Julio Garcia MD

Posts by Julio Garcia MD

Put Down that Sports Bottle!

Sep5th
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Julio Garcia MD

For years I have been telling may patients to avoid using sports bottle or straws in order to prevent wrinkles and fine lines around their lips. I have explained to them that the constant flexion of the muscles in order to purse your lips around the straws will eventually cause breakdown in the skin and make the lines that initially were just seen on pursing, will become visible at rest too. Traditionally called smoker’s lines for the similar reason, smoking has its own bad effects on the skin, but the constant pursing is of no help, so those that smoke get the lines much faster than those with the straws. I have finally been vindicated in a recent news article for you to read below. So remember, move away for the straw and embrace the glass!

To read the article, click here.

For answer to more general questions, click on Plastic Surgery in Las Vegas.

Fillers

Plastic Surgery is Not as Good As PhotoShop

Aug22nd
2012 2 Comments Written by Julio Garcia MD

I, along with many plastic surgeons contend with patients bringing in pictures of celebrities, asking me to make them look like the person in the photo. In the old days I used to joke that it would take different parents to make the patient look like someone famous. This has now been supplanted by me telling them that plastic surgery can never achieve the results that the software program PhotoShop can. When you peruse most fashion and health magazines, what you see are photos of models that have been altered with the aid of computers. This is especially true in advertisements. Anyone that has gone to see a movie the last few years knows about CGI and you should then understand that a surgeon could not do what a computer can do. I will post a link to a recent picture of Demi Moore that has had “PhotoShop Surgery”, so you can see how different people can be made to look. Personally, I have thought that Demi was always a beautiful woman, hair or no hair. I like think Demi looks awesome in the photo below, and I actually prefer that look versus the altered one. So as always, tell your surgeon what you would like changed but understand that hopes and desires may not always be achievable.

To see the photos, click here.

For specific answers to your questions click on the link here,Plastic Surgery in Las Vegas

Celebrities

Compact Flourescent Bulb Risks

Aug8th
2012 9 Comments Written by Julio Garcia MD

We are all aware of the push to use compact fluorescent light bulbs in order to replace incandescent bulbs. Many of us have also heard about the potential safety issues were one of the bulbs were to break during its placement or removal. The area would then need to be treated like a miniature toxic area in order to decrease damage from the contents of the bulb. Well, recent literature shows that these curly bulbs are not so good for our skin. When compared to old fashioned bulbs, they appear to potentially increase our risk of skin cancer. Something new we need to worry about!

Read about it by clicking here.

For more information about skin, click on Plastic Surgery in Las Vegas.

skin care

Bungee Cords Do Not Replace a Facelift

Jul30th
2012 32 Comments Written by Julio Garcia MD

 

There is a “new” item on the facial appearance market called a bungee facelift. For those of you that have not seen it thrust upon you lately by the media, it is essentially an elastic band attached to two clips similar to hair combs. The lift is achieved by placing the comb ends into the temple scalp hair, tightening the cords, and then draping the hair over it to conceal them. It is actually nothing new. There were movie stars in the early 20th century using similar techniques with the hooks from old bras being glued to the skin and then using rubber bands. Those astute viewers might also have seen some celebrities possibly using them in famous movies. It would appear that Joe Pesci, one of my favorite actors, might have used one in the movie Casino. You can see a somewhat unnatural pull on his cheek area that causes some flattening of the area. A word of caution about its prolonged use is that since the elastic band is placing your hair comb on tension, there can be hair loss in those areas, prompting the need to move the device and then it not being able to be covered well. If the hair is pulled out by the follicle, it also might result in a permanent hair loss. Is it a replacement for a facelift, obviously not, but it is another in the large number of items out there claiming facelift results with lower cost and no downtime. Caveat Emptor.

Read about it by clicking here.

To read about facelifts, click on Plastic Surgery in Las Vegas

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Worried About Aging, That Might Be The Worst Thing To Worry About.

Jul25th
2012 11 Comments Written by Julio Garcia MD

We know that stress causes the release of the body’s own cortisol and there have been a number of studies that have shown high cortisol levels leading to accelerated aging. There are stress reduction techniques that can help along with medications for some individuals, but now there is proof that worrying about it is also bad. It appears that people that are phobic about aging, when having their blood tested, shows signs of premature aging. Below is the link for you to read.

Read it here.

anti-aging

Stem Cell Facelift, Really?

Jul25th
2012 40 Comments Written by Julio Garcia MD

There has been an enormous amount of publicity about the use of stem cells for cosmetic enhancements. Although stem cells have been proven effective in the treatment of certain blood diseases and there is lots of on-going research into their use on numerous things like heart patients and diabetes along with spinal cord injuries, I am afraid that there have been a number of doctors trying to profit from people’s desire for the newest fad. Stem cells can be derived from a number of different places in the human body. Fat cells for example, harvested through atraumatic technique can be enhanced to make other types of cells in the laboratory. But claims that a simple office procedure can use stem cells to rejuvenate one’s appearance I am afraid are inflated claims, based on very little proof, very little science, and lots of hype. In most cases what these doctors are performing are fat injections and are claiming they are injecting stem cells when the amount of stem cells in what they are injecting is likely  minimal to none, but they get the marketing benefit of the latest thing in science. Frequently they show patients after a few weeks with improved results. At that point, there is likely swelling still present making the improvement appear dramatic, but they do not last. Below is an article hyping the use of stem cells for facial rejuvenation and an article with the national plastic surgery societies’ stance on these practices. I suggest you read them both and decide for yourself if the large sums of money people are spending are truly worth it, especially when what they claim they are doing, they have little proof they are actually performing.

Read the news article here.

Read the plastic surgery society press release here.

For general Q&A on plastic surgery, click on Plastic Surgery in Las Vegas.

Fillers

The Truth About Liposuction

Jul18th
2012 7 Comments Written by Julio Garcia MD

With the popularity of liposuction have come many misconceptions about it. The worst myths or fallacies are that it should or can be used for weight loss, and that it isn’t “real” surgery. This last point has led to the number of complications and deaths related to untrained people posing as plastic surgeons performing liposuction in Medispas or other no-surgical facilities. Below is a quick article about the truth and myths of liposuction.

To read the article click here.

To get more answers about liposuction, go to Plastic Surgery in Las Vegas.

Liposuction

Scars After a C-Section

Jul18th
2012 19 Comments Written by Julio Garcia MD

Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon

An area of concern for many women, is the scar left from a C-Section delivery of a child. I frequently get asked if I can remove the scar totally. Although the scar can be removed with surgery, it will leave a new scar. Lasers can be used to fade a red scar but it will not remove the scar. Once there is a scar, about all we can do is to make it look thinner or place it in an area that is less seen. I frequently perform tummy tucks on women after having a C-Section and I almost always cut the entire C-Section scar out, leaving them only with the tummy tuck scar. Below is a recent article about this.

To read it, click here.

For more answers to questions about tummy tucks, click on Plastic Surgery in Las Vegas.

tummy tuck

Cosmetic Surgery for the Toes

Jul16th
2012 38 Comments Written by Julio Garcia MD

There have been a rash of recent reports in the news about people getting cosmetic surgery for their toes. I will say that for many years, podiatrists have been performing surgery for afflictions of the toes, such things as hammer toes or when toes over ride one another. These have been done to correct pain and inability to walk properly. In those cases I stand firmly behind the doctor’s and the patient’s decision. But now come the reports of cosmetic surgery being performed in order to have more “attractive toes” in sandals and flip flops. Please folks, lets think about this for one second. Although the infatuation for plastic surgery has become almost overwhelming when we are bombarded by it on numerous TV shows and in magazines, one has to think a bit her. Most of the time when a toe is too wide, no called “toe-besity”, it is the underlying bone that is wide and not an abnormal accumulation of fat. In order to change that, the bone has to be broken and reduced, but there are tendons and nerves in the area that one needs to consider, along with the properly ability to balance on ones toes when walking normally. The potential surgical risks are that the deformity will recur, the bone might not heal properly and result in a fracture and that there can be infections. The toes are not very resistant to infections and if it were to spread to your foot, there could possibly be catastrophic problems.Just like there are bathing suit models , there exist hand and feet models. As  board certified plastic surgeon I can tell you that not all of us can have the figure or face we want with cosmetic surgery, and the same applies for feet and hands. Please think long and hard about your desires and inform yourself of all of the potential risks.  This is an area of cosmetic surgery where serious problems can occur, so please get an informed opinion from at least two surgeons.

For answer to your other questions, click here at Plastic Surgery in Las Vegas

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Thinking about Plastic Surgery, Well Think Ahead

Jul12th
2012 58 Comments Written by Julio Garcia MD

We are all seeing lots of articles in the news and also press releases claiming that there is a sudden surge in plastic surgery,especially liposuction and breast augmentation in the summer months. Personally, having been in the private practice of plastic surgery since 1988, I respectfully disagree and think those surgeons claiming that are looking for a bump in their schedules. The truth of the matter is that if you want to have a certain look for the summer months where you go to the beach or poolside, you need to think way in advance. Plastic surgery is more involved than getting a new bikini or highlights in your hair. Even under the best of circumstances, either a breast augmentation or liposuction will have you on limited activity and avoiding sun for 2-4 weeks. So if you have the surgery tomorrow, you might be able to go to the beach/ pool in mid-August. That does not sound like a well though out plan. Taking into account the fact that your selected surgeon might not be able to have available operating room slots for 2-4 weeks or more, you need to plan in advance. I typically will start seeing patients that want to look better for the Christmas holidays in early October.  Fillers and non-surgical options can be done much closer to the desired dates but surgery needs to be planned way in advance.

To have your individual questions about plastic surgery in Las Vegas and timing of your procedure, click here.

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