SURGERY
Detailed information on the operations I do.
THE CONVENTIONAL FACE AND NECK-LIFT WITH EXCISION OF EXCESS SKIN IN FRONT OF THE EARS.
This is a traditional method, but I want my patients to appear naturally rejuvenated, without any tell-tale signs of a face-lift. Scars are hidden and the tension never shows. I include the benefits of the Suture Suspension Loop technique to help maintain the position of deep tissues. The threads used are poly propylene that is never rejected by the body.
Patients often ask how long a face-lift will last, and the usual reply is about six to ten years. What that really means is that, by six to ten years you will have slowly developed lax and droopy skin, and then you feel you should have another face-lift. I believe that we should intervene earlier and this can easily be done by adding the Suture Suspension Loop technique.
THE “SCARLESS” BROW LIFT for lifting brows that are too low.
Special loops lift your brows, secured using tiny incisions in the hairline. The threads are durable and will ensure a lasting result. The hairline is not pulled backwards and hair growth is not affected. You won’t be able to feel the knots.
After 6-8 months you’ll forget that the sutures exist
“SCARLESS” TEMPLE LIFT
Another version of these sutures allows me to tighten the sides of the eyebrow and the temple skin to reduce crow’s feet without lifting the brow.
UPPER BLEPHAROPLASTY for the upper eyelids
This is the well-known operation to remove excess skin on the upper eyelid once your brows are in their correct position. The scar lies in the eyelid crease.
Please note that if one has excess skin on the upper eyelid and the brows are too low, then I may correct the brows first and then do an upper blepharoplasty as a separate procedure after at least 6 months. This allows me to give a more precise and better result.
”SCARLESS” MIDFACE-LIFT: to lighten the creases from the nose and soften the “tear-trough” from the medial eye to the cheek.
This is another operation that I have pioneered. The lower eyelid is virtually always treated by the midface lift.
THE VIRTUALLY SCARLESS LOWER FACE AND NECK-LIFT
In some people, the lower face and the neck can be corrected without doing a full face-lift. Generally, tiny incisions in the temple are used in combination with tiny incisions in front the ears. This is the perfect solution for people who are considered too young for a face lift but want to have a more convincing appearance of youth.
After the operation, you will need to use a special supporting mask that I have designed to protect the sutures and improve your comfort. I also recommend that you use the Better Pillow that I designed for my patients. Once you have healed then even your hairdresser may never know that the operation has been done!
Fat grafting or Lipo-sculpture
I started doing fat grafting in 1987. As you age, you often lose fat in the very place where you want it to be – your face! Fat stem cells have great potential, and are being harnessed by modern research. Fat grafting has become one of the best ways to rejuvenate a face and, when combined with a face-lift, gives excellent results.
I use fat grafts It is also a good way to enhance various contours of the face
Percutaneous Collagen Induction (PCI)
This is a procedure that I’ve pioneered as an alternative to laser resurfacing, and it has been featured in many medical journals. I’ve written chapters in textbooks, but I recommend that my patients should buy “Your Skin Factory” and “Why You Need Skin Needling” from www.yourskinfactory.com.
It is absolutely essential to be on the highest levels of topical and oral Vitamin A prior to your Needling operation
Special needles are used to finely puncture the skin and induce natural collagen production. This tightens the skin after a few months. The method can also be used to reduce acne scarring, burn scars, wrinkles and creases on the upper lip.
For acne scars, this technique gives the best results without destroying the skin surface. More than one treatment may be required, but the advantage is that the skin gets smoother and smoother every time you are needled.
The BetterPillow
I know that most people think that gravity is the cause of sagging facial tissues but after careful observation, I realised that the way we sleep has an enormous impact on how our faces age. If we sleep on our sides, we press the skin tissue downwards and towards the nose for prolonged periods. That creates deep nose to mouth lines, drooping jowls and even lip lines. I believe that while smoking definitely weakens the collagen lattice-work, the main cause of the lines on the upper and lower lip is pressure from the cheeks, distorting them while we sleep.
I also saw that I could protect the suspension sutures in a mid-face lift far better by removing pressure from the cheeks. That’s why I designed the “better pillow” which supports the face on the forehead and below the jaw-line removing pressure on the cheeks. That way my patients can safely sleep comfortably, immediately after their operation, without fear of damaging the surgery. The addition of the special facial mask (that I also specifically designed) provides great comfort and support. www.vivida.co.za
I confine myself to performing only certain facial cosmetic operations that I’ve concentrated on, but I remain interested in treating all skin cancers.