Dr. Patti Flint

The 3 must-haves for true transform

With so many new and emerging surgical techniques and technologies available to help restore and enhance your natural beauty, it’s easy to think that we can do less and get more.

And in some cases that’s true—especially when you start early on, with proper, preventative skincare, and take measures to maintain the youthfulness and beauty you already have.

However, the speed, efficiency, and ease of many interventions—some so quick and painless they take just moments to administer—can give the impression that dramatic change can happen almost instantly, which can set some patients up for unrealistic expectations.

If there’s one thing I’ve always prided myself on, it’s being able to achieve a natural outcome for my patients. My work should be as invisible as possible. I never want people to notice or wonder about “work” you’ve had done. You want people to see you at your absolute best, a more youthful vibrant, rested version of yourself.

But as you probably already know that doesn’t mean I have a magic wand at the ready in my surgery center.

So here’s my question to you: What does your best look like?

Chances are, if you’re even considering coming to see me for a consutation, or any plastic surgeon for that matter, something about yourself has caught your attention, and probably not in a good way.

Maybe it’s the way your skin looks in certain light, or up close. Perhaps the furrows or wrinkles are starting to become prominent in ways that bother you.

Maybe the camera caught you at a bad angle—and you worry that you have more bad angles than you used to.

I understand—and yes, there are ways to address any and all of these things.

When patients come to me with this (and they do all the time), many go one of two ways:

–They focus on one kind of treatment, while neglecting other, better or more appropriate options;

–They expect a smaller intervention can completely transform them.

Truth be told, if I could put everyone through the same series of procedures and have them all come out happy, my job would be much easier. But the fact that you look, live, and yes, age, in your own unique way means that we need to consider a variety of approaches.

I’ve been doing this long enough that I can tell you, with complete confidence that you don’t need everything. But you likely need a combination of some things. Just about everyone does.

What we do is not just science; it’s art—and that means every masterpiece requires not just invasive procedures, but a different combination of various treatment options to address multiple signs of aging.

Anyone who wants to make improvements to their appearance, regardless of age, tend to have the best outcomes when they draw on a combination of the following:

  • Proper daily skin care (learn more about SkinCeuticals[c] and how it promote younger looking, healthier skin);
  • Dermal fillers and/or Botox to help fill in fine lines, restore volume, and reduce wrinkles and furrows (read more about dermal fillers including Voluma and Vollure)[d]
  • Surgical Intervention, (facelift, eyelid surgery, neck lift, brow lift),

For many patients, to get the kind of results desired, it’s not a matter of whether you’ll need all three, it more about what combination of the three (and at which times) are best for you.

Just as an artist can’t generally paint a single stroke and get a stunning result, it will be near impossible to get the kind of transformation most want when you use (or overuse) one tool. Especially when you want to look 10, 15, 20 years younger.

This is good news, actually. The beauty of my approach is that we can draw on all what’s available—and not a touch upon more than you need.

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