Special Savings from Restylane & Perlane

Medicis corporation the parent of Restylane & Perlane is making a special rebate offer between now & December 31st (New Year's Eve).

See myself or Janice for one syringe of Perlane and receive $75 dollar rebate from Medicis. If you benefit from 2 syringe, then the rebate is $150.

There are also rebates on Restylane. Schedule an appointment by calling 864-676-1707 or e-mail us at info@expertplasticsurgeon.com

Eyelid & Facelift Surgery: Attention turns to facial procedures

With summer almost over and fall approaching we notice a trend among our patients' interests. Many now want facial cosmetic procedures, often thinking ahead to looking their best for holidays, social and family gatherings.

Patients who have visited our office in the past and people who review our website have seen our strong emphasis on facial cosmetic surgery. Dr. Graham is well known for beautiful, natural looking facelifts, necklifts, short-scar cheeklifts, eyelid tuck (blepharoplasty), browlifts, laser wrinkle treatments, Botox & the new Dysport, lip enhancement, fillers such as Restylane, Perlane and Juvaderm, and finally natural fat grafts.

In addition to Dr. Graham, we have talented and experienced staff including 2 Skin Care Specialists (licensed estheticians) and our nurse practitioner (advanced-practice nurse). They enhance the results of both pre-op and post-op surgical patients and of women and men who want non-surgical enhancements. After surgery, our patients are provided sessions to reduce swelling and any bruising, improve circulation and increase comfort. If ultrasound or laser technology will speed healing, they can provide those as well.

Often we see a new patient who is wondering about facial cosmetic surgery, but isn't ready yet. We'll provide detailed information to help them with their decision. We have tools that they can use to help without surgery. For example, early eyelid skin wrinkles can improve with some combination of Obagi skin care products, microlaser peel, or Botox & Dysport neurotoxins. As another example, signs of age around the mouth can be improved with laser skin tightening (non-ablative), Juvaderm & Perlane fillers, and possibly selective Botox / Dysport. We also offer permanent make-up (medical tattooing) including lip liner, lip color, and eye liner which enhance those areas further. If you have facial pigmentation problems caused by sun exposure, hormones, etc. we have several treatments that can give you uniform smoother appearing skin.
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The majority of our patients come from the million or so residents of Upstate South Carolina (Greenville, Spartanburg GSP, Anderson, Greer, Greenwood, Abbeville, Laurens, Clinton, Union, Gaffney, Inman, Taylors, Easley, Pickens, Clemson, Seneca). Georgia communities including Hartwell, Clayton, and Toccoa are included. North Carolina patients frequently consult us (Asheville, Henderson, Brevard, Highlands, Cashiers, Franklin, Waynesville). We do accommodate patients traveling from out-of- state through GSP airport, local hotels or B&B's, or those staying with family locally.

Magic Wand Analogy (laser or injection): Check out the Witch or Wizard (plastic surgeon) using that thing! (copyright)

Wrinkle treatments, newest lasers, latest filler injections. We regularly get calls and we welcome questions about new developments. We are constantly looking at the many offerings of companies to find the best to offer our patients. Each new "Botox-alternative," "non-surgical facelift," "minilift" or "new laser wavelength" is a potential benefit, but quality studies are often lacking.

The "magic wand" analogy occurred to me recently. Potential patients need to ask the question posed by Glinda in the Wizard of Oz, "are you a good witch or a bad witch?" You don't need to know so much about the wand as the one waving it. The witch or wizard using the magic wand is the person who will determine the quality of your outcome.

Expert surgeons can obtain similarly excellent facelift results using a variety of techniques (SMASectomy, SMAS plication, MACS lift for example). Quality "injectors" using Botox at different concentrations or Juvaderm Ultra Plus versus Perlane can obtain superior results. The most important questions are questions about the doctor or nurse's skill, training and experience. You are not just buying a uniform product (25 units of magic neurotoxin). You are buying their medical experience.

So, my advice is don't worry so much about the wand, seek quality witches and wizards; you want the good ones.

Save on Injectable Filler Restylane

Our regular users and new patients can save on their regular injectable fillers Restylane and Perlane.

The manufacturer of these products is offering rebates to patients. You can save $100 on a typical two syringe treatment session, or $50 on single syringe treatments. Restylane / Medicis company web site has their details. See our web site for more information on non-surgical, minimally-invasive, or injectable treatments: http://www.expertplasticsurgeon.com/html/injectables.html

Evolence - New Injectable Filler Material

Johnson & Johnson has just obtained FDA approval to market Evolence, an injectable collagen used to treat facial wrinkles.

This will be interesting for several reasons. First, J&J is the first large pharmaceutical corporation to enter a market populated by smaller specialty companies like Allergan (Juvaderm) and Medicis (Restylane & Perlane). Their marketing will, no doubt, be superb. Second, the new product is made of porcine collagen derived from pig tendon. J&J emphasizes the source as "naturally sourced", rather than synthetic like established fillers. Finally, bovine (cow) collagen has been declining in popularity for 10-15 years. It was the first available filler, but fell out of favor because of rapid disappearance and the need for skin allergy tests.

Evolence has been used in Canada and some European countries, but there is little US experience. We will evaluate its risks and benefits over time before incorporating it into our selection of products.

Pick Your Recovery Time

One way to choose among the various options for facial rejuvenation procedures is tell your surgeon how long you have to recover. This will let him or her tailor your procedures to your desired "down-time." If you have no down-time: choose from Botox, Restylane of other fillers, Intense Pulsed Light photofacials, or non-ablative skin tightening. If you have one weekend: you may select the above and /or MicroLaser Peels or Periorbital resurfcing. When you have 1 week available: enhance you appearance with a endoscopic browlift or submental liposuction (under the chin). A 2 week recovery gives you plenty of options: you could have either eyelid blepharoplasty, short-scar facelift, or a combination of the above procedures. A three week recovery is best for: facelift, necklift, and combinations of procedures on several parts of the face. At our office we'll discuss these issues and the features you would like to improve, and make individual personal recommendations. Call if you're interested.