Posted on Wed, Nov 07, 2012 @ 06:36 AM
Do you want to have liposuction but don’t want it to be a big deal that disrupts your life?
If your answer is “yes,” there’s a great solution for you. A cutting-edge laser liposuction procedure, SmartLipo, can help get rid of those last few pounds (e.g., “double” chins, flabby arms) without the pain, messiness, and inconvenience of traditional liposuction.
The SmartLipo Procedure and You
If you’re interested in SmartLipo, this is how the process will go:
1. You’ll have a consultation with Dr. Walker, who will let you know if you’re medically able to have the procedure and whether it’s the best option for you.
Generally, SmartLipo is the right choice for people who eat well, regularly exercise, and are within 25 pounds of their ideal body weight—but just can’t seem to get rid of a particular area of localized fat no matter how hard they try. Your doctor will also go over the cost. Typically, SmartLipo is less expensive than traditional lipo.
2. On the day of the procedure, Dr. Walker will begin by making a small incision to insert the tiny tube containing the laser. You’ll only need a local anesthesia for this, so you’ll be awake the whole time and won’t be exposed to the risks of general anesthesia, as you would be with most traditional lipo.
3. The doctor will use the laser to melt and liquefy fat, which is then removed through the incision. The laser is also used to cause blood vessels to immediately coagulate, which is why SmartLipo has far less bleeding, bruising, and swelling than traditional lipo. And best of all, the laser tightens skin to avoid the dropping rolls of loose skin that can plague traditional lipo patients.
For one localized area of fat, the entire procedure can usually be done in about an hour.
4.You go on with your life. You’ll feel some slight soreness after SmartLipo, but that’s a lot better than traditional lipo, which will make you feel like you’ve been beaten up.
And because the aftereffects are so minimal, you can get right back to your normal activities.
To determine if you are good candidate for SmartLipo, contact Dr. Walker for a consultation.
Posted on Tue, Oct 16, 2012 @ 08:07 AM
For women who have ever struggled with stubborn cellulite, a free, live doctor video chat on Wednesday, October 17 will provide critical information about various procedures that help to reduce the unwanted bumps.
Hosts Dr. Grant Stevens and Dr. Michelle Spring, both plastic surgery experts and board-certified doctors at Marina Plastic Surgery in Marina Del Rey, CA, will share various procedure options, how they work, risks, average cost, satisfaction rates and more.
During the live chat, brought to you by RealSelf.com and sponsored by Cynosure, participants will get firsthand insight about the different procedures that target cellulite, including the hottest new treatment on the market, Cellulaze. The video chat takes place at 5:15 p.m. PST and participants can register at http://www.realself.com/doctalk/cellulite.
Cellulite affects approximately 85 percent* of women in the U.S. Many are unaware that cellulite is not exclusively a fat problem; it’s a structural problem below the skin and no amount of dieting, healthy eating or exercising can get rid of it.
In addition, aging, hormones, genetics and dramatic weight changes can all play a role in the appearance of cellulite. Anybody who has questions about cellulite and the procedures that help get rid of it can ask Dr. Stevens and Dr. Spring for real-time answers during a Q&A at the end.
On RealSelf.com, Cellulaze – a minimally-invasive surgical device designed to reduce cellulite by restoring the normal structure of the skin and underlying connective tissue – gets an 84 percent “Worth It Rating” by the community and has a reported average cost of $5,500. So far in 2012, there have been more than one million searches on the topic, and curiosity continues to grow.
There are countless treatments that claim to get rid of cellulite such as creams and lotions, but these only treat cellulite superficially by working at the skin's surface and results are often inconsistent. If you have ever considered a longer lasting treatment to reduce cellulite, this is an informative session not to be missed!
To participate, attendees are encouraged to register in advance at http://www.realself.com/doctalk/cellulite for this FREE online doctor chat and get the information needed to make a confident, empowered decision.
*Avram, MM “Cellulite: A review of physiology and treatment” Journal of Cosmetic Laser Therapy 2004; 6:181-185.
Posted on Tue, Oct 09, 2012 @ 10:47 AM
Do you think it’s time for a facelift? How about an “uplift” instead?
A new FDA-approved procedure, Ultherapy, lifts the skin up without any cutting—or even lasers. Using ultrasound waves, Ultherapy stimulates the skin’s natural healing properties to counter the effects of time and gravity on the face and neck.
It’s well-known that as people age, one of the first visible effects of gravity is a sagging of the brows, which causes the eyes to appear smaller and tired. By lifting the skin of the brow, Ultherapy can revitalize your eyes.
Ultherapy’s effectiveness without surgery has been widely lauded. The procedure has been the subject of reports on 20/20, The View, The Doctors, The Rachael Ray Show,and The Martha Stewart Show. It’s attracting all this attention because it works!
The Science
Ultrasound allows your doctor to see deep into your skin and direct ultrasound energy to the structural support layers. This new technology does not disturb the skin’s surface layer, as was once necessary.
The heat of the ultrasound waves subtly agitates the skin’s underlying tissue, leading to increased collagen production. Collagen is the protein that gives skin its youthfulness, causing it to be more vibrant, toned, and tight.
Ultherapy triggers the process, but your body’s own natural healing response does the work.
The Convenience
Because Ultherapy is completely non-invasive, it’s done during an office visit of only 30 to 90 minutes. And you can pick up your normal activities as soon as you leave.
The Results
Patients will notice some immediate improvement, but building collagen and restoring “memory” to skin is much like building muscle through exercise—it takes some time. Over the course of the first two or three months, you’ll see your skin gradually lift and wrinkles disappear.
Is Ultherapy For You?
A typical patient is someone in their late 30’s to early 50’s who is concerned about wrinkles but isn’t ready for a face lift. They are usually just beginning to notice lax skin.
But some younger people are “taking the fight to gravity” by using Ultherapy to prevent wrinkling before it occurs.
If you think Ultherapy might be just the lift your skin needs, contact Dr. Walker for a consultation in the Washington, DC area.
Posted on Thu, Sep 27, 2012 @ 10:35 AM
Dr. Walker is thrilled to be part of The Beauty Bash on September 29, 2012 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City.
The Beauty Bash is the kickoff event for the Fab over Fifty Week (FOFWeek). At Beauty Bash, you’ll gather with the smartest, savviest and strongest players in the beauty, apparel and accessories businesses to get a first-hand beat on the products, procedures and people that keep you looking good.
Dr. Walker will demonstrate Ultherapy and two lucky raffle winners will receive an Ultherapy treament valued at over $3,500.00.
For more information about FOF beauty bash click here. See you in NYC.
Posted on Wed, Aug 08, 2012 @ 06:59 AM
Youthful, glowing, taut and supple skin. It is something that all women want. Unfortunately, sun damage, exposure to pollutants, gravity and, most of all, time make it increasingly difficult for a person to regain and retain this beauty ideal.
For the most part the only solution has been surgery, fillers, lasers or Botox and while there are certainly benefits that can be obtained from these procedures, there are some unfortunate downsides, such as recovery time and use of chemicals. Now there is a revolutionary and exciting alternative that is taking the world of facial rejuvenation methods into a new frontier: Ultherapy.
What is Ultherapy?
Ultherapy is a non-invasive, ultrasound procedure that causes your body's natural collagen-rebuilding process to lift and tighten your skin from the inside out.
There are no injections, lasers or chemicals involved and it is completely non-surgical. With the revolutionary new patented DeepSEE technology, Ultherapy is able to direct sound waves both into the skin and to the tissue underneath the skin. The 30 - 60 minute procedure works to heat the tissue which then causes your body's natural healing response to gently repair the tissue and create new collagen. The skin above the tissue is toned and tightened, essentially resulting in the same effect as a surgical procedure - without the surgery.
What are the benefits?
The result of Ultherapy is skin that is noticeably tighter, lifted and more toned. Though slight improvement is visible immediately after the procedure, patients will enjoy seeing the full benefit about two to three months after. This gradual improvement and lack of necessary downtime after the procedure helps for a very natural and subtle progression to a more youthful and improved appearance for you. Nobody will know you had any sort of cosmetic procedure. They will only know that you look fantastic!
In addition to the toning and tightening, your skin will also look and feel more supple as new collagen is created. The procedure can be applied to all problem areas of the face that need lifting, from eyelids and brows to jowls and neck.
Just imagine having the tone, smoothness and lift of your skin from your more youthful years - without having to go through surgery and recovery! As one patient happily remarked, "There was no down time and the results are very natural…Nobody knows I had anything done. They just know I look better."
Posted on Wed, Jul 25, 2012 @ 07:15 AM
Not every doctor who claims to perform plastic and reconstructive surgeries has completed an approved residency in plastic surgery. This is because regardless of training, any licensed doctor can perform plastic surgery and call themselves a plastic surgeon.
Every patient who undergoes a plastic surgery procedure is risking their health and appearance. Board certified surgeons are highly trained and best able to deliver the the overall care you need to to heal quickly, minimize pain, and achieve natural looking results. Even the smallest misstep can cause catastrophic results and if your aren't 100% confident in your surgeon, you should not undergo any procedure.
It is always wisest to question a surgeon specifically, making sure that he or she is certified by the the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS), not some other organization. Certified plastic surgeons have access to hospital facilities as needed, and a proven lower rate of complications. One study showed that the rate of complications at accredited and board certified plastic surgery facilities is less than one half of one percent. Certified surgeons will also be able to perform a wider range of services, such as tissue reconstruction, cosmetic surgery and microsurgery.
ABPS board certification insures that a doctor has not only graduated from an accredited medical institution, but has many additional years of training and experience, including three years of surgery, two or three of residency, and two years of professional practice. By the time a surgeon earns her certification through a series of written and oral exams before the board, she is skilled, practiced and well qualified to do his job.
Since the decision to have a plastic surgery procedure done is such an important and personal one to begin with, prospective patients should carefully consider the qualifications of any doctor before trusting themselves to him.
Dr. Walker is board certified. Learn more about her.
Posted on Wed, Jul 18, 2012 @ 06:14 AM
Recently Dr. Walker was featured on ABC7 demonstrating Cellulaze, the latest laser treatment for eliminating cellulite.
Watch the video and learn how Cellulaze goes under the skin to melt trapped fat and release fibers that cause dimples. No more 'cottage cheese thighs' or 'pin cushion posteriors'!
Contact Dr. Walker and find out if Cellulaze is right for you.
Posted on Tue, Jul 17, 2012 @ 05:59 PM
It’s infuriating to diet and exercise, lose weight, continue to stay in shape—and yet still have cellulite!
You know you’ve lost flab and developed muscle tone, but no matter how hard you continue to exercise and watch your diet, you still have that dimpled “orange peel” look caused by cellulite. It’s probably around your thighs, or perhaps your arms—spoiling the fit, tight look you’re after.
You might think: “I must not be doing enough!”
But don’t be hard on yourself. Fat dimples aren’t something you can control. They stick around, even after you lose the weight that caused them. And you’re certainly not alone in your exasperation. Lingering cellulite has long been a common problem for people trying to look their best—a problem without a good solution. Until now.
Attacking Cellulite at the Source
A new laser procedure, Cellulaze, has been developed to eliminate dimpling and give your skin a smoother, healthier appearance—all in one office visit. If you’re not significantly overweight and the cellulite is mild to moderate, Cellulaze can be the final step in achieving the look you’ve worked so hard for.
It’s fast and painless. After you are given a local anesthesia, your doctor will make a small incision in your skin and insert a tiny tube containing a laser wire. At the most, you’ll feel light pressure. You may be slightly sore for a few days afterwards, but most people return to work within one to two days.
The procedure, which is FDA-approved as safe and effective, consists of a three-prong approach:
- Melt the fat pockets just under your skin that cause your skin to protrude in places;
- Cut the fibrous bonds between fat cells that cling to skin, causing it to draw up in other places;
- Stimulate the skin to produce more collagen, which improves skin thickness and elasticity gradually over a period of three months or so, resulting in smoother, deeper, healthier-looking skin.
Getting rid of the fat pockets alone wouldn’t do the trick. It takes each of these steps to make fat dimples disappear and give you the smooth, glowing skin you desire—and Cellulaze is the only available procedure that does all three.
If you’re fed up with fighting cellulite, Cellulaze is the weapon that can finally win the battle.
Posted on Thu, Jul 12, 2012 @ 06:11 AM
Not all liposuction is the same. Conventional liposuction techniques can be too invasive for some and often requires significant “down time” for patients as they recover. With this in mind, Smart Lipo can be considered the best liposuction method for many people.
SmartLipo is a laser fat-removal technique that also smooths and tightens the skin around the affected area, reducing the look of loose skin and providing a more-satisfying end result. It also is minimally invasive, with only a local anesthesia involved. So there are few side effects, allowing most patients to return to work within 1-2 days.
And because of the laser technology, SmartLipo can be used on small, specific areas such as below the chin. It is ideal for “body contouring” or “lipo-sculpture, an increasingly popular approach to looking good, especially in metropolitan areas such as Washington, D.C. that are full of professionals who want to look their best and feel confident about their appearance.
The Procedure
Developed in Europe and approved by the FDA in 2006, SmartLipo was the first liposuction method to use laser technology. It is considered to be the cutting-edge liposuction technique, and has played a large role in liposuction becoming the most-common cosmetic procedure.
A tiny tube (1-2 mm in diameter) that contains a laser fiber is inserted into your skin. The doctor moves the tube around to deliver the laser’s energy to the fat cells, which the laser ruptures, releasing an oily, liquid substance that is removed through a small incision.
The laser also seals blood vessels as it destroys the fat cells, so you’ll experience less bleeding, swelling, and bruising than with conventional liposuction. And the laser causes collagen shrinkage, which helps counteract looseness.
The Results
Even if you eat right and exercise, you can still have problem areas where the fat just won’t go away, and often these areas are exactly where you’re the most concerned about fat—such as the abdomen, buttocks, thighs, or face. SmartLipo is the ideal liposuction technique to remove that persistent fat safely, precisely, and with little disruption of routine. It can provide you with the appearance you want with far less hassle and discomfort—and cost—than traditional liposuction.
If you’re considering liposuction, consult with a plastic surgeon who specializes in SmartLipo. It may be just the thing to give you the outcome you’re after.
Photo by Evelyn Giggles. Available under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License.
Posted on Wed, Jul 11, 2012 @ 01:35 PM
Think about how fat looks on a body. It’s not just fat rolls that create an undesirable appearance. Fat also causes the skin to dimple—resulting in an appearance that’s often described as “orange peel” or “cottage cheese.”
This dimpling is due to fat pockets beneath the skin that both push and pull on the skin. And, unfortunately, the dimpling remains even after you’ve lost excess fat.
Cellulaze laser treatment addresses this problem by melting away the lumpy fat pockets that push the skin up, while also cutting through the constricted fibrous bands between the fat cells that connect to the skin and pull it down.
Then the laser is turned up toward the skin’s epidermal layer to produce a gentle heat that stimulates the skin to begin producing more collagen, resulting in thicker, more-elastic skin with a smoother appearance.
Here are five key facts about Cellulaze that you should know if you have problem areas, such as the back of your thighs, where the skin remains dimpled even with fat loss.
- Cellulaze can be completed in one session, usually only lasting between 1-2 hours. The procedure involves the insertion of a tiny tube, containing a laser wire, into a small incision in the skin.
- A local anesthesia is used, so you will feel only a light pressure. After the procedure, you may feel some soreness for a few days, but most people return to their normal activities within a day or two.
- Measurements one year after the procedure show a 29% average increase in skin elasticity and a 25% average increase in skin thickness. Before gaining FDA approval, Cellulaze was subjected to extensive clinical trials that convinced the FDA that the procedure was both safe and effective.
- It usually takes about 3-6 months to see the full benefit of Cellulaze. Some improvement can be seen immediately, but the skin—stimulated by Cellulaze—continues to produce new collagen, so the exterior skin becomes gradually smoother during this time.
- Cellulaze is the only technology available that uses a complete approach to treating cellulite—removing fat, cutting the constricting fibers between cells, and increasing the production of collagen. Eliminating fat alone isn’t enough. If the skin—which has thinned and lost elasticity over time—isn’t also treated, the dimpling caused by cellulite will remain.
Need to learn more? Contact Dr. Walker for a DC Cellulaze consultation.
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