Don't put too much emphasis on the technology. Evaluate the operator.

Dr. Graham makes periodic contributions to online patient information websites. RealSelf.com is one such site where many people write questions for panels of cosmetic physicians.

One of the most frequently misunderstood topics concerns patients choosing the right laser or other device for a skin condition such as wrinkles. "Should I chose Brand X or Brand Z for my laser treatments?"

Our humorous response to this question for a long time has been, "you need to consider more carefully the witch or the warlock, than which brand of wand they use." You will obtain the best results with the best diagnosis and proper treatment(s) regardless of the brand of laser your surgeon uses. It matters how the device is used and the selection of the appropriate devices. Of course, sometimes the answer from an experienced surgeon may be that lasers won't give you the results you expect, but that facelift or other surgery is your best answer.

October Cosmetic Surgery Seminars

Come and join us! Find out about treatments that can give you the beautiful look you've always wanted. You will have the opportunity to meet our staff and Dr. Graham, see Before & After photos, and have plenty of time for questions.

Breast & Body Seminar: October 12th from 6:30 until 8:00pm

Facial Cosmetic Seminar: October 19th from 6:30 until 8:00pm

(Additional future dates are available)

You can register several ways:
Register by e-mail (info@expertplasticsurgeon.com)
Register through our website, www.ExpertPlasticSurgeon.com
Register by phone 864-676-1707

Contact us now!

Our Region is a Great Place to Live: High Rankings by Editors

The South Carolina Upstate is a wonderful place to live, play, sightsee, dine, and to practice cosmetic plastic surgery.

Most recently Fortune Magazine rated Greenville one of it's TOP FIVE places to retire. Fortune had this to say: "South Carolina has turned into the home of the halfbacks, folks from the Northeast who retire to Florida and then -- because of heat, high insurance premiums, hurricanes, or all of the above -- move halfway back up north. Greenville and its fellow South Carolina cities still give residents a change of seasons and a stable real estate market that never experienced sky-high prices during the bubble: Greenville has dropped a relatively modest 13% since its peak and has another 1% to fall. One of the biggest draws for Greenville residents is its downtown, which has undergone a 30-year revitalization plan. (Its Main Street has been recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.) "It is so darn cute," says Lori Sperry, 50, who recently bought a retirement home in the Greenville area. A growing number of retirees are buying condos within walking distance of downtown's stores and nearly 100 restaurants. Those looking for a city culture can take advantage of Greenville's proximity to Charlotte and Atlanta." Fortune, June 2010.

Money Magazine also recognized Greenville in 2007 as one of the best places to live.

As you can imagine, we enjoy the recognition. We are happy to serve the cosmetic surgery, skin care & non-surgical / injectable cosmetic needs of many in the area.

HAPPY NEW YEAR: Work toward progress, prospertiy & peace

We welcome in this new year, 2010! Dr. Graham and the staff at the Aesthetic Center enjoyed the holidays, including time off, travel, family get-togethers, special meals, greeting friends, etc. We hope you had safe and pleasant times too. We would like to see this new year as one of progress, prosperity and peace.

We plan to continue to offer quality cosmetic plastic surgery, cosmetic medical procedures (injectables and neurotoxins), and professional skin care services. We excel at education and care throughout your course of treatment with us.

We have a reputation for quality in:

• Breast enhancement (augmentation, lift, reduction, reconstruction)
• Facial cosmetic procedures (facelift, eyelid tuck, brow, chin, lips)
• Body contouring (tummy tuck, liposuction, thigh & arm tucks)
• Minimally invasive / non-surgical (Botox, Dysport, Juvederm, Restylane, laser hair removal, laser skin resurfacing, skin tightening)
• Esthetician treatments and skin care

Dr. Graham is one of the most experienced cosmetic surgeons in our area. Our nurse practitioner Janice is very experienced in her field. Erin and Stacy, our skin care specialists, are very knowledgeable. We are also proud of our front office and clinical staff. Our independent MD anesthesiologist is unique in office cosmetic surgical facilities in the upstate. We hope you have the chance to meet each one.

We serve patients from South & North Carolina, and Northeast Georgia: Greenville, Spartanburg, Asheville, Anderson, etc.

New Augmentation Photos in Our Gallery

Dr. Sutton Graham regularly updates the Aesthetic Center practice website and blog. The latest is addition of fresh breast augmentation photos.

The last patient is an avid runner and active mom, who wanted a trim figure and natural, proportional breast appearance.
http://www.expertplasticsurgeon.com/photogallery/breast-augmentation-4793/case-26-13537-20588 She was very complimentary of her result and the experience with our office, Dr. Graham and the staff.

More information about breast implants, augmentation recovery, breast lift options, and other breast surgery questions are available on our site www.ExpertPlasticSurgeon.com

If you would like to learn even more, call and talk to one of our helpful staff, and schedule your personal consultation session. Our phone number is 864-676-1707. You can also reach us through E-mail info@expertplasticsurgeon.com.

Public education success in Upstate South Carolina

We were very pleased with the response to our public education efforts last night.

Dr. Graham, our patient coordinator Betty Babb, and our nurse practitioner Janice Sasser hosted a well attended presentation at a beautiful restaurant meeting room in Seneca, South Carolina (Rudy's on Ram Cat). They had some great appetizers and refreshments for our guests.

We presented information on cosmetic surgery, cosmetic medical procedures, and professional skin care. We covered breast & body, and facial procedures in two, back-to-back sessions. We offered Dr. Graham's presentation, interesting statistics, before & after photographs, periods for audience questions, and time for individual questions. We were pleased with the numbers of people in attendance and their interesting questions. Thanks to all of you that came and shared the evening with us. We hope you'll want to do it again sometime.

Cosmetic Surgery Education in Easley, South Carolina

WE'RE COMING TO YOU!

Tonight is the next in our series of community education events. Dr. Graham and our patient coordinator, Ms. Betty Babb will host a 2 1/2 hour presentation in Easley, SC. We'll be at Dunburk's Conference Center 110 South Pendleton Street.

We have many guests registered, but will accommodate you if you call our office today at 864-676-1707.

Our blog last week explains more about the content and times. http://expertplasticsurgeon.blogspot.com/2009/10/easley-seneca-south-carolina-were.html

Easley & Seneca, South Carolina: We're Coming to You!

In our continuing series of presentations to our communities, we will be visiting Easley and Seneca, South Carolina in the next two weeks. Come & join us! Bring your friends!

We're serving refreshments and highlighting our quality cosmetic surgery (our team, our facility, our wonderful patients, their beautiful results)

The presentations start at 6:00pm.
--6:00 until 7:15 Facial Cosmetic Procedures
--7:15 until 7:30 Break & Refreshments
--7:30 until 8:30 Breast & Body Procedures

We have many before & after photographs. We'll discuss skin care, non-surgical treatments, minimally invasive and standard surgical procedures.

You'll learn a lot from Dr. Graham's presentation. And you'll have plenty of time for questions in both sessions. You can also ask us to contact you afterward with additional information.

Easley's session is Tuesday, October 27th at Dunburk's Reception and Conference Center in historic downtown Easley, on South Pendleton Street. Parking is available street-side or in the large parking area behind the building. Directions are available on their website http://www.dunburks.com/Directions.html

Seneca's session is one week later, on Tuesday, November 3rd at Rudy's on Ram Cat Restaurant. This is in the historic district of Seneca on Ram Cat Alley. Parking is available street-side or in the large lot one block away on North Townville and Main Street. Their website also includes directions http://www.tigergourmet.com/rudys-on-ram-cat-alley.htm

We have picked these locations to give you our experience and detailed information in two wonderful facilities. Bring your interested family members and friends, and please join us.

Dr. Graham's Aesthetic Center for Breast & Cosmetic Surgery is a specialized cosmetic plastic surgery practice, located in Greenville, South Carolina. We serve Georgia, South Carolina & Western North Carolina.

Cosmetic Surgery Safety: California requires pre-op medical clearance ("Donda West Law")

Dr. Graham has emphasized safety and patient comfort for almost 20 years performing cosmetic surgery. Our patients receive thorough medical history evaluation and perioperative teaching, appropriate physical examination, and evaluation of our physician anesthesiologist prior to surgery. We contact our patient's primary care doctors, and occasionally cardiologists, to request relevant health information prior to surgery. This is nothing new.

Following an unfortunate well publicized tragedy in California, a local legislator held a public contest to request suggestions for laws. As a result her law requires a preoperative medical evaluation by a physician before cosmetic surgery.

Excerpt: "Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law on Oct. 11 legislation authored by District 62 Assemblymember Wilmer Amina Carter that would requires a health check and a written clearance before being allowed to undergo plastic surgery. Assembly Bill 1116, named the Donda West Law, was inspired by the death of Kanye West's mother. The bill came as a result of her 62nd Districtwide contest, "It Ought to Be a Law." "This law will potentially saved lives," Assemblymember Carter said. "There is a growing trend of people opting to have elected cosmetic surgery, and they are not aware of the risks involved." Specially, the law requires physicians and surgeons, including people licensed by the state holding permits to perform elective facial cosmetic surgery to complete a physical examination including a complete medical history on their patients, prior to performing elective cosmetic surgery"

For the complete article see: http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a62/newsroom/20091014AD62PR02.htm

The text of Assembly Bill 1116 follows:

http://info.sen.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_1101-1150/ab_1116_cfa_20090504_131942_asm_comm.html

Accreditation standards for Office Surgical Facilities and hospitals routinely require pre-operative medical history taking and physical examination. All surgeons that are members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (http://www.plasticsurgery.org/) are required to only operate in accredited facilities. For more information on our quality and safety see our website, http://www.expertplasticsurgeon.com/html/about.html#nationally-accredited-facilities

Tummy Tuck B&A photos by Sutton Graham, MD

Tummy tuck is called abdominoplasty by plastic surgeons; reshaping the abdomen.

These are some of our happiest patients! Women are excited when they see how much we can improve the effects of time, gravity, pregnancies, weight changes. If you want to see several examples follow this link: http://www.expertplasticsurgeon.com/photogallery/tummy-tuck-abdominoplasty-4814/case-1-10867-16331/32069

If the problems are loose skin, stretch marks across the lower abdomen, a roll-like collection of fat, and / or poor tone of the abdominal wall then tummy tuck can improve your appearance. If you lost quite a bit of weight then you often experience some of these. On the other hand if the problem is only localized fat that doesn't respond to diet and exercise, then liposuction may be a better procedure. During your consultation, we will check and explain how each procedure can help. http://www.expertplasticsurgeon.com/html/tummy-tuck.html

The procedure is done as an out-patient in our nationally accredited office surgery facility. You need assistance for a few days and will normally resume driving in 1 1/2 or 2 weeks. You wear a support girdle for 3 weeks post-op. We recommend starting vigorous exercise 6 weeks post-op. The recovery is more significant than for most other cosmetic surgery procedures, however we use special new techniques such as a continuous-infusion local anesthetic pump for 3-4 days after the procedure. This reduces you discomfort and decreases the need for narcotic pain medicine.

Tummy tuck is often combined with liposuction of the flanks and hip areas to improve the contour of the entire torso. Some patients choose to have breast enhancement (breast lift, breast augmentation, or breast reduction) during tummy tuck. Occasionally we do unrelated procedures such as lip augmentation by fat graft or liposuction of the neck and under-chin area.

If you want to know more, call 864-676-1707 or e-mail at info@expertplasticsurgeon.com

Patients coming to us from a distance should plan a local hotel stay. However most patients come from a 50-100 mile radius and don't have such an issue. Greenville, Spartanburg, Asheville, Anderson, Columbia, Hartwell, Highlands, Sapphire, Cashiers, Brevard, Henderson, Tryon, Landrum, Greer, Simpsonville, Newberry, Greenwood, Clemson, Lakes Hartwell & Keowee, Seneca, Pickens, Easley, and the Reserve and Cliffs Communities.

Clemson Cosmetic Surgery Presentation, Tuesday October 27th

WE'RE COMING TO YOU, CLEMSON!

Bring state-of-the-art cosmetic plastic surgery to your upstate community, Tuesday, October 27th, 6:00-8:30pm, at the Madren Conference Center. http://www.clemson.edu/madren/toc/contact/location.htm

Dr. Graham and the staff of Aesthetic Center for Breast & Cosmetic Surgery will present a broad range of topics; from the face to the breast and the body. We'll discuss surgical and non-surgical treatments.

The presentation will be divided into two sessions. The first half will run 6:00 through 7:15pm. We'll discuss facial rejuvenation, cosmetic surgery, injectables, peels and skin care. The second half will be 7:30-8:30 and cover breast augmentation, reduction and lift, liposuction and tummy tuck.

We will offer refreshments. You're welcome at both sessions. Please bring a friend. Arrive a few minutes early to enjoy refreshments, meet Dr. Graham and his wonderful staff.

REGISTRATION IS IMPORTANT. Please send an e-mail to us at info@expertplasticsurgeon.com (or link through our website) or call us at 864-676-1707.

If you cannot attend these sessions, but are interested, we will be having other dates and locations in Pickens and Oconee county later. Call for details.
http://www.expertplasticsurgeon.com/

Welcoming people from Georgia, Upstate South Carolina, Western North Carolina. Seneca, Easley, Pickens, Salem, Sunset, Jocassee, Keowee and Hartwell Lake communities, Reserve and Cliffs Communities, Hartwell, Toccoca, Anderson, Pendleton, Piedmont, Highlands, Cashiers, Toxaway, and Franklin

Fall Office Seminars

Our Fall Seminars have been scheduled and registration is starting. Call now (864-676-1707) or send an e-mail through our website http://www.expertplasticsurgeon.com/.

BREAST & BODY seminar: Tuesday, September 29th at 6:30-8:00pm

FACIAL REJUVENATION seminar: Tuesday, October 6th at 6:30-8:00pm

• Meet Dr. Graham & our wonderful staff
• See Before & After photos
• Watch presentation of current techniques
• Ask any questions you may have
• Tour our accredited facilities
• Refreshments served
• Special gifts to attendees
• Bring a friend!

RSVP by phone or e-mail (see above)

Items in the media

Some recent online articles about cosmetic plastic surgery.


http://www.theweekender.com/cover/One_lift__tuck_or_suction_at_a_time__cos_07-28-2009.html

http://www.healthywomen.org/blogs/midlifematters/2009/07/lines-and-wrinkles-be-gone.html

Safe Surgery in the News

Recently the Wall Street Journal ran an article stressing the importance of safety and accreditation in office-based surgery (including cosmetic surgery). (July 21, 2009) We couldn't agree more.

The article highlights that many facilities lack oversight, regulation, etc. Potential patients should be aware that the American Society of Plastic Surgeons saw the importance of facility accreditation several years ago. The ASPS requires that all of its members only operate in accredited facilities. Members are also board-certified in plastic surgery.

Our office surgical facility was carefully designed from the outset with safety in mind. It has been nationally accredited from the beginning by the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF). This includes annual review, on-site visits, staff training and certification, back-up equipment and safety systems. Our facility meets or exceeds state laws and regulations. All anesthesia is performed by our board-certified MD anesthesiologist. All OR nursing and physician personnel are Advanced Cardiac Life Support certified (ACLS). http://www.expertplasticsurgeon.com/html/about.html#nationally-accredited-facilities

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203946904574300971306299860.html

News for the New Year 2009: Incentive Pricing

We are going to make it easier to have cosmetic surgery in early 2009. Patients will be offered reduced surgeon's fees of 5-10%, possibly more. Call for more information, 864-676-1707. Or contact us via e-mail through our website. Just click on the link below.
http://www.expertplasticsurgeon.com/

Busy Fall Season: Breast, Face & Body

Now is the time to plan your fall and winter season cosmetic surgery procedures. At this time of year we begin to hear from new and established patients who want to schedule a consultation. They are making their plans to have various operations. The want to coordinate them with plans to travel, and to gather with family and friends.

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years provide holidays from work that many patients use to recover with minimal down-time. Many of our patients have seasonal businesses that slow in December. Every individual has reasons for choosing this time of year that work for them. We are glad to accommodate and assist your plans. Call our office or e-mail. Find the contact information at out website: http://www.expertplasticsurgeon.com/index.html.

Office-Based Plastic Surgery Safety

Over 1 million (1.1) procedures were reviewed by the AAAASF (American Association for the Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities) between 2001 & 2006. Data reveal mortality rates similar to hospitals (0.002%). You can learn more at: http://www.plasticsurgery.org/media/press_releases/July08-PRS-PatientSafety.cfm.

We are accredited by AAAASF and undergo yearly re-evaluation. Fortunately for our citizens, South Carolina is one of the minority of states that require accreditation. All members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons only perform surgery in accredited facilities.

For your safety, if you are considering a procedure ask your doctor which organization accredits their facility.