New Year’s Resolutions
Posted December 29, 2014 in Plastic Surgery Advice
“The things we do are fabulous, but they need to be coordinated with positive lifestyle habits that help patients to maintain and enjoy the benefits of their results.”
Dr. Chris Patronella
By Sherri Roberts
The beginning of a New Year inspires fresh resolve in most of us to commit to healthier eating and exercise habits. Many of the patients Dr. Patronella evaluates in cosmetic consultations eat a nutritious diet and lead active lifestyles that include activities such as yoga, Pilates, weight training, and running 5Ks, but they have one or more areas of their body that are difficult or impossible to improve through self-efforts alone.
Here are some of the most common situations we see among our patients:
Women who have loose abdominal skin and breasts that have lost firmness and fullness after pregnancy
Mommy makeover surgery—a combination of procedures that typically includes breast augmentation and/or a breast lift, The True Form Tummy Tuck®, and liposuction—is one of the most popular procedures Dr. Patronella performs. With this surgery, he gives the breasts a shapely, fuller, lifted look; repairs the abdomen and its underlying stretched out muscles to restore a softly-contoured, flat, smooth appearance; and creates more ideal proportions between the upper and lower body. The procedure often produces a profoundly positive transformation both to the body and psyche of the women who have it, helping them to feel more beautiful, feminine, and confident. The rave reviews of our patients reflect those on RealSelf.com, an online plastic surgery information and review site, where 98 percent of those reviewers who’d undergone the procedure said it was “worth it.” As one of Dr. Patronella’s patients, a mother of four who had the True Form Tummy Tuck and breast augmentation, remarked, “Once you go through with it, you’ll love it and never regret it.”
Individuals who’ve experienced weight loss through dieting and exercise or bariatric surgery
Those who’ve experienced moderate to large weight loss typically are left with loose skin and, in cases of massive weight loss, large folds of loose hanging skin. Body contouring procedures such as a body lift and tummy tuck surgery restore more natural looking contours to their bodies—the next rewarding step in their journey to live a healthier lifestyle. That was the case with Kara, a vibrant fitness enthusiast who found it necessary to wear constrictive clothing while participating in 5ks and her workouts to compress the loose, hanging skin left behind by her large weight loss. After overcoming a lifetime of obesity through diet and exercise, Kara reached a momentous milestone when she had a body lift, tummy tuck, and breast augmentation procedure combination with Dr. Patronella, giving her body contours that better reflected her newfound passion and commitment to fitness. It was the perfect beginning to what once might have seemed like an impossible dream: her pursuit to become a certified fitness trainer.
Men and women whose faces display signs of aging
Eyelids that begin to droop; a lined, descending brow; and a creased, sagging face and neck are common features of aging that can cause individuals to appear tired and older than they may feel inside, a frustrating reality that can dampen their confidence in social settings and in the competitive job market. As the field of medicine advances and more people adopt healthier lifestyle routines that allow them to live longer, active lives, a growing percentage of men and women are undergoing facial rejuvenation surgeries to attain a more refreshed, youthful appearance that better reflects their inner vitality. For Jenny, age 64, the upcoming wedding of her daughter, was the impetus that led her to have a facelift, necklift, eye lift, browlift, breast lift, and liposuction with Dr. Patronella. “It was going to be a joyous occasion, but when I looked in the mirror, I looked tired and sad, even when smiling,” she commented.
The decision to have surgery signified Jenny’s resolve “to take charge of her life,” a goal that also included biking, yoga, and fine-tuning her nutrition. The procedures restored a more youthful, refreshed and cheerful look to her face, leading her son to remark, “Mom, you look the way I remember you as a kid.”
Hearing the inspiring stories and words of appreciation from our patients is one of the greatest rewards for Dr. Patronella and his staff. Our hope is that, like some many of our patients have experienced and shared with us, the attainment of your appearance goals and the confidence boost this provides is a fulfilling endeavor that helps you enjoy life and your relationships to the fullest, one of the most timeless and worthwhile resolutions of all.
