural-looking brow area that helps present the face they wish to share with the world. A brow lift is a cosmetic procedure that improves the upper face’s appearance by effectively lifting the eyebrows and smoothing out wrinkles.
How Can I Benefit from a Brow Lift?
As a result of a brow lift, your forehead will be smoother, and your eyebrows will be more lifted and natural-looking. Brow lift surgery often eliminates upper face wrinkles and can correct the upper eyelid hooding caused by sagging brows. It can also significantly reduce creases, frown lines, and a sagging brow line.
A brow lift offers many benefits, including:
- Minimizes creases, frown lines, and sagging brow lines across the forehead.
- Improves frown lines and reduces vertical creases between the eyebrows.
- Repositions low or sagging brows over the upper eyelids.
- Raises the eyebrows to a more youthful position.
- Creates a brighter, more alert appearance
- Increases self-confidence
Can a Brow Lift Be Combined With Other Facial Cosmetic Procedures?
A brow lift can be performed in conjunction with other procedures such as a facelift, eyelid surgery, or even injectables to produce even more stunning results. Dr. Florence Mussat will help you decide on the best combination for you during your scheduled consultation.
What Can I Expect During Recovery?
During your recovery from a brow lift, expect some swelling and discomfort in the upper part of the face and around the eyebrows.
Dr. Mussat will provide instructions for your recovery as well as cold compresses to apply to your forehead. She will also suggest that you sleep with your head slightly elevated for the first few nights after surgery and to expect your recovery to take about 2-3 weeks.
To make your recovery even more comfortable, avoid strenuous workouts or movements that might place unnecessary pressure on your face.
Your Next Step Towards a Youthful Profile Starts Here!
For a complete assessment of how a brow lift can help you look younger and more vibrant, schedule a personal consultation with board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Florence Mussat in Chicago, IL, or call (312) 751-9000 today!
One day, while looking in the mirror, you’ll notice a line that wasn’t there last week. It happens to everyone sooner or later. Aging is an unavoidable part of life, and with it comes many small changes that may negatively impact the way you see and feel about yourself.
There are two common reasons patients come to see Dr. Florence Mussat in Chicago, IL, to address typical signs of aging. Firstly, those taking place on the face in the form of wrinkles, cheek depressions, sagging skin, and secondly, those stubborn pockets of fat in various parts of their bodies that don’t respond to a healthy diet and exercise regime.
What you may not realize is that it’s possible to smooth out those pesky signs of aging on your face while simultaneously trimming away unsightly pockets of “donor” body fat from your own body through a process known as autologous fat transfer.
Commonly referred to as fat transfer, fat grafting, or lipofilling, autologous fat transfer is a wonderfully safe and effective procedure that can be used to trim fat from areas of your body with which you’re not happy while enhancing other areas. The end result is a look that is not only permanent, but vibrant, youthful, and a great boost to your self-confidence.
From Where and How Is the Fat Transferred?
During an autologous fat transfer procedure, Dr. Mussat uses liposuction to remove fat from various areas of the body, such as the:
- Inner thighs
- Abdominal area
- Back
- Hips
- Buttocks
- Upper arms
Excess fat cells are extracted through tiny incisions from these areas, spun in a centrifuge, cleaned, and purified before they’re processed and turned into an effective dermal filler.
The entire process of removing and then injecting the fat usually takes 1-4 hours, depending on the size of the areas being treated. Thanks to the small size of the incisions and the minimally invasive nature of the injections, downtime and recovery time are minimal.
If you’re interested in learning how to add shape and volume to areas where it can help you look more youthful while at the same time slim down trouble areas of your body, why not schedule a visit with Dr. Florence Mussat at her Chicago, IL plastic surgery office?
What Areas of My Face Can Benefit From Fat Transfer?
Fat grafting is an excellent way to address visible signs of aging in different areas of the face, including:
Cheeks and Temples
Sunken cheeks and temples are among the most common and most noticeable signs of aging in the face. Our cheeks often start to sag and droop as the skin loses elasticity due to the natural aging process and factors such as weight loss and family genetics. Fortunately, we can naturally add volume to sunken cheeks through facial fat grafting and make them appear more plump and youthful.
Under the Eyes
That hollowed-out, gaunt look under the eyes can cause a person to appear older than their actual age or even look sick and unhealthy. Facial fat grafting can be used to transfer fat into the area under the eyes, correct dark circles, add volume to thinning skin, and reduce other aging signs under the eyes.
Jawline
As they age, many people develop “jowls,” where the skin becomes thinner and less elastic and starts to sag below the jawline. Facial fat grafting to the jawline can tighten and reduce the appearance of jowls.
Are There Any Additional Areas of My Face Fat Transfer Can Help?
In addition to those areas mentioned above, facial fat grafting can also improve the appearance of thinning lips, tear troughs, forehead lines, and lines around the mouth.
With expert fat grafting, you can quickly and safely achieve a rejuvenated facial appearance.
Apart from the face, fat can also be transferred through grafting to other areas of the body that, over time, sag or lose their shape, like breasts, buttocks, hands, and even calves.
Take That Next Step To Looking Younger!
For a complete assessment of how board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Florence Mussat can use fat transfer to help you look younger, schedule a personal consultation in Chicago, IL, or call (312) 751-9000 today!
Valentine’s Day comes at the perfect time of year. The joy and excitement of the Christmas season are but a memory. As we eagerly begin to anticipate the arrival of spring, February brings us Valentine’s Day and, with it, a much-needed dose of fun, romance, and excitement.
With more and more people going the extra mile to look their best for Valentine’s Day, why not schedule a visit with Dr. Florence Mussat at her Chicago plastic surgery office?
Be on your way to a fresh, vibrant look with one of these 10 solutions from Dr. Mussat.
1. Restore Youthful Fullness to Your Face
Perhaps it’s due to genetics, aging, or simply your facial structure, but parts of your face could be lacking in volume and making you appear gaunt. Well, it is possible to enhance your facial volume and improve the appearance of your face with a facial fat transfer expertly performed by Dr. Mussat.
2. Fall in Love With Your Skin
Taking care of one’s skin is essential throughout the year, and there’s no better time than now to get back your radiant glow in time for Valentine’s Day with a nonsurgical facial rejuvenation treatment.
With medical-grade, topical retinoids, various conditions, including mild to moderate acne, signs of sun damage, freckles, fine lines, and wrinkles, can be treated.
3. Refresh Your Eyelids
Your eyes may be the window to your soul, but drooping eyelid skin or undereye bags could be concealing and aging your eyes, making you look tired, sad, or angry. If so, you could be a good candidate for an eyelid lift, also known as blepharoplasty. It could take years off your appearance and give your self-esteem a big boost.
4. Repair the Sun Damage
Even though summer is long gone, your skin could still be showing signs of too much sun with dryness, new lines, and wrinkles. Dr. Mussat offers a range of treatments to undo the harsh effects of summer, and just two of these are highlighted below.
Chemical Peel: Replaces thickened and damaged skin with fresh, youthful cells, eliminating uneven pigmentation and skin discoloration.
Microdermabrasion: By rubbing fine crystals across the skin with a medically-calibrated wand, the rough outer layer is removed, and new skin stimulated.
Laser Skin Rejuvenation: A concentrated beam of light is used to gently exfoliate the skin’s sun-damaged outer layer.
5. Reclaim Your Youthful Shape
Becoming a mother can be one of the most rewarding experiences. However, pregnancy and breastfeeding can leave you with unwelcome reminders such as stomach flab and flattened breasts.
While diet and exercise can go a long way towards reclaiming your youthful appeal, a mommy makeover as a Valentine’s gift to yourself could be all you need to restore your youthful figure.
6. Get Back Those Perky Breasts
Full, perky breasts may be a distant memory of the days before gravity, weight loss, pregnancy, or breastfeeding changed things. To regain confidence in your appearance this Valentine’s Day, a breast lift could be exactly what you need.
7. Slim Your Jawline
Whether it’s the result of age or weight gain, a double chin can be one of the most frustrating facial flaws to have. Through a facelift, Dr. Mussat can tighten loose skin under your chin and neck area, lift those sagging jowls and restore a youthful appearance.
8. Tone and Tighten
Are you plagued by problem areas of flab that won’t go away? Regardless of how much you exercise and eat healthily, do you find that lean, sexy stomach continues to elude you?
Well, you might consider a tummy tuck, also known as abdominoplasty, which surgically removes excess skin and flesh from the abdomen and even repairs abdominal muscles damaged during pregnancy or weight gain.
9. Restore Those Smooth Contours
If you’ve lost a significant amount of weight either through diet, exercise, or bariatric surgery, you could now have excess skin in areas of the body where large amounts of fat used to be. Through one or more body contouring procedures, expertly performed by Dr. Mussat, you could be well on your way to having your body’s contours restored by Valentine’s Day.
10. Put Your Best Face Forward
Despite taking good care of yourself and trying to age gracefully, age-related changes in your face are still inevitable.
With facelift surgery, Dr. Mussat can tighten and lift the soft tissues of your face, tighten lax, excess skin and surgically reposition sagging facial tissue giving you a more youthful, rejuvenated look.
Regain Your Sexy, Youthful Look in Time for Valentine’s Day!
What better to get a self-confidence boost and bring some excitement back into your love life before Valentine’s Day than a visit to board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Florence Mussat in Chicago, IL?
Too look your absolute best before Valentine’s day, schedule a personal consultation or call (312) 751-9000 today!
Every time you see your face in the mirror, does it surprise you how dark and drooping your lower eyelids are? Do friends or family make comments about how sad and tired you look, even though you’re happy and well-rested?
Dark circles under the lower eyelids are widespread in both men and women and often also come with bags, making you appear older than you are.
Causes and Risk Factors Treated at Home
The good news is, you can treat some of the causes and risk factors leading to dark circles under the eyes at home.
• Extreme fatigue: Sleep deprivation can cause dark circles to form under your eyes, allowing for dark tissues and blood vessels to become visible beneath your skin.
• Eye strain: This phenomenon can cause blood vessels around your eyes to enlarge, and as a result, the skin surrounding your eyes may darken.
• Allergic reactions: When accompanied by eye dryness, this can trigger dark circles as your body releases histamines, causing blood vessels to dilate and become more visible beneath your skin.
• Dehydration: When your body is not receiving adequate amounts of water, the skin beneath your eyes may begin to look dull, and your eyes appear sunken.
• Overexposure to the sun: Too much sun — especially around the eyes — produces an excess of melanin, causing darker pigmentation in the surrounding skin.
Causes and Risk Factors Treated With Surgery
If home remedies are not effective in getting rid of dark undereye circles and bags, schedule a visit with Dr. Florence Mussat at her Chicago plastic surgery office to learn more about how blepharoplasty or eyelid surgery can help you regain your fresh, vibrant look.
Consider these eauses and risk factors leading to dark circles under the eyes that require expert medical advice.
• Older age: Loss of fatty tissue and the thinning of the skin around the eyes is part of the aging process, making dark circles appear more prominent in older adults.
• Genetics: Dark circles can be hereditary. Having family members with dark undereye circles probably means you are more predisposed to have them as well.
• Natural aging: As you get older, you lose the fat, collagen, and elastin needed to maintain your skin’s elasticity, resulting in the darkening of the area below your eyes.
As part of the aging process, the body gradually stops producing collagen and elastin, which are proteins essential for plump, healthy, and elastic skin. Without these proteins, the skin loses its elastic qualities and begins to sag. Muscle tone deteriorates, and fat diminishes. The natural aging process can affect virtually any area of the body — including the region around the eyes.
As a result of this loss of collagen and elastin, the upper eyelids often start drooping. When severe enough, this can impede the line of vision, lead to sagging lower eyelids, and cause dark circles or “bags” under the eyes.
Regain That Happy, Youthful Look
If you want to make sure your eyes’ appearance reflects the way you feel, schedule a personal consultation with board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Florence Mussat in Chicago, IL, or call (312) 751-9000 today!
Are you patiently counting down the days until your scheduled cosmetic surgery? Your thoughts are probably on what you can do to prepare for your procedure and increase your chances of a successful outcome.
Board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Florence Mussat will provide detailed pre-surgery and post-surgery instructions. In addition to these, let’s look at three super-helpful tips you can follow to help you be as healthy and strong as possible before your surgery.
1. Make Healthy Lifestyle Choices
The better your health before going into surgery, the smoother your recovery process will be. To this end, address these three lifestyle factors to ensure you’re in the best possible shape.
Balanced Nutrition
In the days leading up to your surgery, eat foods rich in vitamins and minerals. Focus primarily on fresh fruits and vegetables – which will help prevent inflammation – and foods rich in protein and nutrients such as vitamin C and D, zinc, and calcium, all of which can aid in your healing. You should also stop consuming alcohol and avoid foods that can cause constipation, like dairy and red meat.
Routine Exercise
Among exercise’s other countless benefits, being more active before your surgery will increase your chances of bouncing back sooner after the procedure. Walking at least 5,000 steps a day will go a long way toward increasing your stamina and improving your cardiovascular health and muscle recovery.
Kick Bad Habits
Use the time before your surgery to quit smoking and drinking alcohol, along with any mood-altering substances that could affect your sleep or anxiety levels leading up to your surgery. Alcohol and nicotine can significantly affect your circulation and can increase your anesthesia risk.
2. Organize Your Personal Affairs
To avoid any anxiety and improve your peace of mind, here are a few things you should take care of before your procedure.
Check With Your Employer
Ensure you understand your options regarding vacation or sick time. Arrange for a colleague to fill in for you during your absence, so any professional responsibilities can keep moving smoothly.
Take All Required Medical Tests
Dr. Mussat will inform you what tests you will need before, during, and after your surgery. Check if any of these may require pre-authorization from your insurer.
Contact Your Health Insurance Company
You must understand what your policy will and won’t cover, including any deductibles, co-pays, and out-of-pocket costs.
3. Arrange for Help
Have a family member or friend agree to drive you to Dr. Mussat’s practice for your procedure and back home again afterward, where they can stay to help you for a day or two. Recruit family members and friends to take over meal preparation, diaper changes, laundry, and most parenting duties at home.
Those helping you both pre- and post-surgery can assist you in packing a bag with all of your basic essentials like toiletries, medications, and loose, comfortable clothing to wear home. They can also ensure you have plenty of water, vitamins, supplements, and healthy food at home.
Finally, make sure you take your personal ID, insurance card, and a list of any medications you may be taking, including the dosage.
Contact Us With Your Questions
If you have any questions about preparing for your surgery, please contact board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Florence Mussat in Chicago, IL. Schedule a personal consultation online or call (312) 751-9000 today.
