Don’t Die To Be Beautiful

 In 2009 close to 10 million cosmetic surgical procedures were performed in the U.S.  This during one of the worst economic times ever.  Of those 10 million procedures, 1.5 million were major procedures such as:  facelifts, liposuction, breast augmentation, eyelid surgery and rhinoplasty.  The rest, approximately 8.5 million, were minimally invasive procedures like:  Botox, Restalyne and Perlane injections, microdermabrasion, chemical peels, Thermage, Fraxel laser and laser hair removal. Americans spent close to $10.5 billion on cosmetic procedures in 2009.  Yes, you read that right, 10.5 billion dollars, in just one year.

 I am a baby, baby boomer.  By that I mean I was born in 1957, which is one of the last years to be considered part of the boomer generation.  As you probably know, the population of the United States is aging.  The boomers will rule until the last of us die out as we make up the bulk of the population.  Hence, anything we want/need will be at the forefront.  Things like:  looking younger, better hearing, vision, savings plans, long term care, etc…  So it is really no surprise that there is the demand for, and advancements in, plastic surgery.

 One of the most exciting advances, at least to me, is the minimally invasive procedures that can be done without general anesthesia.  Recently, I met a fabulous plastic surgeon who is double board certified in both dermatology and cosmetic surgery.  Dr. David Rahimi, whose practice is in Los Angeles, has written a book entitled Please Don’t Die Trying To Become Beautiful.  Dr. Rahimi told me, "Everyone wants to leave something behind.  For me, I want people to know that almost all plastic surgery can be performed without general anesthesia." 

 Dr. Rahimi has invented what he calls the Tuliplift, which is a face lift he performs under local anesthesia with light sedation in his office.  He explained to me that many deaths are the result of the general anesthesia that is used with most plastic surgeries.  When you use local, with sedation, you minimize your risks and the recovery time is much shorter.  When you do facelifts this way you can also tell if you get close to a nerve, as it will twitch, and you can back off before there is permanent nerve damage.  He also said that many risks also come from trying to do too many procedures at once (Hello Heidi Montag). 

 I really like that there are procedures that don’t require surgery that we can do to improve our appearance without the risks.  I had Dr. Rahimi do a Thermage treatment on my face and neck.  I’m told it hurts but I had some sublingual valium and a little shot of dermerol and didn’t feel it at all.  In fact, we talked throughout the entire procedure, which took about an hour.  The results take up to six months to show, and since it has only been two weeks, I don’t see much yet, but I’ll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, if you are considering having something done, do your research.  Keep in mind that the traditional facelift under general anesthesia may be a thing of the past in the near future.  Make sure you find a board certified physician and check them out thoroughly.  Looking older is no fun but dying and/or having a really bad result isn’t either.